Aam Kheer - Kheer Mango

Just as I began to feel sad for missing yet another season of mangoes of Bengal cribbing about how the taste of mangoes available in Wal-Mart and Meyer were bland in taste, my husband brought home few Mexican mangoes one day. Now, I really didn't have any idea that Mexican breed of mangoes could be as sweet and ripe as those of Bengal. It was seriously a revelation. Sitting here in USA, if you could lay your tongue on some luscious super juicy mangoes, you would feel yourself to be in seventh heaven and that's exactly how was I like. I ate few of them raw and left the remaining ones to prepare my favorite mango dessert - Aam Kheer.

In the months of summer when the scorching weather outside leaves the mouth dry, one glass full of this kheer with lots of ripe mangoes in would take away every bit of parchedness the tortuous heat has caused.

Gokul Pithe

I wanted to post the recipe of Gokul Pithe on Poush Sankranti only but in the frenzy of pithe making euphoria, the snaps clicked then didn't come out presentable and I couldn't post the recipe without appetizing snaps, can I? After all, we feast with our eyes first. So there I was waiting for an occasion to make the batch of gokul pithes again and the chance came when one of the colleagues of my husband especially requested me to cook and send him 'Rosh Bora'. Now Gokul Pithe is quite akin to rosh bora taste wise, the filling apart. So instead of Rosh Bora I planned of cooking Gokul Pithe, that way both his craving and my need of a good photo will be met and anyway, he is not Bengali so I don't think he will be able to distinguish much of a difference between the two :D

 

For people, not acquainted with Bengali way of cooking, let me give a prelude about pithe before I start narrating the recipe. Pithe is a kind of sweet cake prepared usually from a batter of rice flour, semolina and all-purpose flour stuffed with sometimes savory fillings made from a mixture of coconut, jaggery and the like. Pithes are deep-fried, steamed, soaked in syrup or cooked with milk. The variety is humongous, depending on region to region within India. So rest assured the pithes made in Bengal will be unheard of in other states of India among non-Bengalis, though different versions of the same pithes known in different names in other states of India might be prevalent.

Dimer Halua - Egg Halua

My niece studies in class XI in one of the largest reputed chains of private schools in India. She is good in studies, having topped in her school in the board exam and notched a rank state wise. We were so happy when she passed out with an outstanding result in her board and pinned high hopes on her to repeat the same stellar performance in the upcoming class twelfth board. But since her class X board exam after all the awards and attention she was lavished upon by her school, teachers and a felicitation from the governor of WB, she turned a victim of bullying from her peers who absolutely tried every means to make her feel worthless. Her friends began taunting and ignoring her in the school and in her desperation to mingle with the group of friends, she, soon in order to join the league abandoned books and started spending more time with her friends to stay in their good books. Many a time, she came home crying over how her class mates discredited her merit calling her a 'mugger' who scored high on her mugging capacity rather than intelligence.

 

 

It's a complete vicious circle sucking her into a vortex of negativity and I can only imagine how lonely a 16 years old might feel in her class that in order to obtain companionship, she mirrors the action of her friends in bunking classes, roaming around with them just to get a sense of belonging. Now with her class XI exam knocking at the door and huge syllabi to cover my niece, panic-stricken, having suffered a nervous breakdown recently has to be taken to a psychiatrist for counseling.

 

 

 

Parents put their children into renowned schools at the cost of a huge monetary investment including donations and fees, expecting a good future for their children in return. But what do parents do when the environment of a school is so money-oriented with rich brats coming from wealthy families that the value of education becomes a matter of least concern for many students who know their rich fathers would buy them degrees from reputed institutes of abroad no matter how they function academically in school level?  No wonder the audacity of a 16 year old boy, a classmate of my niece, mocking at her how she with her outstanding academic record would remain a mediocre in terms of material success while guys like 'he' would shine.

