Happy Diwali!

 Wish you a very happy Diwali !

May the Festival of Lights light up your life with much brightness and joy!!

Stay safe. Stay happy. 

❤️

Muga dali Pitha / Mug dal er pithe / Moong dal ke mithe cheele

During long vacations in my childhood, we would go over to Dadu's house and spend the days there.
But when there were short holidays, some part of the family would come over to our place.
Some part because fitting in the whole family together was possible only in Dadu's huge house.
We stayed an hour away, on the hills, where Bapi had his factory.
So at times, some cousins  and kakus and kakimas would come over to spend a few days with us.

The house would be filled with voices ... all talking, laughing, calling out to others ... all at the same time while we cousins did what we did best ...  creating our own ruckus and having a great time. 
The kitchen would be busy and while Ma looked into the meals all through the day, it would the kakimas or mashis (aunts) who would choose the job of rustling up their special snacks and sweets for us. It would be one of those times when we kids would to be perpetually hungry and after every hour or so we would walk into the kitchen with a "Khide peyeche" announcement.

While we were indulged on most times, it would be a no show if the time was closer to a meal time like lunch or dinner.
So my Mejo kakima came up with this potent medicine of "Dudh kola muri debo?".
The thought of a bowlful of soggy, puffed rice mashed with banana and milk would successfully douse those whimsical hunger pangs that the aromas from the kitchen had brought about.
And with a hasty "We will wait for lunch / dinner", we would disappear.

I remember one such time when Boro mashi, Ma's eldest sister, was visiting.
Mashi worked as a teacher in govt. schools and had just become Principal and was posted in a school at a nearby district. Since it was summer vacation, she and her daughter were spending a few days with us.

Mashi visiting us meant fun in all ways. She would hold quiz contests, grill us on general knowledge, give us math quizzes to solve, hold competitions complete with prizes ... and so on.
And the best part was getting to eat the food she cooked.
Boro Mashi had magic in her hands.

She could make a light, plain dal seem heavenly.
She could make a plain roti interesting.
She could make the fussiest kid eat up without a peep.
And she was a wizard at making achars.
A dash of this, a handful of that, a little chopping here, a quick beat of hands there ..... watching mashi in the kitchen was mesmerising.
Matronly, with a warm smile on and a solution to any problem always, she was one person I looked up to.

It was on that visit that Mashi had made this Muga dali pitha.
She had sat us kids down with a bunch of questions to solve and had disappeared into the kitchen.
We could hear her chatting with Ma and in a while,  this beautiful, warm, sweet aroma drifted out of the kitchen a spread all over the house .... making its way towards us in the drawing room.
We started getting fidgety but were warned against getting up and going to the kitchen.
Bapi had returned by then and the evening tea was just being served.
And Mashi walked in with a plate full of fragrant, hot pithas.

And what pithas they were!
Crisp on the sides, the sweetness of the jaggery mixed with the fragrance of coconut ... it smelt of something that can be only divine.
They were just fried and out of the pan and still very hot.
We savoured each bite, experiencing different flavours everytime ... the sting of black pepper, the bite of small pieces of coconut, the sweetness of a fennel seed .....

Jaggery and coconut are an integral part of Odia pithas.
And are usually paired with crushed black pepper and fennel seeds.
And the body is usually of dals / lentils or rice powder.
Fried, steamed, roasted ... made in different ways for different occasions.

Yesterday, a few of my friends had come over to visit and brought me a load of cooked food so that I could rest and not have to cook for a couple of days at least.
I was touched but not surprised.
All through the years, every time I have fallen ill .... and god knows when I fall ill it has always been a lengthy affair, sometimes stretching to almost a year .... it has been these friends who have been my rock; my support; my pillars.
I was so happy to see them that I wanted to make something for them that would be quick.

I had boiled moong dal in the fridge for dal tadka .... so decided to make this pitha for them.
I had grated coconut in the freezer too.
So all I had to do was to make a mix and fry them.
My friends joined in too and soon we were all in the kitchen .... chatting, laughing, frying the pithas and eating them right there ... straight off the pan .... breaking each one, blowing on the pieces to cool  and sharing with one another.
We made some ginger tea too and while it rained on outside, I basked in the warmth inside, feeling cozy and loved.

