Tag Archives: bengali sweets

Bhapa shondesh ( Steamed milk fudge ) for Remembrance day

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The poppy is associated with Remembrance day. Poppies were the flowers that grew in the battlefields after the World War was over, hence poppies became a symbol to remember those who have lost loved ones because of wars.There is no poppy here, but the deep red colour of the Virginia creeper leaves, is definitely the closest I have with me today to mark the very symbolic day.

The agreement that ended the World War 1, was signed at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Canadians pause to to honour and remember the men and women who served and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict and peace.

“Lest we forget” is a term synonymous to “We will remember them”. Written much before the World War this poem by Rudyard Kipling reminds us to put our trust in God. I leave you with a few lines from this beautiful poem.

“The tumult and the shouting dies;

The Captains and the Kings depart:

Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,

An humble and a contrite heart.

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget – lest we forget….”

Shondesh is a very popular sweet back home, a must in any important event. This is a cheat’s recipe, comes together in no time. Give it a try friends.

Recipe:

Ingredients

Ricotta cheese                     2 cups

Icing sugar                           1/3 cup

Saffron strands                     15-20

Cardamom powder                1 tsp

Method

Strain the cheese to get rid of excess water. Mix the sugar and blend till smooth. I used a hand blender.

Grease a pyrex rectangular pot . Transfer this mixture. Put some saffron strands on top. Cover and steam for 30 minutes on medium heat.

Allow to cool. Put in in fridge for 30 minutes. cut in pieces. Enjoy!

Chandrapuli : Moon cake

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All good things come to an end. The nine days of feasting, fasting, fun and festivities is done for the year.

……..The last day is very special for there is a grand send off planned for the goddess. I see my mum putting on the white sari with red border, arranging a beautiful plate with sweets, flower, betel leaf, bangles and other things which I am not sure of. “Hurry up, or we shall be late” she reminds me.

Not sure what this all meant, but not ready to forgo the fun either I loose no time in putting on my dress. Later I see My mum with her friends touch the sweets to the goddess’s mouth, as if feeding her, then apply Sindur ( red powder, the married women apply on their hair parting ).

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We had so much sweets, then amidst loud uluation and blowing of the conch shell the beautiful goddess and her family were taken away to be immersed in the river.

I must have been sulking the later part of the day, realizing that the fun was over and it would soon be time to get serious with the school work. “Mon kharap lagche?” Are you sad, my mum checks on me. “She ain’t gone anywhere, she is in your heart!” she reassures me. You should have seen my scrunched up face, “What, in my heart?”, as if saying to her, you know nothing, Ma!

………. Today when I think back, I realize how powerful those words were. ‘She is in your heart’. Yes , of course.

Recipe: Made 26 pieces

Ingredients,

Unsweetened fine grated coconut                                         1 cup

Khoa ( milk solids )                                                                1 cup

Patali gur ( Jaggery )                                                             3/4 cup

Granulated sugar                                                                  1/4 cup

Milk                                                                                     1/3 cup

Milk powder                                                                        1/3 cup

Cardamom powder                                                             1/4 tsp

Ghee                                                                                  2 tbsps

Raisins and cashew pieces to garnish

Method,

Mix the grated coconut with the milk and set aside.

Take a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat, add the ghee, wait for it to melt and crank the heat down to medium low. Now add the coconut mixture, khoa, sugar, milk powder, cardamom powder and jaggery. Give it a nice stir. Keep stirring often, to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan, till it forms  dough about 30 minutes.

Turn the gas off. Let it stand for about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate , Take about 3/4 th tbsp of this mixture to form about 26 balls.  If you have molds, grease them, put a raisin and some cashew pieces, press the ball into it making sure it is flowing  evenly and carefully remove them. If you do not have the molds you can shape them like half moon with your hand and decorate.

Enjoy!

Jawl Bhawra Shawndesh : Syrup filled cheese fudge

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It was around circa1810, the daughter of the erstwhile Zamindar of Mankundu of Bengal just got married. The son-in-laws usually enjoyed a celebrity status then and were spoilt rotten by the bride’s family. So when the newly married couple were visiting the Zaminder a few days later, the family members wanted to get back to the son-in-law. The famous sweet maker of the area Surjya Kumar Modak was instructed to come up with a new sweet recipe. The ladies of the house offered this sweet to the new son-in-law. One bite into it, the jaggery syrup filling spilled all over his crisp top. The new son-in-law’s embarrassment was enjoyed to the hilt by the bride’s family!