 

 

Back to the recipe, Dimer Halua is an egg version of conventional Semolina Halua. Everything done to cook an appetizing Semolina Halua is repeated to concoct its eggy counterpart.

Rosogollar Payesh

Few days back I bought a tin of sealed rosogollas from an Indian grocery store here. I knew immediately after putting one rosogolla into my mouth that I would have difficulty to finish the rest. I was pretty disappointed and started racking my brain as how to make use of them otherwise. One option was disposing them into the dustbin which went against the principle that I strictly adhere to about not wasting food. Then the idea of making rosogolla payesh struck my mind. In Kolkata, once a relative gifted us 100 rosogollas while paying a visit. Impossible for the two of us to polish off such a humongous amount of rosogollas on our own, we distributed some to our cook and maid but still a considerable number was left. Then my mother suggested me to make rosogolla payesh with the excess.

So this is what I do usually whenever I buy the sealed rosogollas from the market because most of the time I don't like the way they taste compared to what we are used to in Kolkata. Since the time I have left Bengal, one thing that I have been missing beyond words is rosogolla. Couple of times I have made rosogollas at home, but the taste never matches the ones we get in sweet shops. 

 

Rosh Bora

I wanted to post some recipes of pithe or homemade sweets on the day of Sankranti itself, but somehow I couldn't make the time. I cooked a wholesome fare of an assortment of pithes - Rosh bora, Kheer Patishapta and Dudh Puli Pithe yesterday. So busy was I cooking and distributing them among peers that by the time I hit the sack, it was past midnight. Usually, I am a night owl having huge capacity to remain awake late into the night but I was so worn out, I fast fell asleep. Anyway, better late than never. So here I will be posting some recipes back to back. First one is Rosh Bora.

'Rosh' meaning syrup in Bengali and 'bora' meaning fritters, the two combined give hints of an ultimate homemade sweet in the making. Some people use few strands of saffron to enrich the flavor of the syrup which I gave a deliberate miss. I don't like the 'shahi' smell with traditional Bengali sweets; I am pretty conservative in that way. 

Anarosher Chutney - Pineapple Chutney

Happy New Year to all my friends, visitors and fellow bloggers. May the New Year be filled with
 
joys, laughter and happiness. May all you have your dreams coming true.

Last night of the last year I spent mostly sitting at home, reading books, taking rest and catching up

on the backlog episodes of 'Shaitan - A Criminal Mind.' In the evening yesterday, we headed to an

Ethiopian restaurant in Ann Arbor for dinner. I must say the feedback on Ethiopian dish as provided

by one of my hubby's colleagues truly helped us decide on the menu. Ethiopian cuisines are really

spectacular, bearing similarity with the way Rajasthani thali is served with small bowls containing

an assortment of items arranged on a huge platter and an unlimited supply of refill. The only

difference in serving the Ethiopian fare is that the foods instead of serving in containers are

arranged upon a bed of injeras overlapped on a huge tray. Injera is Ethiopian bread made from tef,

Ethiopian flour used in making a sourdough and then preparing pancakes which are baked

through steaming so that the end result turns out rubbery and sponge like in texture.

 

The taste and look of Ethiopian dishes come close to that of Indian dish. The meat preparations were

quite spicy albeit not as hot as ours are, but definitely divine in flavour. I would definitely reiterate

my visit again.

Namoura

Namoura is a traditional Lebanese dessert, cooked with semolina and soaked in sugar syrup that melts in the mouth the very moment it goes in. Known under different names in different regions, Namoura is a very versatile recipe. Some people instead of coconut use ground almonds and flour, the top of the Namoura glazed with maple syrup or honey or simple sugar syrup. I love it best when cooked the following way and my hubby dear loves it so much that before even a day ends, all pieces of Namoura are polished off the plate.

