Bengali dessert – Page 2 – Batter Up With Sujata

Misti Doi

Misti doi or caramel flavoured sweet yogurt.

Misti doi is very common dessert in Bengal.

Authentically its made of thickened sweet milk and caramel. And allowing the milk to ferment overnight. Earthen post is best for making this Misti doi because water evaporate through its porous walls and produces the right temperature for the growth of the culture.

Nowadays you can get lots of flavours in misti doi. Such as aam doi or mango flavoured yoghurt, khajur gur or date palm jaggery yoghurt etc.

Many of my readers asked for the recipe of misti doi when I posted Misti doi parfait

This yogurt is my all time favourite.

We can get it at Kolkata or Delhi sweet shops. First time tasted homemade when spending my summer vacation at my Sejomashi ( maternal aunt’s) home at Delhi. She was an amazing cook. She and my mom is no more with us but still remember the taste of the dishes made by my mom and aunt.

I have got this recipe from my Sejomashi Gargi Gupta. I always followed her recipe without adding any flavour. But in my last Kolkata visit noticed in sweet shops they used whole cardamom in misti doi. So I have added few cardamom. But next time again I will make without cardamom. If you like you can add or add a pinch of cardamom powder.

I remember when my father in law asked after tasted my homemade doi “from where you bought this doi? Its much better than I tasted before. More delicious.” And that was my best reward I have ever get.

Happy Father’s Day in advance. Jagruti Cooking Odyssey requested some blogger friends to link up with her to celebrate Father’s Day. This misti doi was most favourite dessert of my late father and father-in-law. So I am dedicating this post for Father’s Day.

This yogurt takes more time to set than normal plain yogurt. And we set our homemade curd or yogurt with only 1 or 1/2 teaspoon curd. But this yogurt need more curd to ferment. I have added 1/2 cup curd in it. Because I have used fresh homemade curd which is not tangy at all. I am sharing some tricks to set the yogurt easily.

Recipe

Milk – 1 litter

Sugar – 1 cup ( 3/4 + 1/4 )

Curd – 1/2 cup

Cardamom – 3 – 4 optional
Or
Cardamom powder – a pinch, optional

Sliced pistachio for garnishing, optional

Method
Boil the milk in a heavy bottom pan. Add 3/4 cup sugar and reduce the heat. Cook on low flame until milk becomes almost half. Stir occasionally.

In a separate non stick pan or heavy bottom pan mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon water. Keep it on low flame until it becomes golden brown.

Immediately add in hot reduced milk. Mix well. Add the cardamom if you want. When it starts to boil stir and switch off the flame.

Let the milk become lukewarm. Stir continuously. Don’t let the milk topping set over the milk. Don’t make it completely cool. Milk should be warm and touch it to check. If you can tolerate the heat then its perfect to set.

Remember milk should be lukewarm not hot. If you add curd in hot milk it will curdle.

Whisk the curd well. Mix with reduced milk and whisk again.

Now time to set. You can set it in glass or ceramic pot too. But better try to set in earthen pot for better result.

Because it’s porous walls evaporate the moisture. And you will get perfectly set misti doi.

Pour the milk in the earthenware. Cover and keep it undisturbed in a warm place for overnight or 8 – 10 hours.

If the weather is cold then its difficult to set this yogurt. In that case keep the earthen pot in microwave and set the minimum temperature of your microwave. 180 or 200. In my microwave lowest is 180. Just press the power button few times to get desired temperature. Keep the yogurt filled earthen pot in it. start the oven for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes cover and keep it undisturbed in the oven for overnight or 7 – 8 hours.

You will get perfectly set misti doi.

After setting keep it in refrigerator.

Serve chilled. You can garnish with chopped pistachio.

Enjoy the chilled misti doi as a dessert.
Notes –

Don’t make the milk too thick just reduce to almost half.

Whisk well before setting to make it smooth.

If you don’t have microwave keep it in a casserole and close the lid. Or cover the pot with a warm cloth.

