Muger Bhaja Puli:

In the time of Poush Sankranti, various types of Pitha and Pulis are made in the Bengali household. The smell of Palm jaggery/ Nalen gur is always roaming on the air. Grandma and mom are used to always busy this time making Pitha. 

 One day, after college I went to my grandma's(mom's mother) house. It was the time of mid - January and my grandma was making something. I asked what are you making she said "Bhaja Muger Puli". I said you used lentil for it. I always see rice flour and other like semolina and maida. She said "yes, this one is different I am using rice flour with lentil paste and it is not so sweet like other Pitha. If you dip them in sugar syrup it will be sweet, other than that it will be not so sweet". I watched her making the Pitha from scratch, when it was ready I taste it for the first time and I liked it after that I never got a chance to taste it or make it. This year I thought let's do it. I try my hands and it came out nicely. Muger Bhaja Puli which is my favorite one after Patishapta.

Boiled and mashed lentil paste mix with rice flour is used to make the outer skin of the Pitha, and inner filling is made out of palm jaggery and desiccated coconut and flavored with cardamom powder. After that make the shape of traditional puli and then fry in vegetable oil/ghee. You can dip it in sugar syrup but mine was fried one.

I shared the recipe as I learned from my grandma. Try it, hope you will like it.

Cuisine -Bengali
Dish- Dessert
Author - Usashi Mandal
Serving- 6
Preparation time - 50 minutes
Cooking time - 20 minutes

Other Pitha Recipe:
Patishapta
Misti Aloo r Malpua

Ingredients:

For making Puli:

2 cup of moong dal(split green gram) paste

1 cup of rice flour
1/2 tsp salt

For making the filling:

2 cup grated coconut

2 cup palm jaggery/ sugar

1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

Vegetable oil or ghee for frying.

Instructions:

Making the skin of Puli.

1. First, we start with making moong dal paste. In a heated Kadai fry moong dal until light brown and start smelling.
2. Transfer it to a bowl. Then wash it with lukewarm water. Drain the water and add 1 cup of warm water and let it boil. After it starts boiling simmer the flame and cooks until it mashed if pressed with a spoon.
3. Let it cool and bit and mashed it with a spoon then mix rice flour and add salt. 
4. Mix them until form it like a dough. The dough will be not soft not very hard. 
5. Cover it and let it sit for about a minimum of 20 minutes.

Making the filling:

1. In a big pan add grated coconut and jaggery. Cook until it came together but soft in texture. Add Cardamom powder. Mix well and let it cool.

Making the Puli:

1. Smear oil or ghee in both palms.
2. Now from the lentil and rice flour dough take a ping pong ball size dough and pressing in between the palms flatten them. 
3. Take a 1 tbsp measured coconut filling and place them in the flatten dough of lentil and rice flour.

4. Close the flatten dough given it a traditional puli shape. Do the same to all.

5. Now heat oil/ ghee in a kadhai or frying pan. Fry all the puli in simmer flame. 

6. Drain in a kitchen towel.

7. After this step, you can dip them in sugar syrup but I am making the fried version.

8. Serve hot or after it cools down.