Home-made Flour Sweet / Elojhelo / Bengali Sweet

Hi friends,
My today’s recipe is elojhelo – a traditional Bengali sweet. It is mainly prepared during festivals.It is very tasty, easy to prepare and requires a few ingredients.

Cooking time – 45 minutes. Serve – 4
Ingredients -
1.Plain flour – 500 grams.
2.Sugar – 2 cups.
3.Water – 1/2 cup.
4.A pinch of salt.
5.Oil / ghee – 3 tbsp.(for the dough)
6.Oil for deep frying.
For the dough – In a large bowl take flour and a pinch of salt. Mix well.Add 3 tbsp.of oil/ghee and rub it with the flour. Add cold water and knead into a stiff dough. Cover it with a wet cloth and keep aside for 1 hour.
For the sugar syrup – In a pan take sugar and water, stir and boil on medium flame. Reduce heat and simmer to obtain thick consistency.Keep the syrup aside.
Method -
1.Take the dough, knead again and divide it into small balls (lime size).
2.Take one flour ball, place it on a greased rolling surface and using a rolling pin start rolling of ball in circular shape.(as thin as possible)
3.Using a knife slits (5 to 6) along rolled out dough without cutting the edges.(leave 1 cm.of the edges)
4.Roll sideways and press the two edges.Repeat the same process for all the rolled out dough.
5.Heat oil in a frying pan, when hot reduce the heat,place them into the oil (4 to 5 at a time) and fry until light brown. (the temp.of the oil should be low)
6.Remove them with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Fried elojhelo is ready.
7.Heat the sugar syrup again on slow flame, stir well. Keep the pan on boiling water (like double boiler system) and dip the fried elojhelo into the syrup one by one and remove quickly.
8.Spread the sugar coated elojhelo on a greased tray let them completely cool.

Elojhelo is ready to serve.It can be stored in an air tight container for 2 – 2/12 months.

Coconut Sweet / Narkel Burfi

Hi Friends,
My today’s recipe is Narkel Burfi – a popular Indian sweet. It is mainly prepared during festivals and is very easy and quick to make.

Cooking time – 20 mins.  Serve – 4
Ingredients -
1.Coconut – 1 cup.(Shredded).
2.Sugar – 1 cup.
3.Cardamom pwd.- 1/2 tspoon. 
Method - 
1.Mix coconut and sugar and grind it to a paste.
2.Grease a tray with oil/ghee.
3.Put the coconut mix in  a thick bottomed pan. Stir at low flame for 12-15 mins.(Stirring constantly).
4.When the mix comes together add cardamom pwd and mix well.When there is a slightly changes of colour pour immediately to the greased tray and level it with the back of a spoon.  
5.Pat it to 2cm thickness. Cut into pieces while it is still warm.
Leave it to set for 10 mins.

Narkel Burfi is ready. Store in an airtight container and keep in fridge.  

Instant Malpua / Curd Malpua

Hi friends,
I am sharing a sweet recipe which is very popular in India – the malpua. This is mainly prepared during festivals or special occasions. It is very easy to prepare and requires a few ingredients.

Cooking time – 30 mins.  Serve – 4
Ingredients -
1.Flour – 1 cup.
2.Curd   - 1/4 cup.
3.Sugar  - 2 cups.
4.water   - 1 cup.
5.Black cardamom pwd. – 1 tspoon
6.Fennel seeds  - 1/2 tspoon.
7.Oil to deep fry. 
Method -
1.Take sugar and water in a pan. Boil and stir. Simmer to obtain one thread consistency and keep aside. 
2.In a large bowl mix flour,curd, cardamom pwd,fennel seeds. Make a smooth batter with the help of water. The batter should be a smooth pouring consistency. Rest the batter for 1 hour.
3.Heat oil in a pan. Take the batter in a cup,pour circular movement into the oil to form a small circle of 3-4 inch diameter. Fry over medium heat till light brown on both sides.
4.Remove from the oil and put directly into the sugar syrup for 5-6 mins. Remove it from sugar syrup and shift in a plate.
5.Repeat the same process for all the malpuas.
Serve with chopped cashew nuts / pistachio nuts on top.