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Lavang latika
লবঙ্গ লতিকা: folded mawa parcels sealed with a clove, fried and soaked in syrup
Lavang latika is a festive sweet of Bengal and Bihar, shaped like a tiny sealed envelope with a single clove pinned through the flap; it fills sweet-shop trays at Bijoya Dashami, Diwali and Bhai Phonta. Inside is mawa with coconut, nuts and cardamom, and after slow frying the parcels are soaked in syrup, so the outside is crisp and sweet and the clove gives a warm, peppery bite. The common mistake is folding the pastry loosely; the flaps must overlap well and be pressed shut before the clove goes in, or the parcels unfold in the ghee. Remove the clove before eating if you prefer. Chef's tip: soak the cloves in hot water for 5 minutes so they push through the pastry without cracking it.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 7 oz plain flour (maida)
- 1 ¾ oz gheemelted
- ¼ cup cold wateras needed
For the filling
- 5 ½ oz mawa (khoya)crumbled
- 1 ⅜ oz grated fresh coconut
- 1 ⅜ oz sugar
- 1 oz cashews and almondschopped
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
To fry
- 2 ½ cups ghee or neutral oil for deep-frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub 1 ¾ oz ghee into 7 oz plain flour (maida), add ¼ cup cold water and knead to a stiff, smooth dough. Rest covered for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Cook 5 ½ oz mawa (khoya), 1 ⅜ oz grated fresh coconut and 1 ⅜ oz sugar in a pan over low heat for 6–7 minutes until it forms a soft lump that leaves the pan. Stir in 1 oz cashews and almonds and ½ tsp ground cardamom and cool.
25 minStep 3: Roll small dough balls into 10 cm circles. Put 2 tsp filling in the centre, fold two opposite sides over it, then fold the other two sides over to make a square parcel. Press the top flap and pin it shut with one of the 20 cloves.
25 minStep 4: Boil 9 oz sugar and ¾ cup water for 6–7 minutes to one-string consistency: a drop between finger and thumb draws a single thread.
8 minStep 5: Heat 2 ½ cups ghee or neutral oil for deep-frying in a kadhai or deep pan, filling it no more than a third of the way, to 300°F; a pinch of dough or batter dropped in should rise slowly with small bubbles. Never leave the hot fat unattended.
6 minStep 6: Fry 4–5 at a time over low-medium heat for 8 minutes, turning, until golden and crisp. Drain, then soak in warm syrup for 2–3 minutes and lift onto a rack to set.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lavang latika take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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