Dhokla

Ingredients :

 Gram flour ( Bengal Chana Dal Besan) 2 cups
 Fresh Curd (Stirred) 1 cup
Salt to taste
1tsp Soda bi-carb or Eno fruit salt
 Juice of one Lemon
 A pinch of turmeric powder
A pinch of red chilly powder
Refined Oil 2 tsp (1 tsp for batter and 1 tsp for tampering (chaunk/foron)
Fresh Curry leaves
1tsp Mustard Seeds
Freshly grated Coconut
Green chilies (vertically slit)
Tamarind-Jaggery Chutney

Procedure :

In a bowl take gram flour (besan), curd and luke warm water. Mix well and make a smooth batter. The batter should be of thick consistency. Add salt, haldi powder, red chilly powder cover with a lid and set aside for 4 hours.
Keep the steamer or cooker ready on gas. Grease a baking dish (it should fit in the steamer or cooker). Now in  a small bowl take 1 tsp. of soda bi-carb or eno fruit salt, 1tsp oil and lemon juice and mix well.
Add this to the batter and mix well. Pour the batter into the greased pan and steam for 10-15 minutes or till done (ensure by pricking with a toothpick or knife).
Cool for sometime and cut into big cubes.
Heat little oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves; allow to splatter. Remove and pour it over dhoklas. Garnish the besan dhokla with grated coconut and slited green chilies.
Serve with tamarind-jaggery chutney.

Prawn Malai Curry

Ingredients :

Prawn: shelled, deveined and cleaned thoroughly - 500 gms
Coconut: grated and ground in a mixer with green chillies, nutmeg and javitri. - 4 tbsp
Ghee and Mustard oil
Ginger (1 tsp), Onion (2 tsp), Garlic (1 tsp) paste
Garam Masala: Coarsely ground
Green Chillies
Kismis and Bay leaf
Salt, Sugar and Turmeric powder

Procedure :

Heat oil in a pan. Fry the onion paste till golden brown. Add garlic and ginger paste, bayleaf, and a hand full of kismis (rasins). Saute for a few minutes. Add the coconut paste along with salt and sugar as per choice. Sprinkle turmeric powder into the mixture. Add the Prawns. Fry them in the thick gravy for five minutes. Add a little water and bring it to boil. Add ghee on top along with Garam Masala. Garnish with green chillies.

Doodh Pooli

Ingredients :

Milk - 1 litre
Semolina ( sooji ) - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 2 cups
Date Palm Jaggery Liquified ( Khejure'r Gur ) - 2 cups
Date Palm Jaggery Solid ( Patali Gur ) - crushed
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Flower ( Maida ) - 2 teaspoon

Procedure :

Boil the milk in a flat pan (dekchi ) for about 30 mins to "thicken" it somewhat ....
Meanwhile, knead the semolina with hot water and 1 teaspoon ghee to make a soft dough
Boil the liquified date palm jaggery (khejure'r gur ) and add the grated coconut. Stir continuously until the mixture attains a consistency thick enough to be made into balls that can be stuffed into a shell -- to be made in the next step
Make 12 small balls from the semolina dough and after dusting it with the flower, make them into flat discs that can be converted into shells to hold the stuffings made in the previous step.
Make the "pooli" by placing the stuffing (step 3) inside the shell (step 4) and sealing it
Place the  "pooli"s one-by-one into the pan of boiling milk ... do not stir, simply let them simmer for about 5 minutes
Add the crushed Patali Gur, to the "pooli"s in the boiling milk and simmer for another 5 minutes
Remove from the heat and allow the pan of  "pooli"s to cool down to room temperature before serving.

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Makar Sankaranti marks the transition of the Sun into Capricorn on its celestial path. This is significant considering the Winter Solstice marks the beginning of the gradual increase of the duration of the day. Traditionally, this has been one of many harvest days in India.

In West Bengal, Sankranti, also known as Pous Sankranti after the Bengali month in which it falls, is celebrated as a harvest festival Pous Parbon . The freshly harvested paddy along with the date palm syrup in the form of Khejurer Gur and Patali  is used in the preparation of a variety of traditional Bengali sweets made with rice flour, coconut, milk and khejurer gur and known as Pithey . All sections of the society participate in a three-day begins on the day before Sankranti and ends on the day after. The Goddess Lakshmi is usually worshipped on the day of Sankranti.

Doodh Pooli is a universal favourite during Pous Sankranti celebrations in Bengal