 

 

Kheer Kamala

As Durga Puja is going on full swing and half way across the globe, I am sitting isolated from all the craze and madness going around Kolkata, to evoke a mood of festivity I have decided to busy myself preparing the festive foods, including Khichdi, Labda, Begun Bhaja, Luchi, Alur Dum, Radha Ballavi and many more for the next days till Bijoya Dashami, the last day when the idol of goddess Durga is immersed.

Kheer Kamala is a traditional sweet recipe of Bengal. Yesterday some friends were invited to our home for dinner; after the meal was consumed, everyone was offered a bowl of kheer kamala as dessert and I realized it winning everyone's heart the moment the most finicky eater from the group asked for a second helping. Not only that guests were curious about the recipe as well for all of them being non-Bengalis have never had this type of kheer before.

Shahi Tukda

Shahi Tukda is a Mughlai dessert prepared with breads, fried in butter or ghee and soaked in kheer topped with plentiful dried fruits. I first had shahi tukda at my own home cooked by my mother, she having learned the dish from a Muslim neighbour of ours.

 

As the name suggests, Shahi Tukda is indeed cooked in a shahi or grand way with dollops of butter and ghee used for frying the breads and the milk thickened in consistency through continuous moderate heating, sometimes, condensed milk used to enrich its flavour and garnished with generous amount of pistachios and almonds.

 

This dish if served in a party is going to earn you copious appreciation from sweet loving guests. It has that fulsome flavour, the crispy bread turning soft after soaking up the syrup and subsequently covered in kheer providing an enriched melt in the mouth experience at each mouthful.

Chocolate and Vanilla Creams

I am a devoted admirer of Ranbir Kapoor all of whose movies I have covered, until now. So it's obvious when his recent flick 'Barfi' is coming to stage, I won't like to miss it. Now Perrysburg is not New York that you get everything handy in close vicinity. So after a lot of researching, finally we have located down a hall, 100 miles driving distance away in Detroit where the movie is being screened. This is going to be my first movie venture in US.
 

I am a movie buff and in India, me with my hubby used to watch almost every of the new releases, especially in Bangalore where the entertainment options were limited within the malls, catching movie every weekend was a regular affair. Over here, mostly we watch movies on Netflix or buy the latest Hollywood flicks online on Buckeye cable connection.  Since we are fonder of watching English movies than Hindi, we have never missed much.

 

However, 'Barfi' is another story. I won't like making an effort of travelling to a faraway hall just to blow money on some stupid movies like 'Rowdy Rathore' or Salmon starrer 'Ek Tha Tiger' that can be watched anytime online when it hits the cyber world. But for 'Barfi' especially when the first day first show watchers are singing praise of Ranbir's exemplary performance and of the movie being first of its kind in Bollywood as regards artistic way of telling the story, I can't miss it for the world.

Chanar Pudding - Curdled Milk or Paneer Pudding

Yesterday I was in a mood to put together a glass of mango shake, when out of my dismay I noticed the milk carton resting in the refrigerator for couple of weeks had curdled. It threw me into confusion as what I should I do with the curdled milk of that considerable amount. My mind raced around the thought of preparing Chanar Dalna, but owing to the painstaking process involved in frying chana dumplings finally I dropped the idea. I wanted to make something quick that is less time taking and dead easy. So after a moment of thoughts flickering here and there, finally I came to rest upon the idea of chanar pudding which could be finished in a jiffy, yet with a mouth-watering turnout.

For people not familiar with Bengali, let me inform that "Chana" in Bengali means curdled milk. I am a bit opposed to the idea of addressing chana as paneer because as per my knowledge paneer is little more processed than chana is. Chana though easily available in Bengal may not be so easily accessible outside. So I will recommend anyone intending to try out this dish to make your own chana at home as it is more pure in form or if the milk accidentally curdles just as mine did, you may resort to this dish to save yourself from unnecessary wastage of food.

By the way my hubby commented on having a mouthful of this decadent pudding that it is one of the best puddings he ever had.