Milk should be lukewarm not hot. If you add curd in hot milk it will curdle.

Some more recipes of other talented bloggers for Father’s Day celebration.

Sugar free mango basil and cashew

Ghari rotli or puran poli

Baigan ka bharta

Meat masala bharwa baigan

Masala upma

Sweet vermicelli with jaggery

Chocolate Coconut Sandesh

May Maa Durga empower you and your family with her nine swaroopa of Name, Fame, Health, Wealth, Happiness, Humanity, Education, Bhakti & Shakti. Happy Navratras. And have a blessed Durga Puja.

Chocolate coconut sandesh. A sweet made of soft and smooth coconut mixture and crisp chocolate.Bengali’s love sweets and Durga Puja is the perfect time for sweets. So spread happiness with this delicious and easy to make sweet recipe.

Durga Puja is the one of the most famous festival celebrated in West Bengal in honor of Goddess Durga during the period of Navaratri
This festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon. Mahishasura. Durga Puja festival epitomises the victory of Good over Evil.

In Bengal, Goddess Durga is worshipped as Durgotinashini, the destroyer of evil and the protector of her devotees.
Durga Puja or Sharadotsav is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu Goddess Devi Durga.

Durga Puja is celebrated every year in the Hindu month of Ashwin (September-October) and commemorates Prince Rama’s invocation of the goddess before going to war with the demon king Ravana.
This autumnal ritual was different from the conventional Durga Puja, which is usually celebrated in the springtime.

So, this Puja is also known as Akal-bodhan or out-of-season worship. Thus goes the story of Lord Rama, who first worshipped the Mahishasura Mardini or the slayer of the buffalo-demon, by offering 108 blue lotuses and lighting 108 lamps, at this time of the year.

In this festival serve your guests a different and delicious sweet. Chocolate coconut sandesh. I have mixed coconut with kid’s favourite chocolate to make a lip-smacking sweet.

Coconuts are one of the wonder foods on earth that have multiple health benefits.
Coconut tree was called Kalpa vriksha in Sanskrit. The tree that supplies all that is needed to live.In ancient India, the coconut palm has been recognized as a top immune booster, antifungal, antibiotic, antiviral and antibacterial remedy for thousands of years all over the world.

In India one of the most common offerings in a temple is coconut. Coconut plays a vital role in all puja rituals. The coconut is a satvic fruit. It is sacred, pure, clean, and health giving, endowed with several properties.

Enjoy this auspicious occasion with this delicious chocolate coconut sandesh.

Recipe

Shredded coconut – 1 cup

Paneer/cottage cheese – 1 cup

Sugar – 1/4 cup or to taste

Cardamom powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Dark chocolate – as require. I have used 1/2 morde chocolate bar

Ghee/clarified butter or butter for greasing the moulds.

Method

Mix paneer/cottage cheese, coconut and sugar. Add less sugar, taste after mixing and add more if require. Mix well with you finger tips. Make a smooth mixture.

Heat a nonstick or heavy bottom pan. Cook the coconut mixture on low flame. Keep stirring. Cook until the mixture dried up. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool down. Make it smooth again. You can use your grinder or blender to make it smooth. I have ground it.

We have to set it in moulds. You can use any moulds whatever you have. I have used small chocolate moulds for bite sized sandesh and some muffins moulds for large size.

Melt the chocolate in double boiler or in microwave. Microwave for 30-40 second on high power stir if require microwave some more seconds. Stir with a spoon to check. It shouldn’t be burn. After melting stir it well.

Now take the greased moulds. Pour 1 teaspoon coconut paneer/cottage cheese mixture. Set and level with a spoon or your finger tips. Press gently. Pour 1 teaspoon melted chocolate over it. Make it flat and even with a spoon.

Keep the moulds in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
Demould on a plate. Serve chilled. Always keep the remaining sweets in refrigerator. Chocolate will melt if you keep it in room temperature.

Coconut paneer/cottage cheese mixture have a soft smooth texture and chocolate is crisp.
Enjoy the soft and crunchy taste.

