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.