Now for the recipe of the Muga dali pitha or Moog daler pithe -

Need :

Whole green moong dal - 2 tea cups, boiled with a pinch of salt
Gur / Jaggery - according to your taste for sweetness (I used granules )
Maida / APF - 2 tbsp
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Elaichi / Cardamom seeds - crushed
Black pepper - crushed
Mouri / Fennel seeds - crushed
Grated coconut - 1 tea cup
Water - a little to make the batter
Cooking oil - as you require
Ghee - half of the amount of cooking oil (optional)

There is no perfect measurement for the ingredients ... you will have to decide according to the thickness of the batter, the sweetness you want, whether you want to pan fry or deep fry ... etc. etc.


How to :

Mix everything except the oil and ghee and make a thick batter.

Heat a heavy pan or a tawa.

Add a oil + ghee in equal quantity.

When hot, pour in spoonfuls of the batter to make thick pancakes.

Fry the pithas, first covered and then uncovered, on both sides, till they turn brown.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Enjoy !!

Chanar Jilipi / Chena jilapi / Syrup soaked cottage cheese circles

My feet are itching to set off on the road again. My heart is restless and is longing for new visions.
Not goal visions; visual visions.
Like looking out of the window and seeing the countryside fly by. It can be a window of a train or the car ... I don't care much for flights because there is no countryside to look out at, but right now a flight will do very well too.
I just need to get out.

Last year was a whirlwind .... full of travels.
Even before we had emptied our suitcases, we were off again.
So much so that I had no time to update my travel blog, much as I wanted to.
January had started with Hampi and Bangalore, which we did by road and had way too much fun, then Rajasthan just a day after we reached back, which was by train, in
March we were in Mahabaleshwar, by road, Jaipur again in May, by flight,
July in Lonavla and September and October in the US of A, which included Miami, Florida and Disneyland, Orlando too.
Phew!!
I do have a very sincere intention of updating Country Roads with these trips, but not before I wade through the hundreds of photographs and select a few.

The weather, in Pune right now, is fabulous and it would be criminal if not soaked in.
A thought we are taking very seriously.
So we are going out, visiting exhibitions, sales, music programmes and sometimes eating out too.
We have drastically cut down on our eating out ... but do visit our old favourites once in a while.
Where we know the food ... read quality ... is good and the service polite and warm.
Umpteen number of eateries have sprung up in Pune in the past few years but quality is one thing that helps us decide which to try and which not to.
Most places will start of well and then quickly deteriorate in quality .... so we strike it off after two or three visits.
Others will start off weak, but gain momentum and realise the importance of the quality of food.

Besides, both of us love home cooked food and very very simple food. If you read my recipes or have tried them out, you will know just how light my cooking is.
And both of us love our food that way.
Give B a dal and rotis and he is the happiest person in the world.
Give me a dal with rice and I am happy.
Give me a light bhaja along with it and I am the happiest girl around.

So when I turned a year older a few days back, B wanted to go out for lunch.
And had been trying select a good place for lunch or dinner.
I, on the other hand, was not being helpful.
Because I did not want to eat out.
A plate of dal, bhaat and begun bhaja was calling out to me in my mind.
I was missing home, my family and the numerous phone calls did not help.
So, when it was late noon, I told B to give up searching.
And set off into the kitchen to cook. That is where I find solace.
So cooked a full meal of dal, roti and sabzi for B and a Chicken curry and Mishti bhaat / Polau for myself.
Indulged myself with a few aloo bhaja too.
There was Tomato Khejurer chaatni in the fridge.

And all these made a happy plateful( here is a shot) for me.

And I made Chanar Jilipi.
Or Chenna jalebis. Or Chenna jilapi ( in Odia ).
Or sweets made from fresh cottage cheese.
Call them by any name you want to.
I have been wanting to try my hand at making these for a while now.
And it was such a soul satisfying job .... by the time I finished and stepped out of the kitchen, I was smiling.

These light, soft, delicate, syrup soaked roundels of sweetness are pretty easy to make.
All you need to do is handle them with care.



Need :

Milk - 1 litre
Juice of lemon - 2 tbsp (or more if you need )
Fine semolina / sooji - 1 tbsp
Maida / APF - 1 tbsp ( a little more if you feel the jilipis break when forming )
Sugar - 1 coffee cupful
Water - 3 coffee cupfuls
Green cardamom - 3, crushed and powdered
Cooking oil - 5 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp

 How to :

Boil milk.

Add the lemon juice to curdle and make the chana / chenna / cottage cheese.

Strain well. Keep it in the strainer or hang it in a muslin cloth to drain the water well.
But don't make it too dry. It should have some water left in it.

Heat the water and sugar in a heavy pan till sugar dissolves and the water comes to a boil.

After an hour, knead the chana with the semolina and maida till very soft and light.