Malpua

I am very happy today. My little baby turned 1 year now. Its seems too fast and a wonderful journey. Posted 125 recipes in 1 year. And got lots of love and appreciation from all my foodie friends. Thanks a ton to the food group where I joined first, Chef At Large and all the friends of CAL for your encouraging comments.

A special thanks to Pushpita for helping, encouraging and introducing me to this wonderful blogging world.

https://eigichakhum.wordpress.com

And lots of thanks and love to my daughter Suchismita Roy for encouraging me.

https://theretrospectiveprocrastinator.wordpress.com

Thanks to all of you for visiting my blog. Its possible only because of you. Loved your every comments.

Thanks again for your constant love and support. I would love to hear from you.

Janmashtami is around the corner. So our this week’s #Foodiemonday #bloghop theme is Janmashtami special. My contribution is a lip-smacking sweet dish malpua.

Malpua is everyone’s favourite in my home. Its basically a deep fried pancake. These are fried till the edges becomes crisp then soaked in sugar syrup and garnished with pistachios and served warm with rabri or thickened milk.

Malpua is an Indian sweet dish. There are many variations of this sweet based on the region it is prepared.

It is served as a dessert or a snack and very popular in India and Bangladesh.

In West Bengal , Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra its made for the festival like Sankranti and Holi. In Orissa it is served as the prasad of Lord Jagannath.

Malpua is prepared in every Bengali homes. To make this lip-smacking dish you need only flour, milk, Semolina/suji, sugar, water and cardamom powder.

I am sharing my mom’s recipe. Soft in the middle and crisp outside yummy malpua.

Recipe

All purpose flour/maida – 1 cup

Milk powder – 1/2 cup

Semolina/suji – 2 tablespoon

Atta or wholewheat flour – 1/4 cup

baking soda – 1/4 teaspoon

Cardamom powder – 1/2 teaspoon

milk – 2 cup

For sugar syrup

Sugar – 1 cup

Water – 1 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Oil or ghee/clarified butter for frying

Method

In a large bowl mix all purpose flour/maida, wholewheat flour/atta, Semolina/suji, milk powder and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder. You can add 1/2 to one teaspoon fennel seeds or saunf if you like. I have forgotten to add 😀

Add 1 and 1/2 cup milk gradually and mix well. Make a batter without any lumps and keep aside.

Add sugar and water in a pan and let it boil. When it starts to boil reduce the flame. Let it boil on low flame for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. After 10 minutes switch off the flame and add the cardamom powder. Mix well.

Now give a good stir to the batter. It should be a flowing batter. If require you can add more milk. If you want your malpua thick and fluffy keep the batter thick. Don’t add extra Milk.

But for thin and crisp malpua make the batter thin by adding 1/2 cup more milk. Add baking soda and mix well.

Heat sufficient oil or ghee/clarified butter in a pan. Drop one ladle full in the middle of the oil. Fry it on low medium flame till the edges becomes crisp and brown. Flip it and fry the other side too.

Slide the hot fried malpua in the sugar syrup. Press with a spoon and flip it. Dip in the syrup with the spoon and remove it to a plate. Don’t keep it in the sugar syrup for long time. Just dip flip and press with the spoon and remove from sugar syrup.

Make all the malpua this way. Serve hot with rabri or reduced milk. You will love it without rabri/reduced milk too.

Enjoy the hot crisp malpua with your family and friends.

Its my mother’s recipe. I would love to dedicate this post for Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day. My fellow blogger and friend Mayuri Patel from Mayuri’s Jikoni http://mayurisjikoni.blogspot.in/?m=1 wanted to compile some recipes dedicated to mothers for Mother’s Day. Loved the idea. Check out some more recipes of my fellow bloggers.

strawberry pomegranate swiss roll

Rajasthani bajrabajri raabdi

mango coconut mousse tart

crispy beetroot cutlet

aloo paratha

mogre ka sharbat

paal polirava puri paal poli

cornmeal lavender muffins

classic apple pie

mango mastani

mango ice creame with chocolate swirl

Kesar Pista Sandesh

Kesar pista sandesh.

