Dudh Puli | Dudh Pitha

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Dudh Puli or Dudh Pitha is rice dumplings stuffed with coconut & jaggery and cooked in reduced milk (kheer). It is a traditional Bengali recipe especially prepared during Sankranti which is known as Poush Parbon.

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• Poush Sankranti
• Ingredients Required for Dudh Puli Pithe
• How to Make Puli Pitha
• Making Ahead
• FAQ
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• Dudh Puli Recipe

Poush Sankranti

Poush Sankranti is denoted as the last day of the Bengali month Poush, and it is like Makar Sankranti festival. It is also known as Poush parbon. It is celebrated as a harvest festival with sweet and savory dishes made out of rice flour and date palm jaggery. We also call it as Pithe Parob. I have seen both my grandmothers (paternal and maternal) making Pithe Pulis on this auspicious occasion.

Childhood Memories of Poush Parbon

My paternal grandmother was culinary genius and she used prepare a wide variety of pitha pulis. Though my memories are very fade (as she left us for peace heaven when I was in school), but I could remember I used sit with grandma and keep on chatting like a chatter box and used to eat stuffing of coconut jaggery little by little. She used to make Dal Pithe, Bhapa Pithe, Rangalur Pithe, Gokul Pithe, Dudh Chitoi, Patishapta and many more.

My maternal grandmother used to prepare dudh puli predominantly and bhaja pithe on the next day with the left over bhapa pithe. I also remember, on the night of Poush Sankranti Dida used to chant some songs in front of Goddess Lakshmi. It is called Poush daka.

Ingredients Required for Dudh Puli Pithe

Rice Flour: Rice flour is used to make the outer shell of the Puli. In olden days, rice was pounded using a wooden beam (dhenki) to prepare rice flour which was used in the making of pithe puli. Nowadays rice flour is made in machine. Traditionally, parboiled rice (seddho chal) flour is used for making pithe and outer shell becomes softer. You can also use raw rice flour (atop chal) for this purpose. However, outer shell turns a bit harder in this case. You can also use mix of both rice flours to prepare pithe puli.

Milk: In dudh puli, dumplings are prepared and dunked in reduced milk and boil them for few minutes to get delicious dudh puli.

Date Palm Jaggery: Date Palm Jaggery which is also known as khejur gur or nolen gur. It is available only in Winter season. Date palm jaggery is made from the early morning sap of the Date Palm trees and rich source of beneficial nutrients. It has a rich aroma and lovely golden color.

Apart from these main ingredients, you need ingredients for stuffing pithe according to your choice.

How to Make Puli Pitha

Learn Puli Pithe Recipe by following the step-by-step instructions given below. Dudh Puli Pitha Recipe will be explained in three major steps:

• Making of Stuffing
• Preparation for Outer Shell
• Making of Kheer

Making of Stuffing

The first step is making of stuffing. We prefer sondesh stuffing over coconut stuffing. In a mixing bowl, combine chena (without water) and jaggery and knead for 5 minutes.

Now, heat this over a gas flame and stir continuously for 5 minutes. When 90% of the water in the mixture has evaporated, turn off the burner and allow to cool. Stuffing of sondesh is ready now.

Preparation of Outer Shell

Preparation of the outer shell is the key of this dudh puli recipe. Mix the rice flour and salt together. Add required amount of hot water slowly and make a smooth and soft dough. You can make rice flour dough using cold water. You must use spoon if the water is too hot. Be careful while you are preparing dough using hot water.

After kneading, cover the dough with a moist cloth. Now, take a marble-sized dough and press it in the middle to form a pocket with your fingers. Fill it with makha sandesh or coconut filling. Fold it into a half-moon.

Similarly, repeat the procedure with the remaining dough. To prevent cracks in the outside shell of these dumplings, cover the dough and prepared dumplings with a moist cloth while making them.

Making of Kheer

Finally, the last step is to make the kheer and cook the pitha (dumplings) in the kheer. Now, heat the milk and reduce it to nearly half the amount. Add the dumplings and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the pithas are done. 

Next, add date palm jaggery and a pinch of salt. Boil it for a further 5 to 7 minutes. Serve it hot, and the next day, serve cold as well.

Making Ahead

Making of dudh puli from scratch is a time consuming process. Hence, in today's busy time many avoid to prepare them.

You can prepare the stuffing ahead, may be couple of days before and store it in the refrigerator. Use this stuffing to make the whole process easy, less time consuming and hassle free. Earlier these occasions are celebrated in joint families and each member used to contribute so work was divided but today's nuclear family does not have any help so we have found our own way of doing to save our tradition and culture. 

Also you can keep the milk on low flame for reducing before you start your preparation for dudh puli. This will also help you save a lot of your time.

FAQ

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