Add the powdered cardamom and mix well.

Take small balls out of the kneaded chana and roll on a flat plate to make a thick, longish shape.
You can use a little ghee in your hands and on the plate so that the balls do not stick.

Gently twist the long shape into a circle.

Heat the oil + ghee in a heavy, flat bottomed pan.

When hot, gently let in the chana circles into it.

Fry one side till brown and then gently turn it over.

Remove carefully and let into the sugar syrup.

Soak well for a good two or three hours before serving.

 

Wish you all a very happy spring!

Go out, enjoy the sun, the breeze, the flowers and be alive!!

Enjoy !!!

Jaggery and Coconut stuffed sweet Paniyarams or Appes

"How many recipes do you have on your blog?"
"Around 300, maybe."
"When do you plan to cross 500 and more?"

We had just returned from my home, after that life shattering time.
It was not even a month , I would guess.
And that was B, asking me about my blog.
I gave him an incredulous look. Was he joking?
My blog is the last thing on my mind then. In fact I had forgotten that it even existed ... like a lot of other things ... then. The shock and trauma had hit me hard and I was having trouble sleeping, thinking, remembering .... all in all being a normal human being.

And he is asking about my blog?!
Recipes?!
I could not even cook a decent meal then. I had forgotten how to cook too.
I would stand in front of the stove and stare ahead blankly. I would hold a vegetable in my hand and had no idea what to do with it.
And he is asking me write recipes?!

What I did not realise then was that it was one of B's numerous tries to bring me about.
He had thought that maybe doing what I loved doing most would at least give me and my heart some respite from the tormenting memories and pain.

And it worked ... albeit with a little time.
He kept asking me for this sabzi or that dal ... and I would go to the kitchen like a zombie and churn out the food.
But slowly I started to get into the mode of thinking. Thinking of what to cook, three times daily.
One day I even took out the camera and clicked some pictures.
Made some soups. Took out the tiles that I had bought when my kitchen was being done ... to photograph.
And slowly these efforts made their way back into my blog.

But the one thing that struck me is that I could not make tea anymore! 
Even today, the tea I make is just not edible, or drinkable, or even tolerable.
I have no idea how or why this happened .... but I cannot make a good tea anymore!
Life! And its strange ways indeed!

I made these Appes or sweet Paniyarams during sankaranti.

There is something about coconut and jaggery that fascinates me.
Mixed together, along with the infusion of the very heady green cardamom, it takes you on a whirlwind tour from temples and their prasads  .... to the kitchens of your childhood where the women of the family doled out pithes or just the narkel nadu ( coconut laddoos ).

I love the smell of jaggery and coconut being cooked together ... especially if with ghee. And sometimes, I add a good amount of freshly pounded black peppercorns.
The taste ... ah! another story altogether.
Most often I use this as a filling for the patishapta, or the bhapa pithe. 

I had the idli batter and some pur ready in the fridge .... so decided to make these Paniyarams or Appes.
I love the crisp covering they get when frying in the appe pan. Also, they require very little oil or ghee. Hence guilt free too. 

Need :


The batter - ( find the recipe here ). It should be of free flowing consistency but not very watery.
The filling or the pur - ( find the recipe here )
A little oil or ghee

How to :

Heat an Appe pan like the one below.

Brush it with a little oil or ghee.

Pour in the batter till half full.

Place a little of the filling in it and cover with some more batter.

Cover and cook for around five minutes, on low heat.

Remove cover and flip them over.
Cook for five more minutes or till they turn golden brown and crisp, uncovered.

These can be served hot or warm.
Or at room temperature too.

But during winters, it is best to enjoy them hot.
That way, the crisp outside and the soft fragrant filling combine to give it a unique taste altogether.

I was making these in the kitchen while Mummy sat in my little kitchen chair with wheels, chatting. Papa dragged in a dining chair and B perched on the counter top.
And we chomped on these crisp appes hot out of the pan, with steaming cups of tea made by B, on a chilly winter evening.

There is a savoury version of this too, that I make often for breakfast.
Will make a post on that too ... soon I hope.

Take care folks.
And enjoy!!

Rosh Bora / Lentil dumplings in Sugar syrup

 

 This is a quick post. And a long pending one.
Having risen early today, I am indulging in some quiet time after what seems like ages.
I am not pushing myself to start the washing machine, walk into the kitchen to put the water for tea on, go to my favourite room for dumping and start working on the dry clothes from yesterday ... sorting for laundry, folding, arranging them in their alotted rooms.
And most importantly, I am not thinking of breakfast.


