Puli

Puli pitha
This is a sweet often made during Makar Sankranti in January.The dry version keeps well for few days.Molds to make the casing are available in the market but I decide to do it the traditional way, as it looks much more elegant.

Ingredients
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For the filling:
Grated coconut - 2cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
For the casing:
Flour/Maida - 1 1/2 cup
Refined Oil
Method
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For filling:
Put the coconut and sugar in a thick bottomed pan,a non-stick pan would be ideal for beginners, and keep cooking it till the sugar melts and the mixture turns a little transluscent and sticky.Add cardamom powder and leave it to cool completely.You can prepare this a day in advance if required.

For the dough:
Knead flour with a little oil and add water gradually till the dough is soft and stretchy. A 10 min kneading should be good.Make small balls from the dough and roll it into disks.Spoon the filling onto the dough and close it in the form of a semi circle.Use a little water, if needed to seal the edges.Start from one end of the semi-circle and make small curls until you reach the other end(see picture for reference).Do it slowly so as not to puncture the dough else it will crack in the oil.
Once the pulis are ready heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and fry them till golden brown.Set aside on some tissue to absord excess oil.Cool and store in an air-tight container.