Gokul Pithe to celebrate Kolkata Food Blogger's 1st Birthday

The January month marks the birth month of KFB, Kolkata Food Bloggers, the foodie group I'm associated with. KFb has turned 1 and in this 1 year, we achiedved a lot, thanks to all

my enthusiastic and dedicated foodie friends of that group. We have more than 1000 facebook fans and not only that we have completed many successful projects also in this small time. I am very happy to celebrate KFB's 1st Birthday and at KFB, we are posting dessert and finger-food recipes on this whole birthday week. I'll request to all my blogger friends, who is visiting me right now, to share your finger-food and dessert recipes with us and get chance to be featured on our page on 27th and 28th January. Check on our facebook page here. I'm dedicating this special post to KFb's Birthday bash party. Three Cheers for Kolkata Food Bloggers, Hip, Hip, Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Nolen Gur or Palm jaggery is a divinely delicious thing on this earth. This is a must-have for Bengalis during Winter season. Palm jaggery comes in two forms, solid(we call it Patali Gur) and liquid form(we call it jhola gur). In any form, we just love it. Palm jaggery is only available in Winter Season, and so bengalis use this every way possible during winter, like we make sandesh, Pithe-puli, use in different dessert, even we all love the liquid palm jaggery with chapati in our family.
   Pithe is a special Bengali traditional dessert which is made during Makar Sankranti/Poush Sankranti, which falls in Winter and it is also harvest season in allover India. So in whole India celebrates this harvest festival in different names. We, bengalis celebrate making this special sweet called,"Pitha/Pithe" in many forms using mainly rice flour, palm jaggery, coconut and milk.
Poush/Makar Snkranti, which was just celebrated 2 weeks back, I made these pithey called "Gokul Pithey" to celebrate the occassion and also to have my nolen gur and enjot it to its best form, pithe. Here are some more Pithe recipe I made over the years and to know what pithe is, try some of them : Patishapta Pithe, Doodh puli Pithe, Nolen gurer Payesh

    In Gokul Pithe, a filling is made using coconut and khoya/Mawa and a bbater of flour and suji is made. The filling is then coated with batter and deep fried and then coated with sugar syrup. A truly delicious and addictive dessert, one is never enough once you tasted it........

You need:
For the batter ------------
All purpose flour(maida) : 1 and 1/2 cup
Suji(semolina) : 2 tblsp.
Ghee(clarified butter) : 3 tsp.
Milk : 1/2 cup
Sugar : 2-3 tblsp.
Fennel seed : 2 tsp. (optional)

A pinch of salt

For the filling -----------------
Freshly grated coconut : 2 cups
Palm jaggery : approx. 3/4 cup, grated from solid one or can use teh liquid one too
Khoya/mawa : 1 cup(~ 100 gm.)
Cardamom powder : 1 tsp.
you can substitute the palm jaggery obviously with sugar

For Sugar Syrup ----------------------
3 cups water
11/2 cup sugar
3-4 green cardamom

Any Vegetable/Canola Oil to fry the gokul pithe
Some chopped pistachios to garnish(optional)

How To :

Making the filling : In a heavy bottomed pan, add palm jaggery, continuously stir it in vwery low flame till it melts totally, then add coconut and mix well with jaggery. Keep the flame in medium low, do not let ti burn, stir continuously. After 5 minutes, add khoya/mawa and keep stirring it till mixture becomes dry and sticky. Take little mixture on your palm, if you form a ball, then it is done. lastly, mix cardamom powder in the mixture. Remove, when it cools down a little, form little lemon sized balls or make it oval, in any shape. (see pic below)

Preparing the batter : Mix all the dry ingredients in a wide bowl, add milk and sugar. Mix the sugar well and make a thick batter, do not add too much milk at a time, remember the batter should be thick enough to coat the filling.
Frying the pithe : In a heavy bottomed kadhai/wok, heat enough oil to deep fry the pithes. When oil is ready to fry, make it simmer, take one ball of filling and drop it in the batter. With the help of a spoon, pick it with little batter and immediately drop it into the hot oil. Do mot overcrowd the pan, fry 3-4 at a time. Keep the flame in medium and fry from both sides till golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel. Continue frying till all done.

Making sugar syrup : In a big vessel, heat water and sugar and boil till sugar melts and the syrup becomes thick. Add some crushed cardamoms in the syrup while boiling. Dip few fried gokul pithes at a time in the sugar syrup and remove immediately. Continue with rest of the pithes.