No.
I am sitting in my favourite chair by the bay window ... I have opened it to feel the slight cold that still lingers in the morning air ... and just looking out.
Soaking in the morning quiet.
I do not feel like reading too, this morning. I am even ignoring the new book by Jeffery Archer .... yes, I finally bought it ... lying on the center table.

I look out, eyes scanning the tree tops and the land on the hills far away.
Just last evening we had seen a huge fire there .... so strong and so bright that we could easily make out the red, orange and then the yellow of it ... showing the intensity.
It is a regular phenomenon here ... I have been seeing it ever since we have come to this flat.
We assume it is either wild fire that the dry grass and plants easily catch. But another reason can be the ritual that the farmers of sugarcane fields follow .... after a harvest, they burn the whole field to get rid of any pests or rodents that might stay to enjoy the sweet sugarcanes.

Whatever it might be, we have a beautiful view of the fire. It starts, rises and spreads to the adjoining hills. And looks like a big, orange  garland that goes up and down and around the hill tops.

Now, as I look at the hills, there hangs a light fog. There is no trace of the wild dance of destruction that they had seen the earlier evening.
My trance is disturbed by a quick movement below in the garden ... a bird darting from one tree to another.
The Koyel.
We have lots of them here. The poor thing is a shy bird.
And since the highrises are much above the trees, we get to see them below us. Which I am sure gives them a lot of stress ... to stay hidden all the time.
To get from one tree to another, they have to fly as fast as they can to get away from being in the open ... aznd settle down inside the branches with, I am sure , a sigh of relief.
The poor dears.

Among all this I remember I have some photos ready to be posted.
So get my laptop and start typing away.
And that is all that blabber you have been reading till now .... if at all you have been patient enough to. :-)

But I will get to the recipe now.
I had made this Rosh Bora during Diwali. With my hand and shoulder slowing recovering, I could not resist the temptation to make a few sweet and savoury snacks this time.
Made everything in less quantities but clicked some hurried photos, hoping to post them on Kichu Khonn.
Who knows when I'll be able to make some again.

Need :

Urad dal batter - around 1 cup (soak for 2 hours and grind the urad dal to a paste )
Grated fresh coconut - ½ cup
Whole Black peppercorns - ¼ tsp , lightly crushed
Green cardamom - 2 pieces
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1 and a ½ cup
Oil - to deep fry

How to :


To make the Sugar syrup :-

Take a deep pan and put in the water and the sugar and keep on low heat till it starts boiling.
Crush the green cardamoms and add in.
Keep stirring and boiling till the sugar dissolves and the syrups cooks well .... say around for 5 minutes after the sugar dissolves.
You do not need to thicken the syrup.

To make the Boras / dumplings :-

Beat the Urad dal batter with a fork to make the batter a little fluffy and incorporate some air into it.
If you want to, you can add a pinch of baking powder ... I did not.
Add the coconut and the crushed black peppercorns.

Heat enough oil in a deep kadahi.
Scoop out small balls of the batter and drop them carefully into the oil.
I cannot make perfect balls ... I use a spoon to pick up and drop the batter .... hence the imperfect shapes. :-)
Keep the heat on low and fry them till golden brown in colour.

Dunk them into the warm sugar syrup and let them soak in for a while.

This is one of my very few favourite sweets .... though I do not make it very often.

You can serve them both warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!!

Puli Pithey / Coconut stuffed Rice dumplings in milk

 Much as I want to post regularly, things seem to keep getting out of hand.

I am appalled at the way my time management has gone out of the window ; or the door or my balcony.

All I know is it is not where I left it last.

Nothing seems to be in my control any more. Am so tempted to write 'no more' here!
See ... that's how much I have changed. :-|

It has taken me a lot of time to get back my kitchen.

Now that it is behaving and happily churning out simple, daily dishes, I thought I'd get started with the blog.

For that one needs to click photos.

How else am I to serve what I've cooked ... albeit virtually?!

It is another thing that I still use my photos as proof ... to prove my cooking and photographing ability ...

... to myself.

And now, after all that storing of photographs, storing of recipes in my mind ...

... when I finally start posting again ... I find myself at a dead end.

Complete lack of zeal.

To write. To upload. To arrange.

To make a post on this hugely simply laid out blog seems an effort.

Why am I writing this here ... of all things??

Well ... see ... because I just don't know what to write.

I just wish I can ... again.

Till then ... dear readers ... I guess you'll have to put up with this nonsense.

I know all of you love me; love Kichu Khonn.

