Jhinuk Pithe (Shell-Shaped Rice Dumplings in Milk Pudding)
Jhinuk Pithe. Dough made from fragrant newly harvested rice. Deftly shaped using combs to form beautiful shells. Pan-fried. And then stewed languorously in milk sweetened with nolen gur.
Divine, isn't it ?
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup gobindobhog rice
- 1.5 lit cow milk
- 2 tbsp date palm jaggery or nolen gur
- 1/2 tsp salt
- oil for frying
Equipment
- 2 new combs
Instructions
- Soak the rice for 3-4 hours, allow the rice to dry over a newspaper or muslin cloth to drain any excess water.
- Grind the rice to a fine powder, keep aside, covered with a cling film.
- Take a pan, add 1 cup of milk, add 2 tsp oil and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Lower the flame, add Add the rice flour, give it a gentle yet quick mix. Switch off the flame.
- Cover the dough quickly, keep it aside on the hot switched off burner for 10 minutes. (Please do not open the lid during this time.)
- Carefully place the dough on a flat surface. We need to start kneading right away. Yes, the dough shall still be quite hot, so do handle with utmost care while kneading. But we cannot allow the dough to cool down completely before kneading, that shall make the dough difficult to work with.
- Start to knead the dough now. The dough shall be a little sticky in the beginning. Don't worry, it shall become softer as we knead it. If needed you can add 1/2 tbsp to 1 tbsp of extra flour, no more than that please.
- Grease your palm with a little oil, tear a small ball from the dough and shape it like a cone as shown in the picture.
- Now take the two combs and patiently shape the doughball like a jhinuk / shell as shown in the video given in the recipe note.
- Repeat for the rest of the dough. Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. When it is medium hot, deep fry the jhinuk pithe over medium flame slowly till light brown. Keep over a kitchen absorbent towel.
- Pour the remaining milk into a heavy bottomed saucepan, let it simmer over a low flame till it reduces to almost one third of the volume.
- Gently add the fried pithe one by one into the milk. Cook over low flame, stirring frequently, another 8-10 minutes or so.
- Switch of the flame. Add nolen gur. Give it a hearty stir. (If you like it sweeter, feel free to indulge - add some nolen gur!!)
- Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.