Traditionally this is made from home made cheese or Chhena, and filled with date palm jaggery. This is cheat’s recipe. I have improvised it using ricotta cheese and Canadian maple syrup.

Shawndesh molds are available to give different shapes to the Shawndesh. This one takes the shape from Palmyra palm fruit.

Sweets are an integral part of any festivity. Here is the recipe if you would like to have a go and surprise your friends and family.

Recipe: Made 14 pieces.

Ingredients:

Ricotta cheese                                       2 cups

Milk powder                                           1 cup

Sugar                                                    1 cup

Ghee                                                     3 tbsps

Cardamom powder                              1/2 tsp

Raisins                                                about 15

Pistachio pieces                                  one Tbsp

Method;

On a non stick pan take the ghee on medium heat. Once this melts add the cheese, sugar and milk powder. Keep stirring now and then so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the cardamom powder. Slowly the mixture thickens about 40 minutes and forms a dough. Collect it on a plate. Put the gas off.

Take the molds, grease the inside with ghee,  Place one raisin and bit of the pistachio sliver on the inside of the mold. Put a tablespoon of this mixture, press it gently so it confirms to the shape of the mold. Take the other half of the mold and press genlty. With your pinky make a hole at the back of this Shawndesh. Pour a tea spoonful of maple syrup in it. Take about half teaspoon of the mixture to close this hole. Unmold very gently.

If molds are not available, it could be formed into a ball, a hole made in it, filled with syrup and the hole plugged with a bit of the dough.

It does take a bit of patience and time, but the joy when done is as great too.

Happy thanksgiving friends!

Mishti Doi: Sweet yoghurt

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DSC_2142Don’t you just  love festivals? Back home , there are no dearth of festivals. This means food and frolic. ‘Shravan” is a very important month in Hindu calender. After the extreme heat comes the monsoons. It is welcomed by all. The poets and artists have all sung praises of monsoon. The  parched earth turns green again. The petrichor is nostalgic.

This is the time we celebrate a few festivals, one of which is a celebration of womanhood. The “Teej”. Similarities are drawn between mother earth and womanhood. Sweets are a must. Although the “Mishti Doi” is not a must have during Teej, but in keeping with my Bengali roots, I thought of having this dessert for Teej.

Unlike back home, where every street corner has a couple sweet shops, we in this little prairie town are not privy to that comfort.

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This lack of availability though has got the creative juices going, and expatriates have come up  with a variety of ways of baking this delicacy at home.

This is how I do it. It works like a charm.

Give it a try, you will not be disappointed friends.

Recipe; Serves six.

Ingredients;

Sweetened condensed milk.          1 tin

Buttermilk                                       twice the above amount.

Chopped pistachios                      To garnish

Method;

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F.

In a oven proof bowl mix the condensed milk and buttermilk well. This is an important step, if not mixed well, the taste will not be evenly sweet.

Bake for one hour. Take the bowl out and let it cool. Garnish with chopped pistachios. Let it sit in the fridge overnight. Enjoy it next day, Thank me later.

Moong Pakon pitha: Yellow Moong bean and rice flour cake: A modern take: Gluten free.

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By Ratna

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Buy  her  a  gift  or  give  her  an  experience?  It  was  a  hard decision  for  mother’s  day  over  the  weekend.

“Mooch  Moochey  hoyecchhe”.  It’s  nice  and  crispy,  she  said  after a  bite  in  the  Pitha,  the  deep  creases  on  the  back  of  her  hands  almost  matching  the  design  on  the  Pithas.  She  looked  into  my  eyes  and  she  didn’t.  I  could  see  Ma  was  transported  to  a  different  time,  a  different  land.

