Sanoli's Kitchen: LABONGO LATIKA - SOUTH VS NORTH CHALLENGE

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

LABONGO LATIKA - SOUTH VS NORTH CHALLENGE


First of all wishing all my co-blogger friends, readers, visitors A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR, 2014. South vs North challenge completed its one year and running gloriously, which is today known by each and every co blogger friend, is a concept and brain-child of our sweet friend Divya Pramil of You too can cook Indian Food. Truelly a great going event where she divided this Indian Cuisine in two geographical parts: Northern Cuisine and Southern Cuisine. Food-bloggers have been placed in this event on the basis from where they belong to. A member from North team and a member from South team respectively will challenge the opposite team members with an authentic recipe from their respective zone and opposite team have to publish the same on their space with a month. Wish to join in SNC, no further delay, just mail to divya.pramil@gmail.com



Feeling proud to be a challenger in this month. Thanks a ton Divya dear for giving me this opportunity. Welcoming South team dearies and here is my lovely challenge to them............"LABONGO LATIKA". This mithai or sweet is made by Bengali's on very special occasion of Durga Puja or Makar Sankranti.


In Bengali 'Labongo' means CLOVE, simply an aromatic Indian spice, which I love a lot. Today, I am here with a very famous and traditional Bengali sweet "Labongo Latika", sweetened khoya or mawa encased in a crisp pastry and sealed with a clove, frying and soaking in the thicken sugar syrup. In my childhood days I saw my Grand Ma made this fingerlicking good sweet and all of us enjoyed and relished it too much. Hope you will like this yummilicious Bengali sweet.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR OUTER CRUST:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour / Self Raising Flour (maida)
2 tbsp Sugar (preferably powdered)
1/4 tsp Salt
Pinch of Baking Powder
Pinch of Saffron, Soaked In 2 tbsp Warm Water
3 tbsp Clarified Butter (ghee)
Little Warm Water To Knead The Dough
1 Cup Refined Oil for Deep Frying
20 Cloves

FOR FILLING:

200 gm Mawa / Khoya
3-4 tbsp Sugar (according to taste)
1/8 tsp Nutmeg Powder
1/3 Cup Warm Water

FOR SUGAR SYRUP:

1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Water
1 tsp Rose Essence / Rose Syrup


METHOD:

TO MAKE DOUGH:

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, 2 tbsp sugar, saffron water, clarified butter  and salt. Mix well. Add water little by little. Knead it to make a smooth dough. Cover with a wet cloth and rest for 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into 20 portions, by which make 20 equal flat balls and set those aside.

TO MAKE FILLING:

In a pan, crush mawa or khoya. Add ½ Cup warm water, nutmeg powder, Sugar in it. 
Heat the pan now and keep stirring continuously for about 6-7 minutes or till the mixture thicken. Switched off the flame now. 
Add raisins, mix nicely. Keep it aside and let it cool down a little.

TO MAKE SUGAR SYRUP:

Heat a sauce pan. Add 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water in it. Mix rose essence and let it boil. Two String consistency of syrup is required for this sweet.

HOW TO MAKE LABONGO LATIKA:

In the mean time, flat a ball by sprinkling little flour and make poori approx 4” diameter circle or oval. 
Take a spoonful filling and place at the center of the circle. Fold from two opposite sides. 
Lastly, with your wet fingertips, fold from the remaining opposite ends to make a pocket. Wrap the edges with little water and insert a clove to seal the pocket, so that the pocket won’t open easily.

Heat enough oil in a wok for frying labongo latika on medium low flame. Slowly add 4-5 pockets in it. Fry slowly till both sides turn into golden brown.  
Remove them from the oil and dip in thick sugar syrup for 4-5 minutes. Make sure that both sides of labongo latika are getting drenched in sugar syrup. Remove from syrup and arrange on serving plate. 



Always serve after a couple of hours at room temperature. You may store in an air-tight container and refrigerate for a week. Enjoy this lipsmacking good Bengali sweet!!!

Hellow! My dearies from South Team, link your post with gorgeous clicks here...........

28 comments:

  1. nice challenge dear..drooling recipe

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  2. Wow....Delicious sweet and Happy New year dear:)

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  3. OMG... its lip smacking sweet didi... its on my to-do list... So here gave the recipe for our SNC... can't wait to try out... ;)

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  4. Lovely dish... great addition for Sankranthi recipes...

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  5. lovely challenge Sanoli and a very Happy New Year to you !

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  6. lovely challenge and wishing you a happy new year dear.

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  7. that looks so yummy....hearing it for the firs time..
    Wishing you a very Happy New year
    Happy Blogging
    do join my event below..looking for our delicious recipes....
    Thanking you
    Preetha
    Event Name : “Dish-it-out” – “Light Dinners”
    Event Date : Jan 1st – Jan 31st
    Event URL : http://abowlofcurry.blogspot.in/2013/12/dish-it-out-light-dinners.html

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  8. Yummy sweet..........it is very popular in Orissa too!! Here's Wishing you a very hapy new year!!

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  9. Have not heard about this sweet. seems tasty. Happy to follow u. If u get time visit my space too.
    http://lincyscookart.blogspot.com

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  10. A Very Happy New Year to You!! Labanga Lata is also popular in Orissa...Yummy one!!

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  11. Wow it looks yumm ! I wish i got it right now

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  12. lovely...very delicious luking sweets....Happy New year :)

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  13. super challenge will make it soon :-)

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  14. Delicious treat Sanoli . Wishing you and your family a Happy new year.

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  15. that's a lovely challenge... looks so yum...

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  16. Happy new year sonali .this is indeed a perfect challenge ...loved ur latika

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  17. wow am drooling over....yummm....Happy New year to you and your family :)

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  18. Super delicious sweet treat wil be trying this soon.. Well done sano, thanks for the awesome challenge :)

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  19. Hi Sanoli! Made this dessert just a few hours ago and I have just a couple of them left,saving it for hubby:). Loved this and thanks a lot for throwing this challenge. I have linked it here...

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  20. Thanks sano for giving me the opportunity to make this wonderful sweet. its my mom's favorite too. But I couldn't give her this time. I will give her once I will visit my home :) I linked my challenge to your space dear..

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