Sankranti Doodh Puli Pithe Recipe

Winter is the favorite season of many. Some like to travel to different places in winter, some like to eat different kinds of food. Many people like winter for one reason. Because, only at this time of the year, there is an opportunity to eat all kinds of pithas. Also, there will be pithe puli at home during Poush Parban.

In the old days, the arrival of winter meant milk was boiled in large pots in the yard. Grandmothers used to put the sweet warmth of the sun behing and make pithe, pili, patishapta tirelessly!

Bengal is famous for its various occasions and tradition of making doodh puli which are made from rice flour, khoya, milk, ground pistachios and other. An ageless delicacy, the Doodh Puli is a famous 'pithe' in any bengali household. Doodh puli has a outer shell made with rice flour and is filled with sweet stuffing made with coconut and sugar and then these dumplings are either boiled in thickened milk sweetened with jaggery.

At home, many people make different kinds of pitha. Dudhpuli is a bit more favorite among many types of pithas. Lately Dudhpuli is also available in shops. But it can be easily made at home. Many people make dudhpuli at home. But not everyone can make fluffy soft dudhpuli. In most cases Dudhpuli becomes hard on the back. So it doesn't feel that good to eat. So how to easily make soft fluffy dudhpuli pitha at home? That recipe is presented here.

Here is a recipe of the Doodh Puli

Ingredients:

• 1 coconut, grated
• 1 tbsp date palm jaggery
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups rice flour
• 1 tsp plain flour (optional)
• 6 cups milk
• 10 raisins
• 1 tbsp cashewnuts, chopped
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• Salt as per taste

Method:

Grate coconut and mix with sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well and keep it aside.

Heat a pan. Add jaggery and sugar and keep stirring in low flame. As it starts melting add grated coconut. Keep stirring constantly for 5 minutes or till the mixture comes together and becomes sticky and dry. The filling is now ready. Remove from heat when the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Flavor it with cardamom powder. Let it cool.

Take rice flour in an bowl, add lukewarm water and salt. Add plain flour to that and knead till it becomes a dough like mixture. Cover the dough with a cloth.

Make small balls from the the rice dough, size of a lemon from the dough. Flatten and spread each ball with your fingers with a cavity in the center in the shape of a tiny bowl and stuff little coconut mixture into it. Fold it and seal the edges by bringing together both the edges in the shape of half-moon so that filling doesnt come out. Make other pulis the same way.

Heat a big wide pan and add milk. Boil the milk till it reduces to half. Add the pulies to the milk slowly. Cover it and let it cook for about 10 minutes, or until pulis are soft and the milk has thickened, stirring in between. Add raisins and cashew nuts and further cook for 5 minutes. Take it out in a serving tray. Serve hot or cold.