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A  land  with  many  rivers.  As  a  little  girl  she  remembers  those  carefree  days.  Taking  off  with  her  siblings  to  explore  the  neighbourhood  while  the  elders  in  the  family  were  busy  in  the  kitchen.  “Nodir  dhare  ekta  mishti  gondho  beroto”,  There  used  to  be  a  sweet  smell  on  the  river  bank,  she  is  not  sure  if  that  was  from  an  unfamiliar  flower  or  the  paddy  fields  nearby.  It  used  to  be  East  Bengal  then,  it  is  Bangladesh  now.

I  have  heard  these  stories  many  times.  My  octogenarian  mother  sometimes  mistakenly  calls  me  by  my  sisters  name  and  cannot  remember  what  she  had  for  breakfast  that  day.  But  the  stories  always  remain  consistent.

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Osteoporosis  is  rapidly  claiming  her  four  feet  eleven  frame.  Arthritis  causing  her  knuckles  to  swell  and  fingers  to  twist,  as  if  daring  her  to  carry  on  the  daily  chores.  These  are  the  same  hands  that  tended  to  our  sore  knees  after  a  game,  embroidered  fine  designs  on  our  dresses  or  even  disciplined  us  when  needed.

“Ki  korey  banali?   Khub  shundor  hoyeche.”    How  did  you  make  it?  They are  beautiful,  she  said,  overlooking  the  imperfections.

I  could  see  the  memories  that  were  coming  back  to  her.  Memories  of  the  land  that  she  will  not  be  visiting  again  but  live  only  through  these  experiences..

Gift  or  experience?   Glad  I  chose  to  bring  her  an  experience  for  Mother’s  day.

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Recipe:  Number  of  yield  depends  on  the  size  of  the  design  you  choose.  About  18-20  on  average.

Ingredients;

Yellow  Moong  beans                                       1/2  cup

Rice  powder                                                    1  cup

Cardamom  powder                                        1/2  tsp

Cinnamon  stick                                             1  inch  long  2  pcs

Sugar                                                              1  cup

Canola  oil                                                     1  Tbsp  plus  more  for  frying

Salt                                                                1/4  tsp

Method;

Dry  roast  the  yellow  moong   bean  in  a  sauce  pan  on  high  heat.  Keep  stirring  to make  sure  it  doesn’t  burn.  It  is  done  as  soon  as  it  gets  a  bit  of  colour.  Wash  with  running  water.

Take  this  roasted  moong  in  a  saucepan.  Add  about  four  glasses  of  water,  salt,  one  Tbsp of  oil,  cardamom  powder,  cinnamon  sticks  and  boil  until  mushy,  about  an  hour,  faster  if  using  a  pressure  cooker.  Discard  the  cinnamon  sticks.  Add  the  rice  powder  and  stir  with  a  whisk  to  mix  thoroughly.  Put  the  gas  off  and  cover  the  mixture  till  it  cools  a  bit.

Transfer  this  mixture  to  a  bowl.  Knead  with  oil  dipped  palm  to  form  a  smooth  dough.  Add  a  sprinkle  of  rice  powder  if  sticky.

Cut  out  small  balls,  the  size  of  a  lime.  Roll  it  such  it  stays  about  1/4th  inch  thick.  Refer  to  the  picture  above  and  this  video.  Draw  a  design  of  your  choice.  Use  a  tooth  pick  to  accentuate  the  edges  of  the  design.  Using  a  spatula  carefully  lift  these  and  collect  on  a  plate.  Keep  them  covered.

Take   canola  oil,  an  inch  deep  in  a  non  stick  frying  pan  on  medium  heat.  Carefully  fry  the  Pithas  till  golden  brown,  gently  turning  once.  Collect  them  on  a  kitchen  towel.

Syrup;

Take  the  sugar  with  with  3/4th  cup  water  on  high  heat.  Work  to  make  a  syrup  with  one  string  consistency.  Follow  this  instruction.  Dip  the  Pithas  carefully,  turn  once  and  remove.

Enjoy.

Inside  Scoop;

Cooking  the  Pithas  is  a  folk  tradition,  hence  all  the  design  is  done  by  hand.  This  takes  a  lot  of  practise  and  patience.

Being  a  novice  with  this  Pitha,  I  took  help  from  cookie  cutters,  giving  it  a  modern  take.