In many pockets of India, rice is worshipped. There are various festivals around the harvest season, and they include recipes made with rice or its by-products. For example, the flattened rice/beaten rice, the popped rice, and the puffed rice are variations created from parboiled rice. In Bengal, once famous pithe made with chire (flattened rice) and khoi (popped rice) are now all but forgotten. These are used to make sweets like Chirer Dudh Puli Pithe, which are then used in ritual offerings to gods as well as in celebrations and festivals.
Durga Puja appears as the best occasion to look back into our legendary culinary fare. Let’s try this recipe for Chirer Dudh Puli. It is inspired from the book by Pragnyasundari Devi, which is a treasure trove of Bengali dishes dating back 100 years.
Chirer Dudh Puli
Ingredients
- 200 gm chire / thick flattened rice
- 25 gm khova
- Coconut jaggery stuffing
- 1.5 litre milk
- 100 gm jaggery or 1/2 cup sugar
- Oil for deep frying
Chirer dudh puli, Image Source: experiencesofagastronomad
Method
- Heat a kadhai, pour 300 grams of freshly grated coconut, and stir for a couple of minutes in low heat. Add 150-200 grams of crushed of finely chopped gur or jaggery
- Keep stirring it and cook until both the ingredients are mixed properly and becomes a sticky mixture. Add 2 teaspoon of crushed green cardamom powder. Remove from the heat. Stir once again.
- Give the chire or poha a few generous washes to remove any dust particles. Soak them in clean water for 10 mintues, until they swell up.
- Transfer in a colander to remove excess water. Using your palm, mash them gently.
- Add a pinch of salt and give a thorough mix
- Take the khoya, it should be in room temperature. Break it into tiny pieces
- Transfer the khoya into the flattened rice past and blend all of them together to make a soft and even dough. Ensure that the poha grains aren’t visible.
- Try avoiding using a blender as it may make the mix into a runny batter. Traditionally, stone grinder used to do this job
- Cover the dough with damp cloth. Set it aside for 10 minutes.
- Now put the milk on heat and bring it to a boil. Cook it till reduces to half of its original quantity. For example, 1.5 litre milk should reduce to 750 ml. It will take about 45 minutes. (Ideally, this process must be done a day before)
- Add sugar according to your taste preferences. It should be similar to rabri or payesh
- Take a lemon size ball out of rice dough and roll it to flatten it. Give it an oval cup shape.
- Place a small ball of coconut jaggery mix in the centre of the dumpling. Give cylinder shape.
- To seal the edges, moisten your hands. Repeat the same process for the rest of the dumplings.
- Heat the oil for deep frying until it is scorching hot.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low. Drop the rice dumpling that has been flattened gently into the heated oil.
- One at a time, fry two puli or dumplings until they are brown on both sides.
- Put the fried dumplings carefully in the hot, reduced milk. Per dumpling, simmer it for 5–6 minutes.
- They should be slotted out and put in a big bowl.
- Over the dumplings, pour the decreased milk that is left over.
- Give them 5 to 6 hours in milk to soak.
Serve cold!