Chilli Garlic Sauce

Chilli Garlic Sauce is often required in the preparation of many dishes from poultry to soups. It's readily available in the market of US. But I didn't find readymade chilli garlic sauce sold anywhere in Bangalore. So I always rely on making it at home.

The original recipe involves a mandatory step of using fish sauce for robust flavour, but despite scouring every nook and crannies, I didn't find fish sauce sold at Wal-Mart, Meyer and World Churchill Market. So forced by the condition of unavailability, I chose to substitute fish sauce with an amalgam of oyster sauce and soya sauce. Actually, Worcestershire sauce would be a better replacement but I didn't have any at home. Sorry that I couldnot post a pic of Chilli Garlic Sauce this time but promise to do so when I'll prepare it next time.

Cinnamon Rolls

Yesterday evening I was down with stomach cramps when my hubby baked these perfect cinnamon rolls with teeny weeny help from me. He whipped the ingredients, kneaded the flour and then with a little bit of assistance from my end, rolled out the dough in perfect rectangles following through the remaining necessary steps achieving this wonderful outcome to his credit. I was amazed at his perfection in executing a task that he has very little knowledge of. Though I was there throughout, sitting on my desk, guiding him verbally while he carried out his first baking mission successfully, I, however, could not practically provide much assistance except some finishing touches. It is he who wearing his heart on his sleeve took the utmost effort in fulfilling the arbitrary whims of his sick wife.

The below recipe is accredited to Seema Chandra whose ways to concoct any cuisine using a healthy and low calorie means always inspires in me an urge to do the same. Usually, cinnamon rolls preparation is quite time-consuming in consideration of the time allotted to the rising of yeast breads. But following the Seema Chandra way has brought about the end result barely within an hour. As opposed to the traditional cinnamon rolls, these homemade rolls are not only low in calorie, they are mouth-watering too.

White Sauce

Since I made an entry recently on Baked Salmon with Spinach requiring white sauce in the process, unless you know how to make it, you might not be able to cook the dish. So I thought to give a quick touch upon the recipe. Sorry, no photo for white sauce as the sauce is boringly white and looks like a batter, nothing special.

Pao Madhuri

It's been months I have not posted any recipe for sweets. This time when I went to Kolkata, my mother regaled me with this lovely treat - Pao Madhuri. It's very easy to make, takes less time for preparation and makes an awesome dessert. If like me, you too are in the habit of sweetening your mouth with something sweet after a sumptuous heavy meal, this serves as ideal for that occasion.

 

'Pao' means bread and 'madhuri' in Bengali means "madhu" or 'something sweet'. Together combined they make this tempting delight - "Pao Madhuri". Please don't forget to leave comments if you like it.

Cottage Cheese Fritters

If you are preparing a veg curry and you wish to add some extra zing, you may achieve your goal by simply garnishing the dish with cottage cheese fritters. It also boosts the health quotient of your dish.

Ingredients:                                        Cooking time: 10 minutes ü  1 cup cottage cheese (minced) ü  3 tbsp all-purpose flour ü  1 tbsp cornflour ü  Salt to taste ü  1 tsp red chilli powder Note: Use a blender to mince the cottage cheese into tiny particles. Method: 1) In a mixing bowl, mix in all the ingredients together and in case the mixture seems gooey still, add some more all-purpose flour and balance that out by adding cornflour too in 3:1 proportion. Knead them into a smooth mixture so that you can make balls out of them for deep frying. 2) Once the mixture is kneaded, make small balls out of them and deep fry. 3) You can have them on their own with sauce or chutney or you may use them in curries.

Kheer Poya

If you have referred to my earlier post about Pati Shapta, you might be well-versed about Poush Sankranti now. Lots of sweet goodies are prepared at home during this festival and we Bengalis indulge ourselves in myriad kinds of pithe preparation, one competing with the other in taste and delicacy.

