MANU JANA
Pithe-Puli
The eastern part of India, especially West Bengal, is famous for the wide range of sweets and sweet dishes that were born here. Nowadays, people rarely make sweets at home and famous sweet shops have come to the forefront. But one tradition that has been passed down for generations among Bengalis, and continues to be honored to this day, is the making of “Pithe-Puli” (a range of sweet dishes) on Sankranti (the harvest festival) celebrations every year. In the picture you will find 6-7 different types of sweets that fall under “Pithe-Puli,” but I have provided the recipe for two of my favourite ones: “Patishapta” (the flattened, brown coloured dish) and “Choshir Payesh” (the milk based dish).
Patishapta
Choshir Payesh
Patishapta
What you need:
Rice crumbs
White flour
Sooji
Gur (liquid brown sugar)
Sugar
Coconut paste
Milk kheer
Milk
Procedure:
Turn on the gas and in a dish/pan, put coconut paste, milk, gur and sugar. Cook on low
heat until it thickens into a paste.
Put the milk kheer to further thicken it, mix well, and take it down to cool.
In a separate dish, put milk, sooji, gur and sugar and soak in water for some time.
After some time, put some rice crumbs in it and mix until it thickens into a batter. The
batter shouldn’t be too loose or too thick.
Now put a frying pan on fire and brush some oil on it.
Put some of the batter and let it spread and cook for a bit. As it starts become brown, put
some of the paste from earlier into it.
Fold the now pancake type cooked dish from two sides to make a flattened roll.
Remember not to cook to a crisp.
Repeat the process until all the batter is used up.
Choshir Payesh
What you need:
White flour
Milk
Ghee
Gur
Michri (big sugar cubes)/ Normal sugar
Procedure:
Take some flour and water in a dish and mix well together to create a mix like the one used to make chapatti.
● Then take small amounts from it (the size of one rice unit) and roll them up into small vertical rolls.
● Put them on a plate and leave them to dry. It is best if you leave them for some time in the sun.
● Boil some milk in an utensil.
● In another frying pan, fry the small rolls from earlier in a little ghee.
● Then put these rolls in the boiled milk and bring it to a simmer.
● Then add sugar to sweeten according to your taste.
● Take it down while the milk is not yet too thick, otherwise it might thicken too much later.
● Now garnish with grated Milk kheer, nuts and raisins and your dish is ready!
An Indian businesswoman, Manu Jana is also the mother of two daughters. Seeing her children happy is her biggest dream. She loves sewing, as it gives her peace of mind and comforts her in difficult times. She has majored in History in college and loves spending time with children.