New Delhi: Poush Sankranti is an important festival in Bengal when the Sun Lord is worshipped. The Sun enters the Capricorn sign, or Makara Rashi, on this auspicious day, marking the end of winter and the start of longer days. Bengalis observe Poush Sankranti on this day, and West Bengal hosts the massive Ganga Sagar Mela to mark the occasion.
Poush Sankranti is a harvest festival celebrated in West Bengal. Throughout the month of Poush, all auspicious works are prohibited. But in terms of worship, this month is seen as being very fortunate. Food plays a significant role in Poush Sankranti because it coincides with the harvest season, which is associated with abundance. Many rituals also centre upon rice-based products because this is the time when paddy is harvested.
The festival is also known as ‘Pithe Parbon‘, and the most popular delicacy for celebration is known as ‘Pithe‘ made from rice flour. Pithe comes in a variety of forms. Every district has its own traditional form of Pithe, and gur or jaggery is served as a side dish.
To make the delicious Puli Pithe on the occasion of Poush Sankranti you can refer to the recipe given below, which has been shared with ABP Live by Arindam Mukherjee. It is an age-old recipe by his mother and he prepares the dish every year to keep up with the tradition.
Ingredients:
- Rice flour- 250 gms
- One coconut grated or desiccated
- Jaggery- 200 gms
- Patali Gur- 250 gms
- Full cream milk- 2 litres
Preparation:
Process for preparing kheer:
1. Boil the milk till it thickens. When thick, mix the Patali gur and boil on low flame till the milk thickens further. Keep the flame very low
Process for preparing the coconut filling:
1. Cook the grated coconut in a little ghee for 10 minutes
2. Mix the jaggery and knead it to mix it well with the coconut. Cook for another 10 min till the mixture becomes sticky
3. Remove from the flame and let it cool
Process for preparing Puli Pithe:
1. Make a dough of the rice flour in lukewarm water
2. Make small boats of the dough.
3. Open the boats from the middle and fill one teaspoon of the coconut mixture and close the boat. Use lukewarm water to seal the boats.
4. Put the filled boats in the boiling milk and cook for 10 min or till the rice dumplings cook fully.
5. Serve warm or cold according to taste.
One thing that you need to keep in mind is that if you refrigerate the dumplings they might become hard. But, can also be served that way.
