Gokul Pithe - Makar Sankranti Special Bengali Sweet

                                                                            
Pithey is one of the most traditional sweet /dessert that we Bengalis prepare on the occasion of Poush Sankranti. Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival which is widely celebrated across various parts of India and given various names. We Bengalis prepare a lot of traditional Bewgali sweets, specially made with 'palm jaggery', 'rice flour', coconut and milk.

 I have learnt this from my mother who every year on Sankranti used to make this delectable sweet along with Patishapta, Nolen Gurer Payesh and both me and my sister would wait in the kitchen to grab the first hot gokul pithey.


Ingredients:
For the Outer Coating / Batter-:
1/2 cup All purpose flour
2 tbsp Sooji / Semolina
1/2 tsp Saunf powder or roughly crush the sauf (Fennel seeds)
3-4 tsp Ghee
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Milk
Pinch of salt


To make the outer coating:-
Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and make a thick batter. If you find the batter too tight , then sprinkle little water but remember batter should be thick. Keep aside. 

For the Filling:
2 cups grated Coconut
1/2 Palm jaggery (optional)
2-3 tsp Sugar
1 cup Kheer (boil 1 1/2 liters of milk in a saucepan and stir occasionally till it reduces to 1 cup)


To make the filling-:
Melt palm jaggery in a kadhai on low flame, stir continuously to avoid burning from bottom and add coconut. Continue stirring for 5-6 minutes, add kheer, sugar and keep stirring till the mixture becomes dry and sticky. Remove from heat and let it cool down. 

This is how Palm jaggery (/khejurer /patali gur) looks like

For syrup:
3 cups Water
1 1/2 cups Sugar
2-3 Cardamom pods
Pinch of saffron strands


To make syrup:-
Mix sugar and water in a heavy bottomed pan on low heat and bring it to boil. Stir continuously until sugar dissolves completely, add cardamom pods and saffron strands. When the consistency of syrup is single string, remove from heat. The ugar syrup is ready.


To make Gokul Pithey:

Divide the palm jaggery-coconut mixture into 18-20 small balls. Slightly flatten the balls, dip in flour batter and immediately immerse the flatten ball into piping hot oil in a frying pan. At a time you can fry 2-3 flatten balls and deep fry until golden brown. Take out the fried ones and dip them into sugar syrup. Repeat the process until all the flatten balls are finished in the form of Gokul Pithey.

My friend Faseela of Good Food Ends With Good Talk has shared an award with me. Grateful for this gesture Faseela. Do visit her lovely blog for more bites.