Poush–Sankranti

Winter is here and it’s the new harvest time in India. Throughout the country, this period of time is celebrated as a harvest festival. Be it Lohri, be it Pongal or Poush–Sankranti in West Bengal! For us living in Bengal, winter or Poush-Sankranti remains incomplete without Pithe or Puli, the widely loved desserts! Pithe is made from a batter of rice flour or wheat flour, which is shaped and filled with sweet or savoury ingredients. Puli happens to be a variation of the same. Let’s have a look at some of the Pithe & Puli variations that are worth trying! Patishapta– Patishapta is one of the most popular pithe. It is basically a thin pancake made with rice flour and sooji, stuffed with a caramelised mixture of jaggery and grated coconut. The pancake can also be filled with khoya and sugar instead of jaggery and grated coconut. Dudh Puli– Puli is a steamed sweet made with rice flour coating and a filling made of jaggery and coconut. It can either be served as steamed puli itself or it can be dunk in thickened sweet milk and served in the form of dudh puli. Sugar can be used to sweeten the milk and the filling; however traditionally dudh puli is made with fresh jaggery. Gokul Pithe– Gokul Pithe is a fried pithe unlike the steamed ones, and is soaked in sugar syrup. It has a jaggery and coconut filling and is generally so soft that it melts in mouth with every bite. These pithes are basically sweet fried dumplings soaked in thick hot sugar syrup. Chakli Pithe– Chakli Pithe is a super thin pancake that is enjoyed with hot jaggery syrup. There is another thin and tiny version of this pithe called soru chakli which is made of kheer. Ranga aloo Pithe– Ranga Aloo Pithe is made with sweet potatoes which are first boiled, then mashed with spices. The mashed sweet potatoes are given shape, stuffed with coconut and jaggery then deep fried. The deep fried pithes are dunked in sugar syrup and served. Try out these pithes & pulis and enjoy winter with your family and friends!