Tag Archives: glutenfree recipes. bengali cuisine

Kanchagolla : Cheese and jaggery balls

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With flowers inside our palms and eyes closed for concentration we recited the “mantras” after the priest. At the end of saying the prayers we offered the flowers to the goddess. The harder I tried to concentrate, the more my eyes would veer off to all the myriad of sweets that were kept as offerings to the goddess. After the prayers these would be distributed to all the devotees. Some burfis arranged as a pyramid on a tray, some  peeking through the top of terracotta bowls, some others on fresh banana leaf…

I always loved the syrup dunked sweets over the dried ones. In fact I would do some trade offs between us siblings, collecting their share of syrupy sweets in exchange for my dried ones.  The Navaratri days were special.There were no restrictions, we ate till we couldn’t…

 

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Times have changed now. My taste buds welcome both syrup dunked and dried sweets these days. Alas, sweets, deep fried, salty are all  under “classified”  eatables now.  Only measured quantities, with a detailed examination of the ingredients, if store bought are allowed.The joy now is in making them in my kitchen and reliving those moments from the past.

Happy Navaratri friends.

 

Recipe :

Ingredients; Made 16 pieces.

Chhana                                              2 cups

Patali gur ( Date palm jaggery )            1 cup ( or to taste )

Ground pistachio                               1 tbsp

Method:

Take the first two ingredient in a pan on medium heat and keep stirring, taking care it does not stick to the pan. I used liquid jaggery , it took about 25 minutes for the mixture to come to a dough like consistency and leave the pan. Take a spoonful of this mixture and try to form a ball betwen your palm. It is ready if you are able to form a ball. Switch the gas off. Take a table spoon of the mixture while it is still warm, taking care not to burn, form it into a ball. Garnish with ground pistachios.

Enjoy.

Notes:

Chhana is paneer or home made cheese. Take a litre of full fat milk in a pan on high heat. Just before it starts to boil, put the gas off. In a bowl mix 2 Tbsp white vinegar and same amount of water. Pour this in the milk. It will separate into milk solids and whey. Take a colander lined with a cheese cloth, drain out the whey, wash with water, and let it drain for an hour.This is now ready to be used in Kanchagolla making.

 

 

Sweet Pilaf : Mishti Pulao

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Rice is intertwined with human life as a thread in a fabric. Any important event in ones life is celebrated with either cooked rice or uncooked grains.

Take for example ” Annaprashan”, an event to celebrate a child’s first solid food eating event. This is as big an event as a wedding. Rice is the main course along with other supporting dishes. A new bride is welcomed in her  husband’s family with a potful of rice grain, signifying prosperity for the whole family. “Serving rice” to the extended family is the first ‘token’ chore for a new bride. Blessings from the elders involve a few grains of rice. Puffed paddy grains are sometimes offered to mourner’s during a man’s last journey to the crematorium.

Pilaf or Pulao recipe changes with every geographic location. We in Bengal love it on the sweeter note. This dish goes very well with any main dish. It is a bit heavy on the oil and butter, but celebrations don’t happen every day, does it?

Here is the recipe.

Recipe: Serves 6.

Ingredients;

Basmati Rice                                         3 cups

Cashews                                              1/3 cup

Raisins                                                 1/3 cup

Butter                                                   1/2 stick ( 1/4 cup )

Canola oil                                              1/3 cup

Bay leaves                                            4-5

Cumin seeds                                        1 tsp

Saffron                                                  big pinch

Milk                                                      1/3 cup

Cardamoms                                          5-6 pods

Cloves                                                  6-7

Cinnamon                                             2, 2 inch pieces

Ginger paste                                           2 tbsps

Salt to taste

Sugar                                                    2 Tbsps

Method;

Preheat gas to 400 degrees F.

Soak the saffron in warmed milk. Make a paste from the fresh ginger.

Wash the rice in two changes of water. Take a big saucepan with boiling water. Put the rice in, as soon as it is half done, take it out drain the water.

In another pan take the canola oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot add the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks and cumin seeds. Saute gently, as soon as the cumin seeds get a bit of colour add the raisins, wait till they get plump. Add the cashews next, fry till lightly coloured. Add the ginger paste and fry a few minutes. Make sure the spices do not burn, a sprinkle of water can be added now and then. Put the gas off when the raw smell of ginger is gone.

Take an ovenproof casserole. Pour the rice and the above spice mix, spread evenly. Sprinkle the butter on this mixture, add the salt and sugar, cover and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.

Take the casserole out, add the milk with saffron. We want some grains to remain white. Gently fluff it with a fork. Keep covered in the oven again for another 30 minutes with the gas off.

Give another mix and serve.

The rice grains should be separate. Check the salt and sugar to your liking. Enjoy!