Pirikia ( Sweet patties stuffed with flavored Khoya and deep fried)

Pirikia ( Sweet patties stuffed with flavored Khoya and deep fried)

In mithilnchl Pirikia has got very vital significance. Like Khajas they are also widely used as “Sanesh” (present/gift). They have equal importance in many of the festivities as well in the region . They are as similar as patties with a small difference of not being laminated. The stuffing used for the dish is Khoya (Dry Ricott Cheese mde out of whole milk instead of whey). Khoyas are then flavored with Cardamom, Cinnamon and dry fruits. One can also use the filling of sweetened flavored semolina ( Suji) instead of Khoya.

Pirikias being deep fried and having dry rich filling can be stored for up to 20 days. It can be consumed as a secondary meal may be breakfast or evening snacks.

Ingredients:

Refined Flour: 1 Kg
Sweetened Khoya: 500 Gms
Grated coconut: 150 Gms
Raisins: 50 Gms
Cashew nuts (split n broken): 50 gms
Dates (chopped): 50 Gms.
Cardamom: 5-7 in nos.
Vanaspati : 1 Ltr

Preparation.

Make hard dough of refined flour.
Flavor Khoya with cardamom. Add grated coconut, resins, cashew nuts and dates and mix well.
Take small chunk of dough and roll it thin.
Stuff a spoon of mixture and seal it. You can also give it different fancy shape.
Now deep fry it in vanaspati.
Arrnge it in a “Changera” Basket and present.

Khaja ( Laminated pastry deep fried and dipped in Sugar syrup)

Khaja is a very traditional maithil sweet preparation. They say it being a must in any local function. From Thread ceremony ( Janaayu) to Marriages to Last rites it is a mandate to have Khajas prepared. One can say any function is incomplete with no Khajas incorporated in the menu.

Ingredients:

Refined Flour: 2 kgs.

Moisture (Water): 1.10 Ltrs (55% of the quantity of Flour)

Fat (vanaspati preferably): 2 Ltrs.

Ghee (shortening agent): 1Kg.

One string Sugar cyrup: 3 ltrs.

Preparation:

Make a semi soft dough out of flour and moisture.

Flatten it thin with the help of rolling pin in batches.

Apply a layer of ghee as shortening agent.

Roll it now, cylindrical in shape.

Cut the rolled cylinder widthwise in small chunks.

Shape the chunks by pressing them softly between your palms.

Deep fry till it is crisply done.

Dip the fried chunks in sugar cyrup.

Take it out allow it to dry again.

Araange it in a basket (changera) and present.

Chaurak Kheer

Chaurak Kheer:

Chaurak Kheer is a very common dessert that is prepared in evry maithil home almost in evry good occasion. Apart from this being a dessert, somtimes it also serves the purpose of a side dish for an example with Daaila wala Puri ( bread stuffed with boiled and seasoned cereals) or some other normal bread preparation.

The dish could be compared with the similar Bengali preparation called "Payesh" with a few difference like in the quality of rice used and the addition of flavouring ( mostly Bay leaf). Maithil practice is to use "New Crop Basmati grains" that is longer in size and gives a very good consistancy to the final product, while bengalis prefer using smaller grains like GobindoBhog rice ( a rice quality majorly used for making Payesh only) which has a very sweet aroma.

However, in this preparation, I've used a blend of both, and also added an additional flavour of rose water which is optional which you can definately avoid using .

Ingredients:

Basmati rice and Gobidobhog rice Blend: 75 gms

High fat milk: 2 Ltrs

Sugar: 100 Gms

Raisins: 50 Gms

Cashew Nuts: 50 Gms

Cardamom: 04 in Nos

Rose water (optional) : 2 spoons

Preparation:

Wash and soak the rice and soak raisins separately.

Bring milk to the boiling stage with cardamom and reduce it to 1.5 ltrs (approx)

Add the soaked rice to the milk and let it cook well with continuous stirring.

when the rice is cooked and mixture becomes little thickened, add sugar and cashew nuts to it.

Put it on a slow flame and stir.

Serve hot garnished with raisins.

Tamatar ke Chutney

This is one of those recipe which is easy to make and lasts long even at room temperature. This is one of the must have in mithila whenever there is a bhoj.

Ingredients

• Tomato Diced
• 1 Tbl Spoon oil
• Salt as per taste
• Sugar as per taste
• Dry fruits (optional)

Preparation

• Chop tomato in small pieces so that they cook easy.
• Dry-Fruits cut in small pieces (optional)

Cooking Method

• Heat oil in Kadai (Pan)
• Add Methi and green or red chili (cut)
• Add diced tomato, add salt, cover and cook on low flame.
• Keep stirring in between and cover again till the tomato is cooked.
• The important thing to keep in mind here is that the tomato should become paste and there should not be any remains in the pan.
• Once the tomato is cooked. Add sugar as per taste.
• Add dry-fruits if you wish to.
• Cook for another 5 minutes and the Chutney is ready
• Add chopped coriander leaves to it afterwards before serving.
• Serve warm or cold
  

A variation to this could be to fry chopped onions in the beginning and then add tomato to it. But then the chutney cannot be preserved for long. But if onion is not added to it then the chutney can be preserved for long even at room temperature.

Alternatively Jaggery or gur can be used in place of sugar.