Poush Sankranti is originally a hindu festival celebrated widely throughout India. Known by different names in different regions within India, the essence of the festival holds same for everyone - prosperity, peace, happiness and enlightenment. Though by religion I am Buddhist but being born and raised amid hindu culture has essentially instilled in me an admiration for the grandiose way every festival is celebrated in Bengal. While growing up in Calcutta, I never felt like belonging to another religion. The very ambiance there has that warmth to bring everyone, irrespective of religion and cultures, to a single unit.

My mother makes a variety of pithes or sweet dumplings during the season of Poush Sankranti and this kheer poya is one of her many creations. The good thing about this pithe is you can store it in a jar for a week or two and it will not spoil.

Chushi Pithe

Chushi Pithe is a sweet preparation that is fast getting obsolete. Last time I had it may be when my grandmother was alive. In an effort to bring back some of the forgotten recipes, I cooked Chushi pithe recently and sharing the same in my blog so that you people try this at home and the legacy of chushi pithe passes on to our next generation.

The recipe is very simple. All you need to do is first of all soak about one cup of rice in water (I used gobindo bhog rice) for an hour or so. Then drain the water and let the rice dry. When the rice will become completely dry, grind them into powder. This powder is the key ingredient to chushi pithes (sweet dumplings).

Pati Shapta

Pati Shapta is a sweet dish prepared at every home in Bengal during "Poush Sankranti." Poush Sankranti also known as 'Makar Sankranti' is a harvest festival largely celebrated in different provinces of India. Considered to be very auspicious, this festival marks an end of winter season and welcomes new produce. People wear new clothes and cook lots of delectable goodies at home in celebration of this occasion. An assortment of home-made sweet delicacies including Pati Shapta, Puli Pithe, Rosh Puli and Chitoi pithe are served on table and delightfully feasted upon.

I made Pati Shapta recently cause I could not curb my desire to cook something with the lovely sought-after nalen gur (date molasses) which is sold in the market only during the winter. Nalen gur is a sweet cake made from the juice of date trees.

 In Kolkata, all the sweet shops around this time sell varieties of sweets made from nalen gur. Oooh the rosogollas of nalen gur simply taste awesome and bring water to my mouth at the very name only. I am dreadfully missing all the sweets of Kolkata now.

Rosebud

Rosebud reminds me of those gorgeous sugar coated fritters that were sold at the fair near to our locality in Kolkata. I don’t know how many of you have heard of Chandimela organized every year by the descendants of zamindar Srabono Roy Chowdhury, but it was a famous funfair in Behala-Thakurpur region where people from different corners of Kolkata assembled to celebrate Chandi Pujo. The deity 'Chandi' is another incarnation of goddess Kali and the zamindar family has been worshipping Chandi for over 100 years. The fair, held in honour of Chandi Devi, still takes place every year in the month of December, but with time the fair has lost its previous charm and glory. Bursting with enthusiasm, we used to start saving money one month prior to the beginning of the fair and once the fair was set up, we indulged ourselves in buying varieties of fancy items that drew our attention. The fast-food joints, the rides and death-well shows where four or five bikers used to perform different life-threatening dangerous stunts to amuse visitors were huge crowd-pullers. The fair, lasting merely two weeks, used to leave us amid a feeling of sorrow, a kind of sadness associated only with the end of Durga Puja. Such was its effect on us. I have so many memories attached with Chandimela. The faintest one was of my first visit, when barely a toddler, I was sprinting to the fair holding the hands of my parents and the gleam of merry go round revolving in distance caught my eyes. I was totally taken in awe by such a magnificent rotating wheel carrying people shrieking in excitement. That was the beginning of my long-lasting connection with Chandimela; not only me, all the other children staying in that region were equally boisterous about the same. The appellation 'Rosebud' stands true to its name as the fritters generously coated with sugar resemble rose buds. It was an instant hit at my home when the first time I made it. A jar full of rose petals was put away within few minutes. The good thing about rosebud is you can prepare it in spadeful and store in a jar for weeks.