A very quick, easy and yummy sweet for the festival.

Wishing a very happy Independence day to every Indian.

15th August is the day of rebirth for India. India gain it’s Independence from the rule of the British on 15th August 1947. So this date is celebrated as the Independence Day in India.

This day is observed as a national holiday. Every year the celebration starts with the unfurling of the tricolour National flag by the Prime Minister of the nation.

This week’s #Foodiemonday #bloghop theme is #tricolour dish.

We are 10 food bloggers in our Foodiemonday bloghop team. This time my fellow bloggers decided to select one colour each from the tricolour. And I have chosen the colour white.

White colour signifies purity, spiritual, innocence, good, wholeness, fresh and completion. White is the colour of new beginnings.

Kesar/saffron pista/pistachio sandesh is very easy and quick to make. You don’t need long hours to prepare it. Very few ingredients and only 2 minutes. Interesting isn’t it 🙂

Its a type of bhapa/steamed sandesh. But I have made it in microwave. I have already shared two types of bhapa/steamed sandesh. Now one more Bengali delicacy for this special day.

Recipe

Paneer/cottage cheese – 1 cup crumbled
Reduced milk – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1/2 cup or to taste
Cardamom powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Cashew nuts – 2 tablespoon blanched
Pista/pistachios – 2 teaspoon blanched
Kesar/saffron – a pinch
Hot milk – 1 tablespoon

Method
Soak the Kesar/saffron in hot water.

Take fresh paneer/cottage cheese in a bowl. Crumble it with hand. Mix reduced milk and sugar in it. Add sugar according to your taste. Add less sugar, taste after mixing and add more if require.

You can use condensed milk too instead of reduced milk. I have used homemade reduced milk. If you want to use condensed milk omit the sugar. Condensed milk has enough sweetness.

After mixing taste and adjust the sugar. Now blend the mixture with all the ingredients in blender. Mixture should be thick and creamy.

I have used cashew nuts but you can use blanched almonds too. If you feel its too thick you can add little milk in it.

I have made it in silicone moulds. Grease the moulds with little ghee/clarified butter. Fill the moulds 3/4 with the mixture. Don’t try to fill up to rim it can spill during cooking.

Place the moulds on the turntable of your microwave. Cook at high for 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes switch off the microwave and let them cool.

If you don’t have moulds you can make it in a large microwavable container too. Slice before serving. Or steam it in a steamer or pressure cooker.

When cooled down refrigerate for 1 hour. Garnish with saffron and pistachios and serve chilled. Or keep the moulds in freezer and serve as yummy chilled ice-cream sandesh.

Celebrate your festivals with this easy quick and yummy sandesh.

Enjoy the heavenly taste 🙂

Bhapa Doi Or Steamed Yogurt Pudding With Milk Powder

Bhapa doi or steamed yogurt pudding.
Bhapa doi or steamed yogurt is a delicious sweet dish of Bengal. A cheesecake like dessert.

Normally Bhapa doi is made of milkmaid and hung curd.
A very quick and easy recipe. I love it’s cheesecake like taste.
But today I am sharing my easy to make recipe.

You don’t need milkmaid for it.
Need only milk powder, thick curd, powdered sugar and some flavour. I have used cardamom powder.
You can use any flavour of your choice. Or use mango, strawberry or any fruit puree.

Make it in microwave in muffins or cupcakes mould as I did. Or you can bake it in water bath. Or simply steam in a double boiler.

Instead of muffins or cupcakes mould you can make it in a one large bowl too. Make it whenever you don’t find any sweet in fridge and want a quick dessert.

Recipe

Thick curd – 1 cup

Milk powder – 1 cup

Powered sugar to taste

Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Method

Mix curd, milk powder and cardamom powder. Beat well. Make a paste like mixture without any lumps.

