Try ‘Bengali Patishapta’ this time, you will keep eating

Makar Sankranti 2023: Makar Sankranti is the first festival of Hindus after the beginning of the new year. It mostly falls on the 14th or 15th of January every time. It is believed that from this day winter starts to subside. The weather tends to warm. It is celebrated only in some states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal. Make this Makar Sankranti delicious with Bengali Patishapta.

These states have these different names

If we talk according to the states, then the festival of Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Lohri in Punjab, Bihu in Assam and Pongal in the southern region of India. The importance and way of celebrating this festival is different in every state. But one thing is common in all, that is the dishes made at home. The specialty of India is that there is importance of different dishes on every festival.

Offerings are made to Goddess Lakshmi

Makar Sankranti is known as Paush Sankranti or Paush Parv in West Bengal. Here according to the Hindi Nav Samvatsar, the last day of the month of Pausha is chosen for this. To make this day special, quintessential Bengali sweets Peetha and Payesh (kheer) are made here. People prepare Pitha from rice and offer it to Goddess Lakshmi.

Prepared like a pancake

Dishes like pitha are made in Bengal. Like Dudh Puli, Gokul Peetha, Chushi Peetha etc. But the most popular dish is Patishapta. Patishapta is like a thin crepe or pancake. It is made with maida, rice flour and semolina, with a caramelized jaggery and shredded coconut filling. It is so soft, sweet that it melts in the mouth.

Ingredients to make Patishta

Semolina, white flour, sugar, cardamom powder, ghee, grated coconut, milk, khoya kheer (mawa) and jaggery.

How to make Patishpat

• To make Patishapta, first prepare the batter by mixing semolina, sugar, flour and milk in a bowl. Then add cardamom powder to this batter and keep it for some time.
• After this prepare the stuffing. Heat ghee in a pan and add grated coconut to it. After some time add jaggery to it and mix well. Knead a soft dough by adding mawa to it. After that leave it to cool down.
• At last gather everything together and prepare the patishapta. To do this, spread the batter with a ladle on a hot tawa greased with ghee. In simple words, make cheela out of it. Put the stuffing in the center and fold it. After this serve hot to the guests.