Golap Pitha

I have made these a while ago. The lady that I have learned from is my favorite of all the deshi people on youtube. Here is a shout out to Fouzia aunty. I have tried a lot of her recipes. Her techniques are very easy to follow and understand. I hope that whoever reads this also tries out a few recipes from her vlog on youtube. The taste and the presentation is very authentic and I am sure they will satisfy your deshi cravings. I have linked this recipe down below. For those of you who do not speak Bangla, it may help to watch the video as I have tried my best to explain the process of making the shape of the flower,  but it might have sounded a bit complicated when explained. Happy Cooking!

INGREDIENTS:

  • Flour – 1 cup
  • Milk- 1/2 cup
  • Egg beat -1
  • Olive oil- 1 Tbsp
  • Sugar- 2 Tbsp
  • Food color (optional) – Used to color the flowers

To make the Sugar Syrup:

  • Sugar-2 cup
  • Water- 1 cup

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a saute pan, pour the milk and wait for it to come to a boil. After which you can turn off the stove and pour in the oil and the sugar making sure to whisk it in. Beat the egg and add it to the mixture. Lastly, add the flour and mix vigorously and wait for it to cool down.
  2. After the mixture is cooled, form a dough and roll them out into big thin rounds. Take a cup or a round cookie cutter and cut out three circles (3 circles will make one flower).
  3. Stack the three circles on top of each other. Press down with your pinky finger in the middle of the stacked circles to attach them together.  Make three cuts leaving the middle portion intact. Lift one piece by holding the ends of the piece and press down towards the middle indent bringing together the two ends of the piece to form a cone in the middle which will be the middle of the flower. Lift another piece holding it by the two ends pressing it down alongside the other piece. Keep lifting all the pieces by the two ends of them and pressing down the corners to make it look like flower petals.
  4. After you are done making the shape make sure to press all the corners together well enough so that it doesn’t come undone when frying. Trim out the excess from the corner to give it a much more realistic look.
  5. In a frying pan on low heat cook these flowers until they are golden brown. Do not rush this process, as you want the flowers to cook thoroughly.
  6. To make the sugar syrup – on a separate saucepan bring the sugar and the water to boil. After frying the flowers let it sit on a paper towel to soak up the oil. Place the flowers in the sugar syrup under medium heat for about five minutes. Take them out and serve them warm. The flowers should be slightly soft and crispy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4iX0XACHLw

 

Lobongo Lotika Preparation

Lobongo Lotika Preparation

 

I never thought that I will be able to cook let alone make things that I’ve never been introduced to before. Growing up, my mother being a full-time worker always made the time and put in the effort to make traditional food that we couldn’t buy around us because we never lived in Bangladesh.I would help my mom out in the kitchen all the time and always felt that I will never be able to do what she was doing. But somewhere in my head, all the things that I have seen her do have stuck with me, I guess. After all these years when I work in the kitchen, I feel like I”ve achieved such a great feat making things from scratch. And it becomes decently impressive to people around me. It is quite surreal, I feel a bit grown up. Here is a grown-up recipe. Follow the link below to view the steps clearly.

 

INGREDIENTS:

To make the filling

  • Desiccated Coconuts-2 cups
  • Sugar- 2 cups
  • Cardamom Powder- 1/4 tsp
  • Semolina- 1/4 cup
  • Cloves- As needed

To make the Dough

  •  Flour- 2 cups
  • Sugar- 2 Tbs
  • Salt- 1 pinch
  • Oil- 1/4 cup
  • Water- As needed

DIRECTIONS:

  1. To make the filling, in a saucepan put coconut, sugar and about 1 Tbs of water to melt the sugar quickly. Turn the saucepan on after combining all the ingredients. The mixture will become thick and will turn liquidy. Add semolina and cardamom powder, cook a bit more so it develops the flavor. Keep aside on a plate to cool.
  2. To make the dough combine flour, sugar, salt, and oil in a mixing bowl. Add about a little bit more than half a cup of water to form the dough.
  3. Make 10-12 balls of dough. Roll them out one at a time and put about two tablespoons full of filling in the middle of the dough.
  4. Brush some water all around the edge of the dough. Fold the top half of the dough towards the middle. Brush the water only on one side of the dough. Folding from the top right corner to the middle. Brush water to the remainder of the dough folding again from right to the center. keep repeating the folds until all the dough gathers in the center. Pierce the middle with a piece of clove.
  5. Heat about 2 cups of oil in a frying pan. Deep fry the parcels three at a time making sure to cook all the sides evenly.
  6. Serve while it’s hot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CdfMFOg0D0