Taste and add powdered sugar as require.
Mix well and pour in invidual mould or in a large bowl.

Microwave for 2 minutes on high power. If you find it little wobbly don’t worry it will set when you refrigerate.

Garnish with saffron strands. Let it cool in microwave.
Now keep in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
Serve chilled.

Sandesh

Sandesh is a Bengali dessert made of paneer/chhena or cottage cheese. You can make it in home by curdling the milk and separating the whey from it.

This Bengali delicacy sandesh is very easy to make.
You can make your occasion special with this delicious sweet.

I made these in two different flavours.
One with sugar and other with date palm jaggery or khajur gur. I have shared the pictures of two types of sandesh above.

It needs only two ingredients. Paneer/cottage cheese and sugar or jaggery.

In sugar version we need little cardamom powder for flavour.

You can add any essence or fruit purees of your choice. Or you can add melted chocolate or cocoa powder to make chocolate sandesh. I have already shared the recipe of chocolate sandesh.

Recipe of sugar sandesh and date palm jaggery or khajur gur sandesh is same. Its very easy to make.

I used mould to shape them. If you don’t have mould simply roll like a ball and press lightly with your palm.

IMG__20161016_085536

You can decorate them with chopped pistachio, almonds or tutti fruity.

I made it with home made paneer/cottage cheese. Paneer should be soft. We have to knead it for more smooth and soft texture. You can use a grinder too for quick result.

We need cardamom powder for sugar sandesh only. Date palm jaggery is very flavourful so I didn’t used any flavour in it.

Add sugar according to your taste. First add less, taste after mixing then add more if require.

Recipe

Paneer/cottage cheese out of 1 liter milk.

Date palm jaggery or sugar – 1/4 cup or to taste

Cardamom powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Method

Take the paneer in a large plate. Knead with your palm for 4-5 minutes till the paneer/cottage cheese becomes smooth.

Add the sugar or jaggery knead for another 3-4 minutes. You can use food processor or mixer grinder to make it smooth.

Now cook the mixture on a nonstick or heavy bottom pan on low flame. Stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes. Cook till it becomes dough like consistency.

Don’t overcook, mixture shouldn’t be dry.
Add cardamom powder if making sugar sandesh.

Let it cool. Nead again to get a smooth texture. You can grind it too.

Shape them in a greased mould or make small balls and shape it as you like.

Enjoy the heavenly taste.

Chocolate Stuffed Chocolate Sandesh

Stuffed chocolate sandesh.
Sandesh or shondesh is a Bengali dessert made with cottage cheese and sugar with different flavours.

Cottage cheese or paneer/chhena made by curdling the milk and separating the whey from it.

This Bengali delicacy is very easy to make. Made of only three ingredients.
It can be made with date palm jaggery too.

Today I made chocolate filled chocolate sandesh. I used store bought chocolate sauce, you can use home made too.

Recipe

Cottage cheese/paneer/chhena – 2 cup

Sugar 1/2 cup

Cocoa powder – 2 heaped teaspoon

Chocolate sauce – 2-3 drops for every sandesh.

Chocolate pieces – 1 for every sandesh (optional)

Method

Take a large plate. Put the cottage cheese on it. Knead and mash with your palm for 5 minutes or till it becomes smooth.

Add cocoa powder and sugar. Knead it again.
You can grind them too for easier process.

Now cook the mixture on low flame stirring continuously.
Cook until cottage cheese starts coming together as soft dough.

Cook only for 5-6 minutes to take out the rawness. Don’t overcook. Dough should be soft not grainy.

Let it cool for some time. Knead it again till soft and smooth.
Make small balls out of the mixture.

Take one ball and flatten it on your palm. Put 2-3 drops chocolate sauce in the center. Bring together all the sides and close it.

Give shape as you like, square or round.
Place a piece of chocolate on it.

Your chocolate filled chocolate sandesh is ready.
Enjoy the heavenly chocolaty taste.

Continue reading Chocolate Stuffed Chocolate Sandesh