This traditional Bengali sweet consists of three aspects, filling, dough and sugar syrup. The dough is rolled out & the filling is placed in the center. The dough is then folded to enclose the filling completely & cloves (1 to 4) are pressed over it ensure the fold doesn’t open up while frying or soaking into syrup. Then its cooked in hot ghee till golden brown & crispy. In the end it is placed in the sugar syrup to cool down & absorb the syrup.
This traditional Bengali sweet ‘Lobongo Lotika’ usually needs deep frying but I made ‘Baked’ version of this only for healthy reasons.
Ingredients
1 cup Maida
2 TSP wheat flour
1/2 TSP baking powder
11/2 cup refined oil
3 TSP ghee
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
To taste salt
4 TSP coarsely ground coconut
2 TSP semolina
2 TSP crushed Mawa or make Mawa with Recotta cheese and condense milk
10-12 Laung (cloves)
1 TSP raisins
3 crushed green cardamoms without skin
Three steps procedure:
Step 1: Dough making
Take Maida and wheat flour in a bowl. Sprinkle pinch of salt and add 1/2 tsp baking powder. Mix well, preferably sieve both the flours, salt and baking powder. Add 2 TSP og Ghee and 1 TSP oil. Add water and knead into a stiff dough. Set aside covered for half hour.
Step 2: Pur (inside stuffs) making
Make a filling of ground coconut, semolina and mawa. Heat 1 TSP Ghee and toss the semolina lightly. Add 2 TSP sugar, ground coconut and crumbled mawa. Toss all till a lump is formed. Sprinkle crushed cardamom powder, raisins and toss again.
Step 3: final one
Make lemon size 8 balls out of the dough and roll into a round like Puri.
Place 1 tsp filling in the centre. Smear water all round the edges and fold one on top of other.
Fold like an envelope from the back and secure the edges with a Laung (clove).
Make a sugar syrup with half cup sugar and water. Boil until it becomes sticky and set aside.
Meanwhile bake the Lobongo Lotika in a pre heat oven at 200 C for 30 min to 45 mins or you can heat oil in a pan or wok and fry the Lobongo Lotika under low flame until it becomes golden brown.
Dip each Lobongo Lotika in the sugar syrup (Chasni) and spread to cool.
Serve hot or cold as per your preference.
Please Note: This Bengali sweet ‘Lobongo Lotika’ stays good for long and as we have added Mawa, it should be refrigerated to be consumed for a longer period of time.
Enjoy your favorite Lobongo Lotika in baked version!