But I also know that I'm asking for too much. :-)

 So, while still a lot of photographs languish in my folders, I'll just get over with this post of Puli Pithe.

I recently made these and want to share with you all ... before winter passes by.

Actually, I'd amde a post on this long, long back.

When I was a new blogger and a new cook.

When I was new to photography ... especially food photography.

So new that I could not give the pulis their authentic shape. So had made them in rounds.

But I call myself an expert now ... at least in the kitchen.

It is another thing that all I can cook up is homely food ... nothing exotic, nothing glamorous.
I mean ... not even the most glamorous of evening wear is going to successfully clothe my dishes
and make a plate look like a ... say ... beauty queen.
You can still see that lone black pepper or the jeera
or the colour of just how much frying have my onions gone through.
Nah ... no red carpet for my plain Jane dishes.

And it is another thing that I have not gone beyond a few pithes when it comes to traditional cooking.

But let us not dwell on that.

Especially when I have dished out these lovelies for you. :-)

And this time ... in all their traditional shape and glory.

For the recipe, I'd still send you to my old post.

Where I was enthusiastic enough to click a few steps of the process too.

And if you still can't make these beautiful moon shaped pithes, worry not.

You can make them round .. and they'd still be a winner.

And so will you be.

Serve warm or cold.
Enjoy!
And stay warm ... winter will soon begone. :-)

Ranga Alur Pithe or Pantua / Coconut stuffed Sweet Potato

Winter.

Holidays!

Pithe!

All three are synonymous to each other.

Pithe.

Traditional sweet or savoury things that are usually made with rice, coconut and jaggery.

Sometimes dals or lentils are used too.

With these few ingredients, some wonderful pithes  are lovingly made 

by the ladies of a house every winter.

The Ranga Alur Pithe or Pantua is one of them.

 During the holidays, Thamma would be extra busy.

Of course she was busy throughout the year ... what with a huge joint family to run.

But during holidays, the house brimmed with people.

Relatives of all relations ... kakimas' brothers with their families or 

Jethima's sister with her two sons. 

Or my mashis with their brood.

The house would be overflowing with people. Almost like a wedding is on.

Everyday was a celebration.

All through the day one would get hear all kinds of voices.

A mother's high pitched voice calling out to her children, ladies chattering with a lot of laughter, childern screaming out in warning when running pell-mell all across the long verandah.

The house is big. Huge.

Once you cross these sound barriers , you reach another long verandah that houses the bharaar ghor/ the store room.

And the two kitchens.

Two? Yes. One for vegetarian food too.

And from these two rooms came the most wonderful smells in the world.

All kinds of food being cooked.

And among them ... on one side there would be a small unoon/chulha .... that was used to make Pithe.

Amidst everything, Thamma made sure at least one kind of Pithe was on our plates everyday of our holidays.

My mind is a-wandering. 

More later.

I'll put in the recipe now.

To make this pithey, you can start preparing a day or two earlier.

That way you won't feel overwhelmed when you actually start making it.

I usually prepare the coconut stuffing a day or two earlier.

Boil the potatoes too and keep away.

And also the sugar syrup.

So your work gets cut down by half.All you need to do is stuff the pithes, fry and soak in the syrup.

Gets done in a jiffy.

Need: 

Sweet potatoes - I used 2 big sized ones

Maida/apf - 3 tbsp

Grated coconut 

Jaggery

Crushed cardamom / elaichi

Oil to deep fry

How to:

Sugar syrup - Boil one and a half cups of sugar in 2 cups of water till dissolved well

(No need for any thread consistency ... just thin syrup will do)

Coconut stuffing - Melt jaggery with a little water in a pan.

Add the coconut and the cardamom powder and cook well till dryish.

Remove and cool.

Pithe / Pantua -

Peel and mash the sweet potato with the maida.

Make medium sized balls, flatten on palm and stuff with a little coconut stuffing.

Cover and roll on palm to make a smooth elongated shape.

Wet your fingers with water if needed.

Heat enough oil in a deep kadahi.

Slowly let in the pithes and fry on low flame till brown.

Remove and soak in the sugar syrup.

PS: If you have made the syrup a day earlier, reheat it before soaking the pithes.

Leave them for a while to soak up the syrup well.

Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Click here for the list of  Pithe / Pitha on my blog

Pithe for Makar Sankaranti

Wishing you a happy and fruitful Makar Sankaranti!!

Could make a little Pithe on this auspicious day.
So am sharing them with you on this harvest festival.

The recipe for Dudh Puli is here ... posted a long time back.

Don't go by the snaps ... it tastes awesome.

