Dudh Puli

Winter harvest festival in Bengal is known as Poush Parban. Poush parban means lots of sweet dishes which are called pithe and nutun gurer payesh. There are many tiyes of pithe like beni pithe, arisha pithe, chirer pithe, tiler pithe, mug pakan pithe, paper khir puli are few from the many. Pithe’s are made on the day of pous sankranti or makar sankranti and are offered to God, this is a way of showing gratitude to Almighty for all the crops and foods. Dudh puli is one such delicious yummy traditional pithe, this was almost common in every house decade ago but now in modern times hurry and worry such traditional time taking sweets are on the way to extinct. In my home Maa ( Mother) still loves to make such time consuming traditional sweets for her Radha Mohan and we enjoy  such awesome prasad and her smiling happy face. Credit of this recipe goes to my Maa, which I am sure you all will love.

Preparation time  30 minutes
Cooking time 1 hr 30 minutes
Serves  4 to 6 


Ingredients  
2 cup semolina/ suji / rice flour ( gobindo bhog rice if available )
1  cup  dry date plum jaggery ( nolen gur)
½ tsp small cardamom powder( optional)
3 cup grated coconut
1  cup dry coconut powder
2 liter milk
2 cup liquid date plum jaggery / castor sugar
½  cup fresh cream ( optional)
½ cup sugar
2 pinch of salt



Cooking Methods

Heat a sauce pan then add the chunks of jaggary let it melt then add the grated coconut. Stir in a low flame until well mixed. Put off the flame and make small cylindrical shapes out of them. Keep them aside. Now boil water in a nonstick sauce pan add semolina or rice flour (we prefer semolina because rice flour have a tendency to break but traditionally rice flour is used and specially with gobindo bhog rice in Bengal as this rice have its own special sweet aroma) whatever you are using in add that to boiling water with two pinch of salt. Now keep stirring till it became sticky dough. Now put off the flame and knead the dough well and make soft dough. Now make small lemon size balls out of them and make small circular shape with your hand. Place the coconut stuffing in the middle and fold them. Put little water in your finger rub on the edges and now press and seal the edges.This are called pulis. After the pulis now it’s time to make the milk sauce. Add half cup of water with milk and let it boil and boil till it reduce little now add the pulis in the boiling milk and cook for 20 to 25 minutes till the milk is reduced to half. Now add sugar and liquid jaggery, dry coconut powder ( if you love the aroma of liquid jaggery then skip the cardamom powder but for those who are using sugar instead of jaggery they can use small cardamom powder ) and boil again for 10 to 15 minutes. Now add fresh cream. Put off the flame. Let it rest for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Dudh puli taste great in room temperature. Serve a pulis in a bowl and ladle the thick milk sauce over it .
Such traditional dishes need no extra garnish , simplicity is the best décor for such traditional sweet dessert. Enjoy Bengal’s age old traditional favorite pithe Duduh puli.

Wish all my Indian friends A Very Happy Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Bihu and Pongal.

Happy Cooking!