Baked Dudh Puli (Guest Post For Pushpita Aheibam)

Baked dudh puli.

Puli is another name of pithe and dudh means milk in Bengali. Its very famous in Bengal. Different types of pithe are used to make in every Bengali homes on Makar Sankranti.

Its my first guest post and I am very happy because I am sharing this post with my loving sister, friend and very talented blogger Pushpita. Visit her blog Ei Gi Chakhum for different types of recipes, specially Manipuri cuisine along with fusion and regional culinary delights.

Pushpita is an Economist, a freelance writer, a doting mother, a homemaker, a very helpful person and a food enthusiast. Thanks a lot Pushpita for inviting me to write a guest post for Makar Sankranti. Wishing you a blessed year ahead.

In west Bengal its known as Poush Sankranti/Poush Parbon or Makar Sankranti. We celebrate it in the last day of Bengali month Poush.

Making of pithe or puli is must in every Bengali home to celebrate this harvest festival. Rice flour, coconut or date palm jaggery or khajur gur are mainly used in these special kind of sweets.

Dudh puli is basically rice flour dumplings stuffed with coconut, date palm jaggery or khajur/nolen gur, khoya/mawa or dried milk and dry fruits and cooked in date palm jaggery or khajur/nolen gur and cardamom infused milk.

The stuffing is same as Gokul Pithe.

Puli or pithe in cardamom and Jaggery infused thick milk taste heavenly.

Now coming to the recipe.

We make this puli or pithe every year but never baked it. But Pushpita want the puli baked. So Pushpita here is a baked version of dudh puli for you 🙂

Recipe 

For rice dumplings 

Rice flour – 1 cup

Hot water – 1/2 cup

Salt – a small pinch

For stuffing 
Khoya or dried milk  – 2 cup grated or mashed

Coconut  – 1 cup grated

Date palm jaggery/khajur gur  – 1 cup grated

Dry fruits of your choice

For thick milk 

Milk – 6 cup

Date palm jaggery – 1/3 cup grated or broken into small pieces

Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon

Shredded almonds and dry fruits to sprinkle

Method 

Heat a pan and add khoya or dried milk. Saute for some time. Stir continuously. Add the grated coconut and date palm jaggery.

If you don’t have this jaggery use sugar. Add 3/4 cup and mix well. Keep stirring. When the jaggery or sugar melted taste it then add more if require.
Add dry fruits. I usually use cashew nuts and raisins. You can use any dry fruits of your choice.
Saute till the mixture dried up completely.

Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool.

In a bowl mix rice flour and hot water. Mix with a spoon. Then knead well with hand quickly. Make a smooth dough.

Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan. When it starts to boil reduce the flame. Let it boil on simmer 30 minutes.

Take small balls out of the dough and make it flat with your palm. Stuff little khoya/mawa or dried milk, coconut and jaggery mixture in the middle. Seal the edges to make it semi circle or a cylindrical shape. My mom used to make it small cylindrical shape so I like to make it in that way.

Stuff all the dumplings.

Now add cardamom powder to the milk. Mix and add the dumplings one by one in the boiling milk. Stir gently to avoid breaking the dumplings. Let it cook for 30 minutes more  on simmer or until you get your desired consistency.

Add the jaggery and mix well. Its ready.

Place the dumplings on a ovenproof tray. Pour the thick reduced milk on it. Sprinkle shredded almonds on it. You can use any dry fruits of your choice.

Bake in preheated oven at 200° on upper rack for 15 – 20 minutes or until the colour becomes light brown.

Serve hot. It will be soft before baking but becomes little hard when cool after baking. Reheat it to make soft again whenever you want to serve.
You can store it in refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Just microwave for 30 – 40 second before serving.

You can skip the baking if you like. Serve stuffed rice dumplings in flavoured thick milk. It will be delicious without baking too.

Happy Makar Sankranti in advance to everyone 🙂