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| Gokul Pithes* |
Gokul Pithe is a sweet fried dumplings soaked in thick sugar syrup or jaggery syrup. This is a traditional Bengali Pithe generally prepared during the festival of Makar Sankranti and Poush Sankranti.
My grandmother used to prepare lots of pithes during the Poush Sankranti and Makar Sankranti in winter. She used to prepare Puli Pithe, Chusi Pithe, Patishapta, Bhapa pithe and other pithes.
One pithe she used to prepare with rice flour batter and grated coconut. Prior making this pithe, she would make a mud mould just like idli mould. She would let the mould dry in the sun. Then, she would pour the rice flour batter mixed with the grated coconut in the mould. The mud mould was placed on the mud oven (not gas oven). In this type of oven, coal and cow dung were used to ignite the unun or oven.
She would let the pithes cooked on a warm upon or oven for a long time, removing the burning coals. This pithe is probably called Chitoi Pithe. We used to eat this with Nalen gur. These are very tasty.
But she had never prepared Gokul Pithe. I learnt Gokul Pithe only last year from a Bengali recipe book. My grandmother died long ago. So I will not be able to learn any recipe from her.
Generally, we do not make fried pithes. But now I frequently prepare Gokul Pithes because Gokul Pithe is tasty as well as very easy to prepare.
Coconut – 1 cup grated
Khoya – 2 cups grated or mashed
Date palm jaggery (khejur gur) or any other gur – 1 cup grated
All purpose flour or maida – 1 cup
Semolina or suji – 1/4 cup
Ghee or clarified butter – 1 teaspoon
Milk or water – 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup (200 gm)
Water - 1 and 1/2 cup (250 ml)
Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoons
Oil for frying
METHODS TO MAKE GOKUL PITHE:
Heat a pan and add the grated coconut, date palm jaggery or any other jaggery and grated or mashed khoya. Stir continuously. When the mixture becomes sticky, switch off the flame.
When the coconut mixture becomes slightly cool, take small small portions of the coconut mixture and make small balls and flatten them with your palms.
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| Gokul Pithe coconut filling* |
Instead of jaggery, you can also use sugar for preparing coconut mixture.
For making batter
In a bowl, add all purpose flour or maida, semolina or suji, ghee or clarified butter. Start adding milk or water little by little.
Mix all ingredients well to make a thick but flowing smooth batter without any lump.
Naturally, if you use milk instead of water, the batter will be tastier. You can even mix condensed milk to make the batter more tastier.
Keep this aside.
For making Sugar Syrup
Heat a pan, adding water and sugar. Boil this until the sugar syrup becomes slightly thick. Mix cardamom powder. Keep aside.
Gokul Pithe Preparation
Heat oil in a kadai or deep frying pan.
Dip each coconut mixture balls (flattened) in the prepared batter. Coat the batter uniformly and deep fry them in hot oil.
Fry them on medium flame till golden brown.
After frying soak them in the sugar syrup for at least half an hour.
After half an hour, your Gokul Pithes will be ready to eat and serve. You can eat Gokul Pithes hot or cold.
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