Will be updating with the new snaps I have taken today. :-)

The other one is Ranga Aloo'r Pantua/pithe.

Will be sharing the recipe in my next post.

Good wishes, everyone!

Murir Moa / Sweetened Puffed Rice Laddoos

 Shubho Bijoya!!

After a long time, I was home for Durga Pujo.

Much as I had a wonderful time enjoying the familiar sights, smells and catching up on a lot that I had missed out on the last few years on Pujo,

I was equally disheartened to see huge changes.

The place of my childhood had changed. So have the people.

And the way of life.

To me ... everything.

Tried my best to find some semblance to my childhood ... guess I was wrong to do that.

I was only disappointed.

On the brighter side, I got to meet a lot of friends that I had lost touch with.

And many relatives I hadn't seen for a longish time.

Also, being and adult during Pujo has its advantages.

You can sit at the pujo bari the whole evening with friends, doing nothing but pure adda, 

catching up, comparing dresses and saris, 

laughing at silly bygone jokes or just pure gossiping .... while the evening stretched into late night.

Nobody will rush you ... that it is getting late ... you have to go home.

Or setting out pandal hopping with friends ... or enjoying street food, 

especially phuchka and jhal muri every single evening.

No ... I don't have much to complain on that.

Just wish that our elders did not age so quickly.

 Now I am back, with a heart full of memories and a phone full of new numbers.

I do not get to make too many things for Bijoya ... a time of celebrating the victory of good over evil.

The reason is Diwali ... which is always just round the corner.

It is for Diwali that I make all the goodies.

But this time I could not resist making a few things.

Maybe it is the visit home that made me crave for all things associated with my childhood.

So was very tempted at trying to make the Muri(puffed rice)r Moa. 

Dida always used to make the best murir moas.

While mine turned out perfect in taste, I failed miserably in making them as perfect rounds.

My hand too is partly to blame.

But am not complaining.

Making them is no joke ... so am glad I tried at least once.

Need

Puffed rice - 2 cupfuls

Jaggery  - a little more than 1 cup  ( I used powdered )

Black pepper - 1 tbsp freshly crushed

Coconut - very thinly sliced

Ghee - around 3 tbsp

Water - ½ cup

How to

Heat around 2 tbsp ghee in a thick bottomed pan or kadahi.

Stir fry the coconut slices on low heat till they are crisp and brown.

Remove.

Put in the jaggery and the water into the pan and keep boiling till the jaggery is completely dissolved and the water starts to dry up.

Wait till it becomes thickish ... then add the black pepper powder, 

the coconut slices and the puffed rice.

Keep tossing and stirring till everything is coated well.

Remove from heat and wait till it cools down halfway.

Now apply some ghee on your palms and take small scoops of the mixture and press with both hands to make round laddoos.

( Remember ... they will not bind if they are too hot or too cold. )

Cool well before storing.

The coconut gives a different feel and is enjoyable when you get a piece in a bite.
And the black pepper gives a beautiful flavour, especially when combined with jaggery.

These stay well for more than a week in airtight jars. 
If you stay in a place that is humid, throw in a few handfuls of plain muri or puffed rice in the jar along with the moas.
It helps to absorb moisture and to keep them crisp.

Enjoy !

Patishapta / Rice crepes with coconut filling

Patishapta! ... the most made Pithe in Bengali homes I guess.

Traditional Patishapta is made with a rice flour batter
and fresh coconuts and jaggery .... all harvested products.
But due to the fast paced life of recent times, it is no longer possible to actually go
through the whole process of cleaning, washing, soaking and grinding rice to make a fresh powder.
And then use that powder to make a batter.
So, many people make it with a batter of maida and sooji ,
a quicker version of the original, traditional way.

I usually do not make this frequently ... my favourite pithe is the Poda pithe.
But come winter, every Bengali has to taste the Patishapta once.

When made or had with fresh date palm jaggery, the Patishapta
evokes wonderful memories of childhood
in every Bengali.

With visions of our grandmothers making it on a chulha on cold winter evenings
and us children sitting around it,
savouring the soft, hot patishapta with jaggery oozing out of it,in the warmth of the hot unoon,
knocking on our hearts,
we try to recreate the same taste and memories in our own kitchens
with inept hands.

I am still not into complex cooking yet and would not have made this right now either ...

was happy just watching this wonderful sweet
all over Bong blogosphere ...
but for a reader who requested me for the recipe.

So went ahead and made it.
Thanks to esskay we did get to enjoy the patishapta this winter.

