Sankranthi, or Sankranti (Sanskrit: मकर संक्रान्ति ), Makar Sankaranti marks the transition of the Sun into Capricorn on its celestial path. This is significant considering the Winter Solstice marks the beginning of the gradual increase of the duration of the day. Traditionally, this has been one of many harvest days in India.
In West Bengal, Sankranti, also known as Pous Sankranti after the Bengali month in which it falls, is celebrated as a harvest festival Pous Parbon (Bengali: পৌষ পার্বণ). The freshly harvested paddy along with the date palm syrup in the form of Khejurer Gur (Bengali: খেজুরের গুড়)and Patali (Bengali: পাটালি ) is used in the preparation of a variety of traditional Bengali sweets made with rice flour, coconut, milk and khejurer gur and known as Pithey (Bengali: পিঠে). All sections of the society particpate in a three-day begins on the day before Sankranti and ends on the day after. The Goddess Lakshmi is usually worshipped on the day of Sankranti.
I am going to post some of my favourite PITHE recipes for this month to mark the POSH PARBON usually celebrated by Bengalees.
Today I am going to discuss the recipes of some important traditional PITHE-PULI which I have learnt from my mother and Grand Mother.
Patisapta (পাটিসাপটা )
"Patisapta" is one of my favourite pithe which I have learnt from my Grand Ma.- Flour 4tbsp
- Semolina 2tsp
- Khejurer Gur 1/2 cup + 2tsp for the pancake
- Sugar 2tsp
- Deshi Ghee 2tsp
- Milk 8tbsp
- Coconut (grated, 1cup)
- Khoya 1/4 cup
In a large wok mix the khoya, khejurer Gur and grated coconut together and make a smooth paste with the help of a spatula over a high flame. The Patisapta Pur is ready.
Meanwhile make a smooth paste of milk, flour, semolina, khejurer gur (2tsp), ghee and sugar.This is your pancake batter.
Heat a nonstick tawa and grease it with ghee and fry the pancakes one at a time from the smooth batter you have made. Stuff each pancake with the Patisapta Pur.
Serve hot as a winter desert.
MOONG-SAMALI (মুগসামালি )
Ingredients:
- Moong Dal : 1 cup
- Grated Coconut : 1 cup
- Khejurer Gur : 1/2 cup
- Rice Flour
- Sugar : 1tsp
- Mustard Oil : for deep frying
PROCEDURE:
Dry fry the Moong Dal in a wok till it becomes golden brown in colour. Boil the dry fried dal in a pressure cooker on a slow flame by adding water which is just sufficient to soak the dal. Remove from fire. Take it out from the pressure cooker and spread it on a thali. Mash the dal with your palm and let it cool. Sprinkle rice flour on the mashed dal to knead the dal to make a dough.( don not add too much of rice flour) Finally add the 1tsp sugar into the dough to make the fried PITHE a bit porous. Make small balls out of the dough. Meanwhile make the stuffing by mixing grated coconut and boiling Khejurer Gur together. Put the coconut stuff inside each ball and seal the PITHE in desired shape. Deep fry the "Moong Samali" PITHE in mustard oil.
Serve hot with NALEN GUR as an evening snacks.
RAS-BORA (রসবড়া )
Ingredients
Toor Dal (Biuli) [ from 100 gms of dal you can make 20 small VADA's]
Sugar
DatePalm Jaggery (Khejurer Gur) [ for 20 VADAS you need to use 50gms]
Sugar
DatePalm Jaggery (Khejurer Gur) [ for 20 VADAS you need to use 50gms]
Saunf (Mouri)
Mustard Oil for frying
Mustard Oil for frying
Procedure
Soak the dal in water for overnight. Paste in mixie with adding water (not too much) into a smooth paste. Sprinkle saunf on the batter. Heat oil and deep fry 1tsp batter at a time to make the VADA. Fry till the VADA is golden brown in colour.
Meanwhile boil Khejurer gur and Sugar(1:1) in water to make the syrup (CHUSNEY). Immerse the hot VADAs into the syrup while hot.
