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Gokul pitha
Coconut milk patties in syrup
গোকুল পিঠা (gokul pitha): coconut-and-milk patties in a light batter, fried and dipped in syrup
Gokul pitha is named after the pastoral home of the young Krishna, and it is a favourite of Hindu households across Bangladesh at Poush Sankranti, though by now everyone makes it for winter tea. Grated coconut is cooked slowly with milk and sugar until it dries into a fudgy filling, shaped into small flat patties, coated in a thin flour batter and fried, then dropped into hot syrup. Biting in you get a soft, crisp-edged shell, a milky coconut centre and a rush of syrup, all at once. Patties that are warm and soft when they go into the batter fall apart in the oil, which is the error most people make, so chill them first. Chef's tip: use khejur gur instead of sugar in the syrup for a darker, smokier version, as many families do when the new jaggery comes in.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 1 /4 tsp ground cardamom
For the batter
- 3 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 oz rice flour
- ¾ cup whole milkroughly
- 1 pinch salt
For the syrup
- 9 oz sugar
- 1 cup water
To fry
- 2 cups vegetable oilfor deep frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cook 5 ½ oz grated coconut, fresh or frozen, 1 cup whole milk and 1 ¾ oz sugar in a heavy pan over a medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the milk has been absorbed and the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Stir in 1 /4 tsp ground cardamom.
15 minStep 2: Cool, then shape into 12 flat patties about 5 cm wide and chill for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 3: Whisk 3 ½ oz plain flour, 1 oz rice flour and 1 pinch salt with enough ¾ cup whole milk to make a batter like thick cream.
3 minStep 4: Simmer 9 oz sugar and 1 cup water for 8 minutes until slightly sticky and keep warm.
8 minStep 5: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil to about 350°F. Dip each patty in batter and fry 4 at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning, until golden and crisp.
15 minStep 6: Drain and drop straight into the warm syrup for 5 minutes, then lift out. Serve warm or at room temperature.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gokul pitha take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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