I made it the traditional way ... but added some lentils (urid dal) to
the batter to give the crepes a little softness ...
I have noticed that the only rice batter
tends to make the crepes
slightly dryish.

I have also added a very,very, very small pinch of salt
to the batter ...
to complement the sweet filling.

One tip I'd like to share ...
the first and second crepes will turn out slightly thicker and not very perfect.
But as you keep making them, they will turn out better and better.
And keep the batter thin ... helps in spreading.
And also brings out crisp sides.

Do use a well seasoned, cast iron tawa.
If you want to use a non stick tawa, make sure you add just a few drops of oil and smear it well all over.
Use a wet cloth to smear the oil.
And heat the tawa well ... but on a low flame.
Patience is the key here.

Also, I never try to make it at one go ... or in one day.
A little preparation done earlier helps hugely here.
For example ... I make the coconut filling on one day and store it in the fridge.
I soak the rice and dal overnight ( do not keep it in the fridge ).
And grind it on the next day.
Then keep it in the fridge till I need it ... that way it soaks well.
And all I need to do is heat the tawa and make the pithes whenever I want to.


Need :

For the pur / filling

Freshly grated coconut - 1 cup
Jaggery (I used granules) - around 1 cup
Elaichi / Green cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Water - ½ cup


For the Crepes

Rice - 1 and ½ cup
Urid dal - a little less than ¼ cup
Enough water to make a thin batter


How to make :

The Pur / filling

In a deep pan, put the water and the jaggery together and let it come to a boil.
When the jaggery melts completely, remove and strain it to remove any impurities.
Put it back into the pan and add the coconut.
Keep stirring.
Add the elaichi powder and keep stirring till the mixture turns dryish.

The crepes :

Soak the rice and dal together for around 2 hours ...  the more, the better.
Grind into a smooth batter, adding water if needed.
Add water to make a very thin,
free flowing batter.
( If you let the batter sit for a day, the crepes turn out even better. )

Heat a little oil on a non stick tawa / griddle.
If using a cast iron tawa, heat it well first.
Then smear a good amount of oil on it and heat it again.
Now wipe off the oil with a wet cloth.
Add a little oil again and smear it well and then wipe it off again, with a wet cloth.

Now pour a ladleful of batter on the tawa and spread it to make a thin round.
I cannot do it with the ladle ...
so pick up and turn the tawa in a circle ...
works for me. :-)
Let it cook for a while.

(This was the first one ... so is slightly thick.)

It should leave the bottom of the tawa easily when done.

Place some of the filling in the middle of the crepe.

Roll the crepe on the filling from both sides to cover it.

Remove from the tawa.

See the fluffy soft crepes? The texture was perfect!

A closer look.

I have noticed that if you use maida, it does turn a little tough when cool.

But the rice flour ones stay soft enough
to be easily cut with a spoon.

Make sure to smear the tawa with a little oil and heat it well before adding another spoonful of batter.

These fluffy white blankets of sweet are best served with some

date palm jaggery or Nolen gur
poured over them.
Or sweet, thickened milk.

I'm not so lucky .... so enjoyed them as is.

Enjoy !!

Some wonderful varities of the Patishapta on blogosphere

Sandeepa's Patishapta ...
using Maida, Khoya & Semolina ...
and a beautiful write ...
miss ya Bong mom ... come back soon.

Jaya's Patishapta ...
she has 3 different ways of making the batter and a huge info on the sweet.

Sayantani's Patishapta ...
using maida, semolina & khoya too ...
and has a wonderful writeup on Poush Parbon.

Other Pithes on Kichu Khon

Arisa Pithe

Poda Pithe

Puli Pithe

Monda Pitha

Lauki ka Halwa / Sweet dish made with Bottle Gourd

Halwa is basically a sweet dish made either from grains, flours, vegetables or fruits along with milk or condensed milk and sugar as its main ingredients.

I was introduced to the Lauki ka halwa / Doodhi ka halwa ... after I got married. Before that I had no idea what else could be done with the humble lauki other than a curry / torkari or a raita. In fact I wasn't even interested in the vegetable ... and if it was made with shrimps, just picked out the shrimps from the dish and left it alone.



But later I was introduced to North Indian cuisine ... mainly Rajasthani cuisine. And Rajasthanis are known for their love for sweets as much as their love for savoury and deep fried things.

So there I was, just married, ... a Bengali who did not care for sweets at all ... having jalebis for breakfast, halwas at lunch and kheer at dinner.
I can't say if I had more sweets or more savouries then ... all kinds of kachoris and namkeen ... just to get rid of all that sweetness in my throat.



