Potpourri: Labanga Latika / Lavang Latika

Diwali is just round the corner and what better day to do a recipe collaboration with two of my blogger friends, Parinaaz Marolia who mostly blogs about Parsi delicacies in her blog A dollop of that.Today her post is on chocolates with honey pistachio and the boozy brandy fillings...a festive favourite of many.

And with Shweta Biswal of Oriya rasoi who's not only from Odisha but also my place type too,that makes her all the more special.She blogs about authentic Odiya food and her post Chuda ghassa parfait is a traditional dish presented in a contemporary style.

I am making some food memories in my kitchen today.And I want to preserve these memories I have from my childhood with my parents and sister and my near and dear ones ,the cooking memories that I am part of with my husband and children and the ones we create daily.The best way to preserve them is to document those memories in my blog and share with you all.

This sweetmeat Lavang Latika has beautiful childhood memories of marriages in my family.Odiyas have a custom of sending sweets with the bride during Bidai for her in laws ,their relatives and neighbours .People actually wait for the" Bahu Bhaara", the term used for the loads of sweets which come with the bride when she comes to the grooms place post wedding.Every wedding memory of my child hood had labangalatika as one of the sweets in the Bhaara and down the years this gorgeous sweetmeat had become my favourite.

When it was my turn to get married ,I made sure the Labangalatika tin was safe and secure in the crowd of relatives and my mother in law was sweet enough to keep the huge tin in my room so that I could gorge on them whenever I wanted and none of the relatives actually got to taste a single piece.And till date the hubby dear and in laws have a good laugh about it.

All those years have passed but the love for the labangalatika s hasn't lessened an ounce ..our love
affair is still going strong and I don't hesitate to make them in my home whenever the occasion arises
and on this festive occasion of Deepawali ,my kitchen is smelling of the heavenly khoya and the subtle flavour of the frying of those beauties.

These sweets are small parcels stuffed with a sweet filling of khoya and coconut ,sealed with a clove, deep fried and dunked in sugar syrup.The name is derived from the word Lavang or clove.Its famous in the neighbouring states of Bengal and Assam too.

The traditional Odiya recipe has coconut in the stuffing but I omitted as my children are not fond of coconut.The latikas are crisp from outside and soft inside.There are a few things to be kept in mind before preparing them .They have to be fried in medium heat as they will brown faster on the outside and will not cook from inside.They have to be dunked in sugar syrup for a min or two,more than that will make them soft.

You Require

For the Latika

2C maida or all purpose flour
4 tbsp melted ghee or clarified butter
Water to bind the dough
Oil to deep fry
18-20 lavang or cloves

For the stuffing

1C khoya
1/2 C desiccated coconut
1 tbsp Ghee
1/3 C powdered sugar or according to taste
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 C chopped dry fruits ( optional)

For the sugar syrup

1 1/2 C sugar
1 C water
1/2 tsp cardamom or elaichi powder
5-6 cloves

how to roll out and form the latikas

Method

Add the maida and the melted ghee in a bowl,mix with fingertips till they resemble breadcrumbs. Add the required amount of water and knead into a stiff dough,cover with a wet cloth and keep it aside for half an hour.
Meanwhile take ghee in a pan and fry the khoya in low heat,keep stirring till they start
gathering from the sides and look a little dry.Keep stirring constantly the khoya has a tendency to scorch the bottom of the pan.
Switch off the flame and wait for the khoya to cool.
After its a little cool ,add desiccated coconut,powdered sugar,cardamom powder and the dry fruits, mix properly. Alternately, If you are using fresh grated coconut then you can add all the stuffing together in the pan and stir over low heat till it looks like a smooth dough.
For the sugar syrup add all ingredients and boil on high flame till it reaches one thread consistency.
For rolling out the latikas,Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
Roll each ball into a thin chapati ,the size of a puri.
Put some stuffing in the centre and fold it from both the sides,overlapping each other,now fold both the open ends overlapping each other as shown in the pic and seal with a lavang or clove.
Now deep fry the latikas in a wok in medium heat,cook till light golden brown on both the sides.
Drain the latikas and dunk them in the prepared sugar syrup for a min or two.
Drain the sugar syrup and enjoy them hot or cold,when hot they are soft and once cold they have a nice,sugary,crunchy crust on them.