Doodh Puli

Yesterday was Akshaya Tritiya, also called Akha Teej. The day falls on the tritiya, 3rd, day of Baisakh, the first month of the Hindu calendar. An auspicious day believed to bring eternal prosperity & success, Akshaya- something that never diminishes- Tritiya is considered shubh for buying gold, silver or anything that is the mark of Kuber, the God of Wealth. Nothing to stop riches from pouring with the combined blessings of Goddess Lakshmi & Lord Kuber. If only they knew that gold is 28K & if you want to buy a gold coin, it costs you 32. Scriptures suggest that a dip in the Holy Ganges is far more auspicious this day than any other. Lucky all you who live near the Ganges.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              I contemplated diving into the Thames. Only somebody has to keep an eye that no Council member sees me do that. They will haul me up & the partner will not be spared either. And bhagwan help if I have to explain to the goras why I jumped into the London Ganges in this rainy weather. They will not understand how the water of any water-body  can cleanse you of sins forget about the mythology about our holy day. Additionally, they may penalize me in GBP for making their Thames maili or trying to kill myself in it. Given the English penchant for money-making, they may cordon off that area, beautify it with a garden and slap an admission fee for anyone who wants to take a dip in the river on their auspicious day! The cosmopolitan nature of this country will bring the moolah pouring in because every month there will be some Indian trying to wash his sins in videsh. And one pious day, as the English custodian of the Holy Dip Point, checks his cash register, it will strike him. What was that lady saying, why had she dived into the Thames? Some festival? Unending prosperity? Some Lord/Goddess? Looks like all that was true. We did make a lot from here!

See, I told you :) Till that happens, you can try just buying the gold. I did, last dhanteras. The 9 carat concept baffled me. The least that we buy back home is 18 carat. Nine carat?! Babar jomme shunini. Never heard in papa's lifetime, loosely translated. If you are still the one for following days & tithis, just do it. Settle for diamonds if the carat story confuses you. Or platinum. Call Debolina, no one better I know with such variety & style. Tell her I told you. And don't forget the Doodh Puli to celebrate the day. 
Never mind that it is a Sankranti dish. It is sweet, you have the ingredients & you can make it any time of the year.
                                                                                      Ingredients:  
Cover: 
1. 1 cup rice powder
2. 1 tsp oil
3. 1 cup water
Filling:
1. 1 cup dessicated coconut
2. 1/2 cup jaggery
3. 1/4 cup water 
Doodh Puli:
1. 1/2 ltr milk
2. 1/2 cup sugar
3. 3-4 small cardamom
                                                                                                                                              Method: 
1.  Boil milk to thicken. Once pinkish, add sugar & cardamom and boil some more. 
2. Put the coconut, jaggery & water in a pan & heat till jaggery melts & coats well with the coconut. Remove from flame & keep aside.


3.  Boil water with a tsp oil. Add the rice powder to boiling water & mix well.
4.  Remove from flame, knead to smooth dough. Use more oil if needed. 










                                                         
5.  Make equal sized balls with the dough, flatten them on your palm, put filling & give puli a cylindrical shape.

6.  Let pulis simmer in the thickened, boiling milk for 4-5 minutes before removing from flame.
                                                                                                                                             Tip: Make some small cylindrical choshi without stuffing & drop them in the milk too. Gives the dish more body.
                                                                                                                                               Let Doodh Puli cool before serving. 





This year's auspicious day for buying gold just went by. How about sponsoring a child this year, instead. Much more rewarding than the adornments. Gives more returns than anything tangible. Makes you feel richer than flaunting embellishments ever can....