BHAJA NARKOL PISTA KAJU ALMOND BHORA RANGA ALOOR PITHE

I just had one of this amazingly healthy & yummy snack and loved it. I knew I will love it when I had planned for it two to three days back. If I am not wrong, the filling of fried coconut, cashew nut, almond, pista I used in this might have been used earlier in a blog post? I think so, I am not too good with varied ideas. Then, our father had a tendency to forget everything, I am catching up with it fast. Many of my readers would have known by now that my "begun dhonepata bata" recipe was a repeat, then the earlier one comes with an easy naan recipe. I also have inculcated in me the father's love for "chirey-muri-khoi." I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast of puffed rice and the tasty & powerful filling of nuts and coconut fried in ghee, had a "pithe", that is sweet meat snacks too which I completed making sometime around 10:30 pm yesterday. The son took two in his snacks box along with fruits, lunch box has sandwiches which I will not make so long Cristine is there. I do not even know if he has to survive mostly on these quickly made food in future or not. So, I keep preparing homemade, nutritious food for the family on a regular basis. This vegetarian snack / pithe / sweet meat  BHAJA NARKOL PISTA KAJU ALMOND BHORA RANGA ALOOR PITHE using only one table spoon of jaggery powder  is a must try. I loved it, my family too will I know. I have reserved half of the boiled sweet potato and some filling, I wish to do it another way or just like this when the husband comes back home. It feels bad to eat something without him, then I am having it without sharing with my family back in Kolkata too. My readers too matter a lot.

This Japanese Jasmine tea is helping me a lot, I have taken a break from Chamomile. I am the kind who wants to explore brands, though in less frequency than my brother. Since his school days, he has this tendency continued till date. The husband sticks to his favourite brands for years. I ask him, "do not you suffer from boredom?" Then starts his leg pulling and you know well it concerns his "wife." I think we are more of a friend than a husband-wife or a romantic couple. So far it has been a good journey. Your journey of life has to have both ups and downs, it cannot be a straight line. I only pray that my own should have a healthier and longer life than mine. The problem is I too much love to cook and eat that I am unable to gift a healthier lifestyle to my family and myself. These days, I try making the sweets a bit healthier in my self interest. Then, if it's Chinese New Year and Makar Sankranti almost at the same time, I have to prepare a naturally sweetened snack like this BHAJA NARKOL PISTA KAJU ALMOND BHORA RANGA ALOOR PITHE. As a resident of this South East Asian island, I have a responsibility towards the natives on special dates.

INGREDIENTS :

SWEET POTATO : 2STANDARD OR BIG SIZED
SHREDDED COCONUT : 1COFFEE MUG
CASHEW NUT : 8-10
ALMOND : 5-6
PISTACHIO : 7-8
JAGGERY POWDER : 1TBSP
REFINED FLOUR : 2TBSP
GHEE / CLARIFIED BUTTER : 3TBSP + 4TBSP

PROCEDURE :

We will peel the sweet potatoes, wash and half each one. We will take some water in a pressure cooker and add the washed sweet potatoes in it. We will pressure cook it at minimal heat up to 2 whistles.

Let the lid open naturally. After draining the water, we will take the boiled sweet potato in a bowl.

We have to toast the dried nuts and fry the shredded coconut.

We will lightly toast the cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios and ground them a bit. Cristine did the grinding for me.

Now, let us heat 3tbsp ghee / clarified butter in a wok and fry the shredded coconut light brown . I started the process and again Cristine did the most part.

We absolutely do not need to wash the wok. The smell of the fried coconut is wow. Taking down, we have added jaggery powder to it, only 1tbsp is enough. Thereafter, we added the grounded nuts and mixed well.

We will add 4tbsp ghee to the wok, then the boiled and mashed sweet potato. Its too sweet, do not use any amount of sugar or jaggery.

If I have stirred for 5 minutes, Cristine did it for another 8-10 minutes. That is required to bind together the dough and give it a shape.

We will add 2tbsp refined flour to the wok. Mix it well and stir for 2-3 minutes.

We will take it down on a plate and let cool a bit, knead it for 2-3 minutes. 

We will tear off tennis ball sized portions and make a space. We will fill in with a tablespoon of fried coconut and dried mixed nut mixture. We will add little more of the dough and prepare a smooth ball.

Cristine did the most part. 

You can thereafter give them better designs, roll them on roasted white sesame, dust sugar. I was too tired. Moreover, I do not have confidence over my artistic skills.