Makhanak Kheer

Makhanak Kheer:

Makhana or Lotus Seed is one of the specialty of Mithila. It is obtained from the water source. According to an old saying it is one of among those three things which is not found even in paradise, the rest two are Fish and Betel leaf. The one and most popular dish prepared from Makhana is " Makhanak Kheer". This is a must eat preparation of Kumar Purnima (Kojagra) for newly wed couples. There is concept of preparing it and leaving it under the sky for sometime in the night and then enjoying the taste of it. This sweet preparation is much different from any other Kheer or Payesh preparation made in other parts of the country . In other words this a unique dish which is made in Mithilanchal and every maithil takes pride in exclusivity of this.

Ingredients:

Makhana: 75 gms
Milk: 01 Ltr
Bayleaf: 2 nos
Cardamom: 02 nos
Dried coconut: 10 gms
Dried dates (Chopped) : 20 gms
Raisins: 25 gms.
Mawa (optional): 50gms
Sugar: 100gms

Preparation:

• Roast Makhanas in a Kadai for 3-4 minutes। Let it cool for a few minutes and grind it to a course texture
  
• Chop dry fruits except raisins।

Cooking:

• Bring milk to a boiling stage along with Bay leaf and Cardamom and reduce by stirring continuously .


• You can add mawa (optional) which will give a thickening to the milk.


• Add the powder of Makhanas now with dry fruits. Allow it to simmer for some time till you get your desired consistency.


• Add Sugar as per your taste.


• Serve it hot or cold garnished with raisins.
  
  

Pua

What should my first dish be? There was no hesitation in deciding that it had to be a sweet dish. It meant that it had to be 'Pua' which is an all time favourite dish for my entire family. My four year old nephew loves this dish, but eats Pua only if it is called Banana Pakoda. Munchkin this is for you.

Pua


The major difference between this recipe and the recipes of pua/malpua available elsewhere is that this Pua contains sugar & doesn't need to be dipped in sugar syrup.







Ingredients:

• Milk :500 ml

• Sugar :300 gms

• Maida(Flour) : 250 gms

• Kismis(Raisin) : few pieces

• Cardamom powder : 1/4 tsp

• Desiccated Coconut : few slices
  

• Banana : 4-5 nos
  

• Oil for frying

Method:

Boil milk and cool. Add sugar to the milk and let it dissolve. After the sugar is completely dissolved add the maida to the milk. Mix well so that you get a very smooth batter. There shouldn't be any lumps in the batter. The batter should not be very thin. If the batter looks thin add some more maida for a thicker batter. Let the batter rest for half an hour. Meanwhile chop the raisin & the coconut slices. After half an hour add the raisin, cardamom powder, coconut and mashed bananas to the batter & mix well.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Pour a ladle of the batter in to the kadhai. The pua will puff up like a puri. Cook on low heat till both the sides turn golden brown.

Pua can be had on its own or with Rabdi. Pua is also a good accompaniment for mutton curry.

Tip:

Do not keep the batter for a very long time after adding the bananas. If you do not want to make pua out of the entire batter add bananas only to that portion of the batter that you will use.

DOODH BAGIYA ( SWEET DISH )

Introduction

It is a milk product, which is popularly known as “Doodh Bagiya” amongst Mithila people. Doodh Bagiya is specially made in the month of ‘Poos’ (January) to Celebrate ‘ Pooshat’ of new born baby in the family. Although it is a common sweet dish in Mithilanchal. So here goes the mantra to make this yummy-yummy sweet dish.

Ingredients
01 cup New Rice flour
05 cups Milk
01 1/2 tbsp Cashew nuts (chopped)
01 tbsp Dry Coconut (chopped)
1 ½ tbsp Almond (chopped)
½ tbsp Pistachio nuts (chopped) to Garnish
Sugar as desired

Method:

• Paste the rice flour with luke warm water and make 1 ½ inches Bagiyas out of that paste.
• Now pour the milk in a pan & keep it on the fire to boil.
• When its boiling add Cashew nuts, coconut, almond, Bagiya & sugar in it and stir well for about 10 min.
• Take the mixture from the fire and put it in a bowl & garnish it with chopped Pistachios.
• And its ready to serve….

Khajuri (Thekua)

Introduction:
Thekua or Khajur as it is known in mithla is one of the traditional sweet items in our homes. Be Teej or Jitiya this is a mandatory item cooked at home. While there are many variations of this is found in homes, like crispy, soft, big, small etc. But the cooking method is more or less same wherever we go. Mithila is known for sweet items and maithils are sweet lovers so the first dish on this site is sweet item.


Ingredients:
Maida 500gms.
Suji 500gms.
Sugar 500gms.
Milk 250gms.
Ghee 100gms.
Chuhara 50gms.
Elaichi powder 20gms.
Dry coconut 50gms.
Raisins (kismis) 50gms.
Saunf 20gms.
Ghee for deep frying 500gms


Procedure:

1. Cut all the dry fruits into very small pieces.
2. Mix all the items including milk and ghee in a bowl and spray water in small Amount. Mixture should be a little hard. (mixture should not stick to your hands.)
3. Make pieces off the size off cookies with your hand.
4. Put a pan on the gas stove. Put ghee in it. Let it be heated for some time.
5. Deep fry the cookies until they turn brownish in color.
6. Take out the cookies from the pan. Now your snack is ready.

It can be preserved for about fifteen days if you keep it in an airtight container.