Ras Malai - Poila Boisakh Special

I will be honest here. I was planning to make something else for the KFB Poila Boisakh Special event but ended up making this dish by chance. It was just another way in my kitchen to use left overs! I didn't know what to do with a litre of extra milk lying in my fridge, so decided to just thicken it up a little with some sugar and keep it for further use. Then I didn't know what to do with some left over paneer too..the end result? This wonderful home made Ras Malai. I have kept the flavours simple here with just a touch of cardamom.
All those who know me , know that I am a die hard Indian sweet/mishti lover. No matter how much I keep a check on my diet, eat healthy, follow strict regimen, put a ladoo or a sondesh or a gulab jamun in front of me and I am gone! I just cannot resist sweets. So you see this experiment made me very happy. And with Poila Boisakh  (Bengali New Year ) and Bihu around the corner this was well timed I would say. I will be surely making this again soon and treating my friends and family.

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 litre

Paneer - 200 gms -

I used home made paneer/ chenna here. To make 200 gms chenna, bring around a litre of milk to a boil. Add 2 tbsp of lime juice , mix well and let the milk curdle. Drain the chenna/paneer , wash with cold water, drain the water completely and it is ready for use.

Sugar - 4 tbsp + 1 cup

Bay leaves -  2 nos

cardamom/ elaichi powder - 1 tsp

Water - 1 1/2 cup

Method:

First lets make the mini rasgullas/ paneer balls .

In a pan add the water and the sugar and bring it to a boil.

Meanwhile, take the paneer/ chenna and knead it with your hand till its very smooth. This will take about 7-10 mins. Make small balls of it and keep adding to the boiling sugar syrup.

Let the paneer balls simmer in the sugar syrup for around 15 mins , till they become firm.
Remove the rasgullas/paneer balls from the sugar syrup and keep aside to cool.

Next we will thicken the milk and prepare the base of the ras malai. All that you need to so is in a heavy bottom pan , put a litre of milk to simmer  and thicken up. Keep the flame low. Add the bay leaves and cardamom powder , so that the flavours are well infused into the milk. This will take a while, almost 20 -25 mins. Keep stirring once a while so that the milk doesn't burn.

After around 20 mins you will find the milk had just about thicken forming some solids(Malai). At this point add the 4 tbsp sugar, give it a good mix. Add the mini rasgullas/ paneer balls and simmer for 2-3 mins.

Remove from heat and let it cool. Serve chilled.

Notes:

• Its important to knead the paneer/chenna well before making the balls or else they might break off once you put it into the sugar syrup.
• Garnish with crushed pista, casheews or some soaked saffron. I skipped it as my family likes it without any garnish.

I am sending this recipe to the KFB Poila Boisakh Special event.

 

Nolen Gurer Payesh ( Rice Pudding with Datepalm jaggery) - A Divine Dessert

Every time my mother visits me this time of the year I make sure she treats us to Nolen Gurer Payesh  - Rice pudding with datepalm jaggery. Nolen gur is a seasonal treat and we Bengalis would not miss a chance to relish this divine delicacy around winter and early spring. I also stock up on some but the fresh jaggery tastes something else.You get the liquid variety that comes in a clay jar or can use the blocks. Its an easy recipe but it needs constant supervision. Maa of course has a few tricks which she has shared with me this time around and I am passing it onto my readers!

Ingredients:

Gobindobhog rice - 1 cup - washed well and soaked in water for 15 mins

Milk - 1 litre - I used Amul Tazaa - but its better to use full cream variety

Date palm - 1 bar/block - around 200 gms

Milk powder - 5 tsps.

Water - 1 cup

Method:

In a thick bottomed deep pan bring the milk to a boil. Add the soaked rice into the milk and let it boil on low flame. Once the rice starts to soften add a cup of water and let it boil further till the rice is fully cooked and the milk has thickened.

Now add the nolen gur / datepalm jaggery. Since it comes in a block/bar its advisable to crumble it into small pieces so that it dissolves well into the rice-milk mixture.

Once the jaggery has fully dissolved add the milk powder and mix well.
Remove from heat and serve.

 

Poush Parbon - Chira'r Puli - Traditional Bengali Sweets

This time of the year brings back a lot of fond food memories. Makar Sankranti is always celebrated with a lot of fanfare and loads of traditional sweets - pithas in my family. Pithas are not made on a regular basis and is mostly made during makar sankranti and it is prepared by the ladies of the house using seasonal ingredients like 'notun chaal'(new rice),  gur(jaggery), milk and cream. In Assam, it is celebrated at Maagh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu and there is food all around! So I have kind of grown up amidst both the cultures and have adapted to both with all my heart and soul.
The recipe that I am sharing belongs to my paternal side of the family and I have loved this particular pitha as a kid and even now and I make it every year.It looks a bit complicated to make but once you have tried making them..you will make them every year. And with the easy availability of ingredients these days its all the more required that we make pithas at home to keep up with the tradition.So here's presenting Chira'r Puli - Flattened Rice dumplings filled with coconut and soaked in jaggery syrup.

Ingredients:

Chira/Chiwda/Flattened Rice - 2 cups

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Gur /Gud/ Jaggery - 2 cups + 1 cup - grated

Flour/Maida - 1 tbsp

Refined oil - for frying

Water - 1 cup

Method:

The very first step is to prepare the coconut filling. Take a pan and put the grated coconut and 1 cup jaggery in it. Keep the flame low and mix well till the jaggery melts and gets incorporated into the coconut well. Keep stirring continuously so that it doesn't burn or stick to the pan. In a while you would see coconut leaving oil on the side ,take the mixture off the heat and let it cool.

Next we make the jaggery syrup. In a pan add the 2 cups jaggery and 1 cup water and put it to a boil. Once the mixture boil , take it off the heat and strain it through a sieve. Put the syrup back on low heat. Remove from heat after 1 boil.

Now we move on to the real thing - making the pithas! Take 2 cups of chira/chiwda/flattened rice , wash it well and soak in warm water for 5 mins. Strain the water and mash the chira well, add 1 tbsp flour and make into a dough.

Make small balls of the dough and flatten it out in your palms. You could grease your palm with a little oil to make it easier. Fill in a little of the coconut mixture,fold it over and give it a shape. I have given a gujiya shape.You could make it into round balls as well.

In a pan heat some oil and fry the pithas till light brown in colour. Remove from oil and dunk it into the jaggery syrup.

 
Let it soak in the syrup for few hours before you serve it out.

It gives me immense joy when i recreate recipes that are a part of family traditions.These are the little things that make us who we are and keep us rooted -atleast that's how it is for me. Wishing all my readers a very happy makar sankranti /Lohri /Pongal - after all its all about good food!