Narkel Boda - Coconut Fritters

Who would have thought Kolkata would witness such sharp drop in the temperature to 8°. If the

temperature plummets further below, Kolkatans sure would have to lock themselves up at home.

Right now here in Ohio, the climate has turned a little better with the Sun visible up in the sky

every day and the temperature hovering round 0° in the morning and sometimes going up a tad

over that. So I am happy in a way that at least I am able to make the short walking distance from

our apartment to the gymnasium without feeling the cold running through my bones. 

In India, Khichuri is ritual in almost every Bengali household during monsoon. But since there is no

 monsoon season in US, I plan to cook khichuri in winter instead. After all, what more can you

think of other than eating when you are cooped up within the four walls of your home. So I cooked

Semolina Khichuri few days back and teamed it up with freshly fried crispy coconut fritters. I

know these days grated coconuts preserved in Ziploc packets are readily available in the market,

but mark my word; nothing can substitute the refreshing flavor of fresh coconut. Therefore, I will

 recommend anyone planning to cook Coconut Fritters for using freshly grated coconut.

Ingredients:                                                  Cooking time: 20 minutes ü  1/2 of a coconut (grated) ü  4-5 green chillies (finely chopped) ü  1 tbsp all-purpose flour ü  1/2 tbsp rice-flour ü  1 tsp poppy seeds ü  Salt to taste ü  1/2 tsp kalo jeera or nigella seeds ü  White oil for deep frying Method: 1) In a mixing bowl, mix together coconut, green chillies, all-purpose flour, rice flour, nigella seeds, salt and 1 or 2 tbsp of water. Make small balls out of the mixture and flatten pressing between your palms. 2) Deep fry on medium low heat (gas mark 6) till the fritters turn golden brown in color. 3) Serve hot with Semolina Khichuri.