Nakshi Puli

Nakshi Puli

Ingredients:

• For filling:

• Grated coconut- 2 cup
• Sugar- 1/2 cup or your choice
• Clarified butter/ghee/oil-1/2 Tbs + 2 Tbs
• Salt-1/4 ts
• Cardamom-2 piece
• Cinnamon-1 stick
• Bay leaf-1 piece
• clove-2 piece
• Flour- 1 cup
• Salt-1/2 ts
• Warm water- approximately 1/2 cup or less
• Food color-1/2 ts(dissolve in 1 ts water)
• Oil- for deep fry

Method:

1. Take 1/2 Tbs ghee/oil in a pan and heat it to a medium heat. Fry the whole masala (cardamom,cinnamon, clove, bay leaf) for 2-3 seconds, then add the coconut, sugar and salt and mix it well and keep it in medium heat. Stir occasionally. Make the mix dried and separated, then take off from heat and set aside.( drying the mix is necessary if you want to preserve your puli, otherwise puli will not remain crispy.)
2. Now take four in a bowl, add salt, ghee/oil and mix well. Slowly add warm water, knead and make a nice dough. Then divide the dough to small balls.
3. Take a ball on rolling board and make a 2 inch disk size ruti. If necessary use flour during making ruti.
4. Now place small amount of coconut mix in the middle of the disk, gather all the side in middle to cover mix and close it by pressing in the middle and give a color point in the middle of puli with your finger (see the video). Make all the puli following this process.   
5. Heat oil in a wok or pan. Put one puli into oil, if it stands in the bottom for few seconds and then puff up you will understand oil is perfectly heated. Then add another few puli and fry them slowly until the both side get a nice brown color. Then take them out on a paper towel to soak excess oil. Fry rest of the puli and serve.
6. You can preserve it in a airtight container.( make sure all puli is cooled down to room temperature before preserve it.)