DUDH PULI PITHA

It’s been almost 13 years since I have been living in Dallas.  After that little hometown I grew up in Bangladesh, I have called Dallas home.  I almost didn’t know anyone when I came to this city for a job interview but when I got the offer, didn’t hesitate to drive eight long hours to start my first job after undergrad.  This is the city where I started my married life and had my baby and off course had a fair share of ups and downs that comes along as part of life.

I love how Dallas has a huge Bangladeshi community.  At times it feels like, we celebrate the culture and traditions of Bangladesh more here than we probably would have if we were living in Bangladesh.  Each spring, we, a group of friends, look forward to a small potluck where each of us makes a Bangladeshi Pitha.  We call the pot-luck “Pitha Utsob”, meaning festival of pithas.  I attended this year’s pot-luck just before taking off for the vacation and thought would share the recipe of the “Dudh Puli” that I made for the group of friends.

Pitha, also known as pithe, can be either sweet or savory.  The main ingredient of pitha is rice flour with occasional use of wheat flour.  Each pitha has a unique shape and design.  Even though the word “cake” is usually used to describe pitha, I refuse to classify pitha as cakes(I love cakes, don’t get me wrong).  Pitha can be steamed, deep fried, pan fried, or roasted and mainly served during breakfast or as a snack.  There are also special pitha associated with special occasions or holidays.

“Dudh” means milk in Bengali and “puli” is another name for pitha.  Dudh puli can be described as rice flour dumpling with coconut filling cooked in cardamom and cinnamon infused milk.  Dudh Puli tastes out of the world. The coconut stuffing gives a fabulous texture to the soft rice skin with luscious milk sauce.   I used premium quality unsweetened desiccated coconut since I didn’t have the time to process a fresh coconut.  I love the unsweetened desiccated coconut because it saves preparation time and the filling tastes like the fresh ones after the filling is cooked.  Also, I used condensed milk to reduce the cooking time, however, milk and sugar/brown sugar/jaggery can be used instead of condensed milk.  In that case, the cook time for filling will take longer to boil and thicken the milk.

“Dudh Puli” is succulent and one can never have too much of this scrumptiousness.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups desiccated coconut, unsweetened
• 
3/4 cup condensed milk
• 
1 cup milk
• 
2-3 small cardamom
• 
2-3 cinnamon stick, 1 inch each
• 2 cups Rice flour
• 1 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups milk
• 
1 cup sugar
• 3-4 small cardamom
• 3-4 cinnamon stick, 1 inch each
• INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Steps to make coconut filling:
  2. Mix coconut, condensed milk and regular milk on a nonstick pan.  The mixture will be semi sticky but not runny.
  3. Add cardamom and cinnamon.
  4. Turn on stove and stir constantly until the mixture becomes slightly sticky.
  5. Steps to make dumplings:
  6. Boil water.  Add salt.
  7. Turn off stove and add rice flour to boiling water to form a firm but soft and not sticky dough.  The dough should bounce back if you press with a finger.  Adjust flour accordingly.
  8. Knead well for about 5 minutes.
  9. Take part of the dough and roll it out as thick as a tortilla.
  10. Cut out circles with a cookie cutter.
  11. Place a small amount of coconut filling on each circle.
  12. Brush the edges of with water and seal tightly to form a crescent (semi-circular) shape.
  13. Steps to cook dumplings:
  14. Boil 4 cups milk, cinnamon and cardamom together in a non stick pan.
  15. Add sugar and dissolve in the boiling milk.
  16. Add the dumplings and cook about 30-45 minute in medium-low heat or until dumplings are cooked.
  NOTES

  Add more condensed milk if you like more sweetness.
  Condensed milk can be substituted for regular whole milk and sugar, brown sugar or jaggery(gur).  The cooking time will significantly vary to make the mixture sticky.
  Cooking time will vary depending on the thinness of the dumpling skin.  If the dough is thin, the dumplings should cook very quickly but should take longer if the skin is thick.
•