This half moon shaped fried pastry is common in many countries .. Be it Central Asian “Shekerbura” or Indian “Gujia”… The filling may vary from ingredients to taste .. from sweet to savory , but somehow very common .
Even in Bangladesh,in different region ,it is known in many different names . Chondro puli , Kuli pitha , Pob/ pop pitha , Narkeli pitha !!!
No matter how many names it has , it will always remain my favorite !! “”What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Ingredients:
For the pastry or shell:
1 cup maida/ all purpose flour
3 tbl spoon melted ghee or ghee+ oil
Pinch of salt
1/2 tea spoon sugar
Water for kneading ( should be room temperature or cold), around 1/4 th cup or depending on the quality of flour
For the filling:
1 cup grated coconut
1/3 rd cup- 1/2 cup ( or according to your taste) grated jaggery ( I took khejur gur er patali)
Procedure:
1. Cook coconut and jaggery in medium low heat stirring occassionaly until it becomes sticky . Let it cool , set aside .
2. Take a bowl and put flour and ghee . Mix with your finger tips . The mixture will look like bread crumbs and somehow binds together if press hard . This is called moyan . Now add the water slowly and knead lightly until a soft but firm dough is formed . Cover the dough with a warm cloth and keep it aside for at least half n hour.
3. Roll the dough on an oiled surface and make small disks . What I did , I made a large roti then cut them into smaller rotis with a round biscuit cutter . You can use glass or any other round object . The roti must not be too thick or too thin . Should be of medium thickness.
4. Now put some filling in the center and fold the edges. Press the edges with fork or fingertips . It’s better to apply some water around the edges of the rotis before sealing it so that the filling doesn’t ooze out while frying .
5. Deep fry in hot oil at low flame for a longer time to ensure crispyness . If the oil is too hot , it will be colored soon , rather than perfectly done . And if the oil is not hot enough , it will absorb too much oil ,leaving it soggy . So the oil should be heated on medium low flame , but not smoky hot .
Khadiza's Kitchen 