Serve as a delicious snacks or simply as a dessert !!
Meanwhile boil Khejurer gur and Sugar(1:1) in water to make the syrup (CHUSNEY). Immerse the hot VADAs into the syrup while hot.
Serve as a delicious snacks or simply as a dessert !!
DOODH-PULI (দুধপুলি )
Ingredients
- Milk - 1 litre
- Semolina ( sooji ) - 1 cup
- Grated coconut - 2 cups
- Date Palm Jaggery Liquified ( Khejure'r Gur ) - 2 cups
- Date Palm Jaggery Solid ( Patali Gur ) - crushed
- Ghee - 1 teaspoon
- Flower ( Maida ) - 2 teaspoon
- Boil the milk in a flat pan (dekchi ) for about 30 mins to "thicken" it somewhat ....
- Meanwhile, knead the semolina with hot water and 1 teaspoon ghee to make a soft dough
- Boil the liquified date palm jaggery (khejure'r gur ) and add the grated coconut. Stir continuously until the mixture attains a consistency thick enough to be made into balls that can be stuffed into a shell -- to be made in the next step
- Make 12 small balls from the semolina dough and after dusting it with the flower, make them into flat discs that can be converted into shells to hold the stuffings made in the previous step.
- Make the "pooli" by placing the stuffing (step 3) inside the shell (step 4) and sealing it
- Place the "pooli"s one-by-one into the pan of boiling milk ... do not stir, simply let them simmer for about 5 minutes
- Add the crushed Patali Gur, to the "pooli"s in the boiling milk and simmer for another 5 minutes
- Remove from the heat and allow the pan of "pooli"s to cool down to room temperature before serving.
SINGARA PITHE( সিঙ্গাড়া পিঠে)
Ingredients
- Maida
- Refined Oil for frying and 2tbsp for the dough
- Ghee 2tbsp
- Baking Powder 1/2 tsp
- Coconut (grated)
- Khejurer Gur
Knead the maida with ghee, 2tbsp refined oil and baking powder to make a tight dough. Cover it with a soft wet cloth for 1/2 an hour. Meanwhile make the filling of the samosa(singara) by heating khejurer Gur and coconut together till no syrupy liquid is left. Let it cool.
Cut the dough into small balls (normal size of a puri(luchi) ) and flatten each ball like a puri and cut into two equal halves. Then fold each of the semi-circular puri in a triangular way and fill it up with the coconut stuff. Deep fry the samosas in refined oil.
Serve hot with NALEN GUR.
Ranga Aloor Nikhunti (রাঙা আলুর নিঁখুতি)
Red Potatoes (রাঙা আলু ) are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6 and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin C and dietary fibres. It is widely used today because of its anti carcinogenic properties.Here is a very simple recipe with Red Potatoes. This is a sweet called Nikhunti(নিঁখুতি), a typical fried sweet dish that is widely used in West Bengal
Ingredients
- Red Potatoes (medium size)-6
- Suji- 2 tsp
- Maida- 4 tsp
- Rice Flour- 2tsp
- Khoya- 4 tbsp [ you can make it by dehydrating 2 cups of milk ]
- Baking Powder- 1/2 tsp
- Black Cardamom -crushed
- Ghee- 2 tsp
- Sugar Syrup [made by boiling 1 cup sugar in a cup of water and cooled ]
- Refined oil for frying
- Boil the red potatoes in a pressure cooker for 2 minutes only. Open the lid of the pressure cooker to avoid melting of the potatoes as they are very soft once boiled.
- Peel of the skin of the boiled red potatoes and mash them.
- Meanwhile make the thick Sugar Syrup and let it cool.
- Take a platter and place all the ingredients except the oil and the sugar syrup along with the bolied red potatoes and mash them together. Make small Nikhunti(নিঁখুতি) ( it is having a special shape as shown in the picture). Roll theNikhunti(নিঁখুতি) on a dash of extra flour and refrigerate for half an hour.
- Fry them in hot refiend oil and place into the sugar syrup. You can sprinkle a little more ghee from top and also some Rose Water ( optional)