SitaBhog (সীতাভোগ)

 ### Sitabhog Recipe

#### Ingredients:

- **Rice flour**: 1 cup

- **Chhena (cottage cheese)**: 1/2 cup (freshly crumbled)

- **Semolina (sooji)**: 2 tbsp

- **Sugar**: 1 cup (for syrup)

- **Water**: 1 1/2 cups (for syrup)

- **Cardamom powder**: 1/2 tsp

- **Bay leaf**: 1-2

- **Ghee (clarified butter)**: 2 tbsp

- **Saffron strands** (optional)

- **Food color**: Yellow (optional)

- **Oil or ghee**: For frying

#### Instructions:

1. **Prepare the dough:**

   - In a large bowl, mix rice flour, crumbled chhena, and semolina.

   - Add 2 tablespoons of ghee to the mixture and knead it well until the dough is soft and smooth.

   - Cover the dough and set it aside for 15-20 minutes.

2. **Shape the Sitabhog:**

   - Use a large-holed sieve or a special sitabhog press to shape the dough into thin, vermicelli-like strands. If you don't have this equipment, roll small portions of the dough into long, thin strands by hand.

   - Set aside the prepared strands.

3. **Prepare the sugar syrup:**

   - In a pan, combine sugar, water, and bay leaves. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves completely, and then let it boil for a few minutes to make a light syrup.

   - Add cardamom powder for flavor and saffron strands for color (optional). Keep the syrup warm on low heat.

4. **Fry the Sitabhog:**

   - Heat oil or ghee in a deep pan for frying.

   - Fry the strands of dough in batches until they turn golden and crispy. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan.

   - Drain the fried strands on paper towels to remove excess oil.

5. **Soak in syrup:**

   - Dip the fried sitabhog strands into the warm sugar syrup. Let them soak for a few minutes to absorb the syrup, but avoid over-soaking, as they can become soggy.

6. **Serve:**

   - Remove the soaked sitabhog strands and serve them warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy this delicious traditional Bengali sweet!