Anyway ... now I know how to make sweet dishes at home.

So when the call from home came on Holi , the question had to come too ... " So what did you make for Holi?"
We were having a very busy time during Holi ... in fact had almost forgotten about it ... leave alone to go the kitchen and cook up sweets.

I had glanced around ... body language you know ... when you are about to fib :-p .... and saw a lauki in the vegetable bowl .... so blurted out "Lauki ka Halwa".
There was a sound of smile in the further conversations and I was relieved.

So set about making the halwa ... can't stay a liar for long. :-)


I make this halwa like the way I make Gajar / Carrot ka Halwa. The best part is the Lauki does not take as much time to cook as the gajar ... so this is quicker ... well ... just a little quicker.



Need :
Lauki / Bottle gourd - 1 medium sized
Milk - around 2 cups ( whole cream milk works best ... but you can use skimmed milk too )
Sugar - around 10 tbsp ( you might need more ... depends on the amount of lauki ... so taste to adjust)
Elaichi / Green Cardamom - 2 whole and 3 powdered
Saffron - a few strands ( optional )
Ghee / Clarified butter - around 1 tbsp ( just enough to toss the lauki in )
Cashewnuts - as per your wish ... whole or broken

How to :

Heat the ghee in a deep pan or a wok / kadahi ... preferably non stick. Stir fry the cashewnuts for a while .... do not brown ... and remove.

In the same ghee, let in the whole elaichi. Then add the grated lauki and stir well.
( You can add a pinch or .... less than ... a pinch of salt ...actually very, very little ... so that the water drains out and the lauki cooks quickly).

Add the milk and let it boil. Remember to keep stirring to avoid it getting burnt at the bottom.

When the lauki is well done and the halwa turns thickish, add the cashewnuts, sugar and the elaichi powder.

It will release water. Let it cook till it has dried up well .... make sure the sides do not burn.



Serve hot or cold.
Enjoy !! :-)

Blogspot is acting crazy ... shows one comment waiting to be moderated ... and yet refuses to display it. This has been going on for the past two days and is driving me bonkers. :-(
Hope this does not go on for long.

Other Halwas on Kichu Khon
Gajar Ka Halwa / Carrot Halwa
Moong Dal Halwa

Roti ke Laddoo

I woke up three days back with a sore throat. And sneezed once. Fear gripped me. Spent some time thinking.
"I think I have got the swine flu" ... I said aloud. No reply from the only other person in the house. I went about with my chores.

Around noon I sneezed ... again.
"I really think I've got the swine flu". The hubby did what he does best ... minding his own bussiness.

I looked around. Every other thing in the house had a look of sympathy on it.

Spent the whole day wondering ... trying to gauge the extent of my 'illness'. It was around late evening when I sneezed again. Three times in one day!! Oh no, no ...

Started to wallow in self pity. "I know I am ill ... but who cares?" " I know I have the swine flu ... I wish I was at home ... at least somebody would know what to do" ... etc. etc.

The husband decided to do something. Asked me to get ready.

"But where are we going?"
"To the hospi".
"Why???!!!"
"Well ... you are ill ... and we need to do something about it."
"But ....".
"Now, no buts ... get ready".
"But, it is evening!"
"So? ... all the hospitals work 24/7".
"But ... ".
"Let's pack some clothes too ... they may want to keep you in isolation".
"What?!!! But don't we need to get the tests done first?"
"Well ... they'll see to everything".
"I don't think my throat hurts thaaaat bad".
"But you are sneezing?"
"No ... nah ... I haven't sneezed since noon".
"Good. It is late anyway ... let's decide tomorrow".

I haven't sneezed since. I think I don't have the swine flu after all.





For those of you wondering about my sensibility, lemme tell you am not foolish. The current state of the city is real bad with the swine flu still very much in action. Every single day there is a report on at least one death here.
Any sane person would be scared.
Now to this simple and easy to make sweet ... the Roti ke Laddoo is a great way to use leftover rotis. Quick to make, it is very tasty. And is a hit with kids.

My mom-in-law makes this for the kids at home. She breaks the roti into small pieces ... but that way too much of ghee is needed to help bind the laddoos. My way spreads the moisture equally and so needs less ghee ... just for the flavour.


Need : Leftover rotis, ghee/ clarified butter, choti elaichi / green cardamom, sugar to taste, dry fruits like cashew, almonds, raisins,etc.

How to : Mix everything together and run through a mixer.

Take out the soggy mix and shape into laddoos.

Done! :-)