Pamela
Pamela

Food

Sweet potato dessert

Ranga Alur Puli: A Bengali Delight

Ranga Alur Puli / Fried Sweet Potato Dumplings in Jaggery syrup
Ranga Alur Puli / Fried Sweet Potato Dumplings in Jaggery syrup

Delight your sweet tooth with the age-old Bengali dessert—Ranga Alur Puli, a culinary masterpiece that enchants the gastronomic senses with its crispy outer layer. While traditionally a household treat, some sweet shops are now including it in their offerings to cater to the time-constrained generation.

During our short stay in Siliguri this year, my sweet-toothed husband’s cravings were satisfied as my mom-in-law initiated and guided the preparation of this delightful recipe.

First Step

Ingredients:

  • Sweet potatoes: 500 gms
  • Flour: 1 ½ tablespoons if preparing stuffed (100gm for plain)
  • Milk: ½ litre
  • Sugar: 1 tablespoon
  • Coconut: ½ (grated)
  • Cardamom (green): 2-3
  • Raisins
  • Sugar: 1 cup
  • Water: 1 cup
  • Oil for frying

Method:

Step2 Fry

The Puli Dough:

  1. Wash and boil the sweet potatoes until soft. Peel and mash, then add the flour and knead into dough. Set aside.

The Stuffing (optional):

  1. Boil milk with a tablespoon of sugar. Once thickened, add coconut, raisins, and condense it to a thick, sticky consistency. Remove from heat, add crushed cardamoms, and let it cool.

The Syrup:

  1. Boil a cup of sugar in a cup of water to create a medium-consistency syrup. Let it cool.

Making the Pulis:

  1. Take a small portion of the dough, shape it accordingly, or flatten for stuffed pulis. For stuffed pulis, make a cavity in the center, fill with the stuffing, seal the edges, and shape it.
  2. Heat oil in a wok, deep fry the pulis in batches until golden.
  3. Dip the pulis into the syrup carefully, one by one.
  4. Serve hot or cold.

Frying Pullis:

We prepared plain puli without stuffing, but the stuffed ones are truly mouth-watering and delicious. Ranga Alur Puli, along with other pulis like Muger puli (made of moong dal), Chirer Puli (made of poha -beaten rice), chana dal puli, Chaler puli (made of rice), uses harvest produce—rice, coconut, date palm juice, and jaggery, making them special items for Shankranti.

Ready to Serve

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