Pal Puri (Indian Dessert)

Pal Puri  /Milk Puri  

My Amma makes this  during Karthigai  Deepam Festival.This is a specific day in the Hindu Calender when the whole house is lit with  Beautiful earthen oil lamps .Also in the evening  we go to a temple   for a special Puja  with a homemade maavilakku  ( a lamp made with   rice flour and sugar).

On this day, we dont eat salt  or savory foods till the worship in the evening.Hence we only eat sweet foods till then.Later in the evening many  festival foods are prepared and eaten  .

Recipe  Ingredients :

Whole  wheat flour :1 cup

Salt                          : 1/2 tsp

Oil                           : For Deepfrying around 1 .5 cups

Water                       :      as needed to make  dough (around  1/4 cup) 

Milk                         : 1 cup

Coconut                   : 3 tbsp

Cardamon                : 1 no.

Saffron                     : 5 strands

Poppy seeds             : 1 tbsp

Method:

First we need top make dough for the Puri.

Add Wheat flour,  Salt   to a bowl and mix well.

Then add  water slowly little by little to make a soft   dough.

Finally add 1 tsp oil  and roll the dough and keep it covered.

Next we will prepare the  Milk base . 

Add saffron strands to a small  cup and  add 1 tbsp of warm milk.

Add 1 crushed cardamon,  Sugar  to the rest of the milk  and mix. Boil the milk .Once it boils simmer this  till the milk reduces .Grind coconut and poppy seeds  with few tablespoons  of milk and add the paste to the milk as it simmers.

Next  Roll out the  dough to make small  circles. The  circles should not be too thin,make them atleast 2.5 mm thick.If the circles are too thin , they  wont puff up when fried.

As you roll out the Puris/Circles, keep them covered also make sure they dont stick to each other . Dust some flour, if  they  stick .

Heat the oil in a wok  to deep-fry. When the oil is quite hot (you can test  by adding a small pinch of dough, if it sizzles immediately,  the oil is hot enough),  deep-fry the puris one after the other.

Now  , place the Puris is a shallow dish and pour the milk base, till the puris are submerged.

Leave it aside for an hour.

The Puris will soak up all the milk and turn soft and sweet . This can be served chill or  warm.