One of my favourite sweets to make at home during Durga Puja is Labongo Latika. I prepare the stuffing by slow cooking milk and sugar to make a thick kheer. This is then wrapped in maida and sealed with a clove. I love watching them turn golden in the kadai and then quickly dipping into sugar syrup. Sometimes I also make it using narkeler pur (coconut stuffing) to give this traditional sweet a nice twist.
The Basics
- Labongo Latika is a traditional Bengali sweet.
- This lovely dish is crispy on the outside and has a sticky-sweet kheer filling, offering a rich and creamy sweet taste.
- I love to serve these sweet treats as is, after meal or along with a cup of hot tea.
- The total time, including preparation, resting, and cooking should take around 1 hour 10 minutes.
- If you like this sweet dish, you may also try Taler Bora, Til Ke Laddu or Peanut Chikki.
The Ingredients:
To seal the Latika:
- Labongo (laung) as much as required
- Water as much as required
To make the dough:
- 2 cups refined wheat flour (maida)
- 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
- ¼ tsp salt
- Water as much as required
To make the sugar syrup:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
To make the kheer for stuffing:
- 1 liter milk (preferably with fat)
- 2 cups sugar (powdered)
To shallow fry the labongo latikas:
- Refined oil as much as required
How to Make Labongo Latika? (Step by Step Guide with Photos)
Step 1: To make the dough, first mix 2 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter) and ¼ tsp of salt nicely with 2 cups of refined wheat flour (maida) until you can form lumps of it by pressing with your hand.
Step 2: Now, add as much water as required to make a soft dough. Let it rest for about 20 minutes.
(Pro tip: Add water gradually because if you add more, you can take it out).
Step 3: Now, to make the sugar syrup, mix 2 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water in a kadai and boil it on a low to medium flame until it thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: In the meantime, to make the kheer for stuffing, boil 1 liter of milk (preferably with fat) in a separate kadai along with 2 cups of powdered sugar on a low flame, stirring continuously until it becomes a solid mass. When done and it has cooled down, make small balls of it and keep them aside.
(Pro tip: Optionally, you may add a pinch of cardamom powder to it for additional flavor).
Step 5: Make small balls out of the dough. Take one and place it on a flat board.
(Pro tip: Ensure that you roll each dough ball thin enough, or else it will not cook evenly).
Step 6: Roll it nicely like a luchi and grease the sides with water. Put one kheer ball in the center.
Step 7: Press the sides and fold it nicely. Flip it over and grease the two edges with water, fold them and insert a piece of labongo in the center.
Step 8: Shape all the labongo latikas in the same way and keep them aside.
Step 9: By this time, the sugar syrup should be clear and thickened a bit. Give it a final stir, remove it from the flame, and keep aside.
Step 10: To shallow fry the labongo latikas, heat an adequate quantity of refined oil in a kadai on a low flame. Place each labongo Latika one by one gently in the hot oil with the labongo facing upward. Let it fry for about 10 minutes on one side.
(Pro tip: Ensure you do not put all the labongo latikas in the oil at once. Keep adequate space to flip them easily).
Step 11: Now, flip each labongo Latika carefully when they turn golden on one side. Let it cook for about 10 more minutes.
Step 12: Flip them again and let them cook for 5 more minutes or so. Remove them one by one on a plate when they turn to a nice golden-brown color.
Step 13: Now, put the fried labongo latikas in the sugar syrup for a minute or so. Stir and flip them a couple of times so that they are nicely coated with the syrup. Remove them one by one when done.
Step 14: Your sweet and delicious homemade labongo Latika is ready.
Experiment with These Ideas
- Replace the low milk content by mixing together khoya and sugar. This will create a richer filling and will speed up the process.
- To give it a traditional twist, I sometimes mix in a few finely chopped Pista in the kheer stuffing.
- For an additional aromatic touch to the filling, I tried adding a few threads of crushed saffron. This gives the sweet a subtle taste and a beautiful golden color.
Labongo Latika Recipe Trouble-Busting Tips
Q: Why do my labongo latikas open up during frying?
A: Ensure that you follow steps 6 and 7 precisely to seal all your latikas well using water.
Q: What if my kheer filling is becoming lumpy?
A: You must have put the flame on medium to high in step 4. Lower it to low and stir continuously henceforth to cook the mixture well.
Q: Why do my labongo latikas brown too quickly?
A: Your oil might be at too high a temperature. Ensure that you are cooking on a low flame (as noted in the frying steps).
Q: My labongo latikas are breaking when I cover them in syrup! How can I stop this from happening?
A: They may not be fried properly. Ensure that and also be gentle while placing and flipping them in the sugar syrup. Use a spoon to gently place them in.
Recipe Card
Labongo Latika
Ingredients
To seal the Latika:
- Labongo laung as much as required
- Water as much as required
To make the dough:
- 2 cups refined wheat flour maida
- 2 tbsp ghee clarified butter
- ¼ tsp salt
- Water as much as required
To make the sugar syrup:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
To make the kheer for stuffing:
- 1 liter milk preferably with fat
- 2 cups sugar powdered
To shallow fry the labongo latikas:
- Refined oil as much as required
Instructions
- To make the dough, first mix 2 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter) and ¼ tsp of salt nicely with 2 cups of refined wheat flour (maida) until you can form lumps of it by pressing with your hand.
- Now, add as much water as required to make a soft dough. Let it rest for about 20 minutes. (Pro tip: Add water gradually because if you add more, you can take it out).
- Now, to make the sugar syrup, mix 2 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water in a kadai and boil it on a low to medium flame until it thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.
- In the meantime, to make the kheer for stuffing, boil 1 liter of milk (preferably with fat) in a separate kadai along with 2 cups of powdered sugar on a low flame, stirring continuously until it becomes a solid mass. When done and it has cooled down, make small balls of it and keep them aside. (Pro tip: Optionally, you may add a pinch of cardamom powder to it for additional flavor).
- Make small balls out of the dough. Take one and place it on a flat board. (Pro tip: Ensure that you roll each dough ball thin enough, or else it will not cook evenly).
- Roll it nicely like a luchi and grease the sides with water. Put one kheer ball in the center.
- Press the sides and fold it nicely. Flip it over and grease the two edges with water, fold them and insert a piece of labongo in the center.
- Shape all the labongo latikas in the same way and keep them aside.
- By this time, the sugar syrup should be clear and thickened a bit. Give it a final stir, remove it from the flame, and keep aside.
- To shallow fry the labongo latikas, heat an adequate quantity of refined oil in a kadai on a low flame. Place each labongo Latika one by one gently in the hot oil with the labongo facing upward. Let it fry for about 10 minutes on one side. (Pro tip. Ensure you do not put all the labongo latikas in the oil at once. Keep adequate space to flip them easily).
- Now, flip each labongo Latika carefully when they turn golden on one side. Let it cook for about 10 more minutes.
- Flip them again and let them cook for 5 more minutes or so. Remove them one by one on a plate when they turn to a nice golden-brown color.
- Now, put the fried labongo latikas in the sugar syrup for a minute or so. Stir and flip them a couple of times so that they are nicely coated with the syrup. Remove them one by one when done.
- Your sweet and delicious homemade labongo Latika is ready.
