Crispy , Sweet & Effortless ! 'Elojhelo' ( A perfect tea -time nimki )

Every childhood is steeped with many joyful memories with grandparents and mine are particularly studded with those that I shared with my paternal grand- ma or my dearest Thamma . My Thamma - the late Mrs. Mrinalini Palchoudhury was a great culinary artist and a master of a host of dishes , which she passed down through the generations that followed . She was an undisputed ace in Bengali vegetarian cooking and was most renowned to magically conceive super delicious pate's out of every possible vegetable waste , besides her signature sweet & savory tea - time treats .

Later when i left home for college , all these treats would be neatly packed in a box and dispatched across lands , only to be received by me at the other end in utter glee !

A jar of Thamma's Elojhelo was always a part of my priority request list while I was away from home and i have some of the most vivid memories of these lovelies. Packed in an air tight jar filled with moori (puffed rice ) , these adeptly hand folded sugar coated puff pastry treats travelled miles together , unbroken in transit - along with other portions of home made goodies , a beautifully handwritten postcard carrying news from home , a newspaper wrapped thakurer nirmalya and an occasional few 100 rupee notes ..

Today after years , with some help from our age old domestic help Malothi didi , I tried my hands at making these Elojhelo's myself . Crispy and golden , these pastries make great tea time treats and stay well in an air tight container for up to a week . If you are the kind who would like to serve something home made to your chai time guests , do try your hand at making this sometime .

However , no one knows – or at least no one in my family knows the history behind the crazy name ‘elojhelo’ . We go only by the super easy make and the delight in every bite :)

Things you will need

• 01 cup flour

• 01 tbsp ghee

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• Water , to knead a hard dough

• For the sugar syrup :

• 1.5 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup water

• 02 powdered cardamom pods

• Vegetable oil to fry the nimki

Steps to follow to make the Elojhelo

• Take flour , baking powder and ghee in a mixing bowl and combine all the ingredients till the mixture resembles a little sand like in texture . Add water and knead everything into a tight dough.

• Divide the dough into small roundels and rest aside for 5 - 8 mins.

• To make one elojhelo , roll out a 3 inch round disc from one ball .

• Next , using a knife - cut three or four parallel slits along the disc .

• Fold the two ends of the disc into a half moon and twist the ends as shown in the pictures below .

• Once done , deep fry the elojhelo in oil till golden brown and keep aside to cool.

• Once you have mastered the cut , repeat the same steps with all the other roundels.

To assemble the snack in the sugar syrup

• Bring water to a boil and add sugar and cardamom powder.

• Stir occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has a thick, sticky texture. Check the right consistency between your fingers - It is ready when it gives a 02 - 03 strand thickness. Remove the syrup from the flame.

• Next -drop the Elojhelo's , one at a time and lightly stir them together , allowing them to coat together with the syrup .

• Remove to a flat surface and cool completely , till the sugar syrup has crystallized hard as a coating on the surface .The Elojhelo's are now ready to eat .

• Keep stored in a air tight jar and enjoy as an evening tea time treat !

Pr0- tip : You can flavor the syrup any way you want - you can replace the cardamom powder with vanilla or even almond essence. If you are using essence, add it after you’ve removed the syrup from the flame.