Paal Poli (Milk Boli)

- Submitted by Vijaylakshmi

(Milk Boli, Pal Poli, Milk Poli)

The season of festivals have begun. And for these festivals some authentic and traditional dishes which are made compulsorily in the family lineage, need to be prepared as neivadyam or Prasad or offering to God. For some festivals like bogi/lohri (the day before Pongal or makarasankranti), avani avittam (the yearly thread changing ritual among the Brahmins), Krishna Janmashtami, bolis are compulsorily made. I find making the paruppu boli and the coconut boli very cumbersome. Then my mother in law gave me an idea of making Paal or the milk boli. It is my husband’s favourite sweet dish and now the whole family relishes it very much.

The milk boli is the easiest and the yummiest of the bolis. It is an authentic sweet dish coming exclusively from the Brahmin kitchen. As mentioned above, it is made as Prasad in some festivals. Nevertheless, you can also make it as dessert variety in any party or get together.I once made it for my husband’s potluck at office and I received many appreciating messages from his colleagues and their wives asking for the recipe. You can also make this sweet dish for children in their Sunday lunch, since it is tasty and nutritive.

So, ladies gear up and get set to make this rich, creamy and yummy sweet dish for this Janmashtami, am sure along with Lord Krishna, your in house Krishna’s and radhas will also enjoy the same. Cheers!!!

Recipe for Paal Poli

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• Milk - 1 liter
• Maida (All purpose flour) - 1 cup
• Salt - a small pinch
• Almonds (Badam) - 15 to 20
• Sugar- 6 tsp
• Oil - for kneading the dough and for deep frying
• Cardamom powder- 1 pinch
• Saffron - few strands

Method

1. Soak the almonds in some water the previous night. If you forget to do that, soak it in hot water for at least ½ hour. You could also microwave the badams with water for 2 minutes in high power. Peel the skin and keep aside. Grind the almonds into a smooth paste by adding little milk.
2. In a big heavy bottomed vessel, add milk and switch on the flame. Let it boil in medium heat for the milk to condense.

   

3. After 10 minutes of boiling, add the ground badam paste into the milk and boil it for another 2 minutes. Keep stirring in between so that milk doesn't get stuck in the vessel bottom.
4. Add the saffron strands soaked in milk
5. Add sugar and then the cardamom powder and let the mixture boil for another 10 minutes. By now the milk would have become thick and dense. Keep the flame in sim.
6. In the meantime, knead the flour into stiff dough by adding salt,oil and water. Divide the dough into 15 equal parts. Roll out each ball into a small puri.

   

7. Heat the oil for deep frying in another burner. Deep fry the puris in medium flame.

   

8. Immediately transfer the puri into the boiling hot condensed milk mixture. Continue the same for all the puris.

   

9. You can garnish with chopped cashews or almonds. This is completely optional and left to the individual taste buds. The Paal boli is ready to be served. You could serve it when warm or refrigerate it and serve.

Tips

• Please take a big vessel for boiling milk to avoid spill overs.
• It is important that the freshly fried puris be added immediately into the boiling milk mixture. It is only then the puris will be completely soaked in the milk.

Variations

• Diet watchers can take equal portions of whole wheat flour and maids, instead of maida in full portion.
• You can reduce or increase the sugar portion as per your taste.
• You could also add 1/2 a tin of condensed milk in step 3 instead of the badam paste. Take care to adjust the sugar portion accordingly, since the condensed milk is sweetened by itself.

More Desi Sweets Recipes

Coconut Burfi	Paruppu Boli	Sweet Vermicelli (Semiya Kesari)	Aval Puttu
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