Quick recipe - Coconut Barfi!

A very happy Makar Sankranti/Lohri/Pongal to all. Hope everyone is having a great time with family and harvest a lot of happiness for the coming days :)

Today is a quick fix or rather a last minute addition to the Sankranti delicacy platter. Or even if you have prepared nothing as of now, this can be very handy to serve the guests coming over. I always believe nothing can be more welcoming than serving a home made sweet, so this sweet recipe is one of a kind which doesn't need much attention unlike other traditional sweets. Just few minutes and you are done with your part.

During this time - we always have coconut in handy. This is very similar to coconut laddoo but doesn't need that much effort. If you don't have fresh coconut, take dried coconut powder which are easily available in market. So without further ado, will quickly jump into the recipe. 

Process: Take very little ghee in a heavy bottom pan, add a bit of small cardamom/Elaichi powder. As ghee is infused with Elaichi flavor, add fine semolina(sooji) and roast for 3-4 mins. Add scraped or dried coconut, sugar & any dry fruits you have. Keep mixing and cook them for 2-3 mins more. Add condensed milk/milk powder and mix them again. The whole thing will come together and become a lump. Place them in a greased container & let it set. Cut into pieces and serve. This doesn't last that long but can be kept for 3-4 days in refrigerator. Also don't add too much of sugar initially as we have used condensed milk/milk powder. The quantity of semolina will be little more than half of scarped coconut used. This takes about 2-3 hrs to set. 

Enjoy & happy cooking !

Mug Puli (A sweet delicacy made with roasted yellow lentil) ~

This is one of my personal favorites and this Sankranti Week will be incomplete if I don't share this recipe. I make this every year and all my efforts in preparing this seems to be worthy as I take the first bite of it. The crunch you feel as you bite into it and the very next sec you feel the sweet juicy stuffing. Too good to resist!

I feel the tricky part of this recipe is making the outer coating. As usual we will be making a dough but this time it will be made with yellow lentil or Mung/Mug Daal. 

We need:
For dough

• Yellow lentil/ Mug Daal: 1 cup 
• Rice flour: 2-3 tablespoons
• All purpose flour /Maida : 2-3 tablespoons
• A pinch of salt. 

For filling

• Freshly scraped coconut - 1 cup
• Jaggery/Sugar - half a cup
• Small cardamom or Elaichi powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Milk powder (as required)

For syrup

• Jaggery/Sugar -1 cup
• Water 1 cup
• Small cardamom or Elaichi powder - 1/2 teaspoon

For frying

• White oil 

Method:

Step 1:

We will be starting with the filling. If you are using jaggery, then heat jaggery with very little water till it forms a uniform mixture. Strain the mixture to remove impurities and keep aside. Add this jaggery mix or sugar to the scrapped coconut and start heating in a pan over low-med heat. Keep stirring as this will be very sticky. Use a non-stick or heavy bottom pan preferably. Once the whole mix comes together after approx. 6-7 mins, add milk powder to this to absorb excess moisture. We don't want the stuffing to be having too much liquid as this may result in breaking the pulis as we fry them. And we don't want the stuffing to be super dry either, so milk powder will help in keeping this filling moist but less liquidy.As the preparation time of the stuffing will depend on the amount of juice the coconut has oozed out and the quantity of milk powder may vary accordingly. Add Elaichi powder & turn off heat. Transfer to another bowl and let it cool. I skip Elaichi powder if I am using jaggery. I somehow feel Elaichi kind of overpowers the typical aroma of jaggery. This filling is somehow very similar to what we use in Paatishapta. Click here if you want to check that.

Step 2:

As we finish preparing the filling, we will make the syrup. Mix all the syrup ingredients in a sauce pan. Let it boil till the mixture is reduced and becomes thick. We need this warm.

Step 3:

Dry roast Mug daal in a pan till they change colour evenly and gives a nice aroma. Wash and add warm water to it. Cover it and heat on a med flame to make the lentils soft. Add very less water initially, enough to just cover the daal. Keep on checking it & keep warm water handy. Add if required. The purpose of this is - we want to make the daal soft & mushy but not a proper paste with lots of water in it. In that case we will end up adding more of flours which we do not want. We want the outer cover of the pulis to have the taste of daal not of the flours. When the daal is ready, take off - keep aside and let it cool. 

Once the daal is cold enough to work with - mash them a little more with back of a ladle or spoon. Add salt, little bit of both the flours and start kneading. Keep on adding equal quantities of the flours as you knead them to a smooth yet tight roll-able dough.  

Step 4:

As the dough is ready, take small balls out of it and start making a bowl or katori shape by pressing them on the centre with thumb & spreading the sides - similar to what we do for stuffed Parathas/Kachori. Oil your hands if needed. It should not be too thick other wise it won't be cooked properly. By this time, the filling will be cold enough to make balls out of it. Make small balls of size little lesser then the lentil balls. Add the filling ball in to the katori/pocket you created. Fold it nicely to a semi circle & seal everything from sides. You can also use moulds to make this. I prefer moulds, they save a lot of time. Repeat the same process for the rest.

Step 5:

Heat oil in a pan. Test the oil by putting a small piece of dough. It should sizzle and come up immediately. This means the oil is hot enough to seal the Pulis & ensure not to break them. It should not be smoking either. Add the pulis one by one but don't over crowd the pan by adding too many at a time. We don't want to drop the oil temperature & mess everything. Keep the heat on low- medium so that the pulis are cooked nicely. Once fried from both the sides, take them out and put them in the warm syrup for a min or so. Take out and keep in a different bowl. 

Don't dip the pulis in syrup if you are not serving immediately as this will destroy the crunchiness. In that case, keep the fried pulis separate, while serving - just warm the sugar syrup a little and then dip the pulis. The fried Pulis can be easily stored airtight in refrigerator for couple of days.

A not-so-quick but a delightful recipe for sure. 

You can also try making a savoury version of it replacing the coconut stuffing with any vegetable filling & obviously avoiding the sugar syrup. Happy Cooking :)

Nimki (Crispy Crackers) | Namak Paare!

Tea time is incomplete without any salty crispy thing to go with it. The mild sweetness of tea is cut by the salty taste of condiments & kind of neutralizes the taste buds. Today I am sharing another simple recipe which is prominently not a Sankranti recipe but something that can be prepared before and stored to serve along with the sweet delicacies. There is a custom of family & friends get together during this occasion & then adda over a cup of tea. Considering that we prepare more of sweet dishes during this time, a little bit of salty thing along with them will compliment the platter for sure. 

So, Nimki is basically kind of crispy salty crackers prepared with all purpose flour/ Maida. My tip for those who are not fond of Maida -  replace half of the Maida quantity with Rice flour or Wheat flour. I have tried this and can assure that there is not much of difference in taste. It will be still nice and crispy.

So this recipe will make around 20 nos.
We will need:

• Maida (All purpose flour) - 1 cup*
• Semolina/Sooji - 2 tablespoons (Preferably the fine one)**
• White oil - 2 tablespoons
• Salt - 1/2 tablespoon
• Warm water for preparing the dough
• Whole black pepper - 20 nos, (optional)
• White oil for frying

Method:

Mix Maida, Semolina & Salt in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix rubbing with your hands. As you mix, this will turn into a crumbly texture. Add warm water in batches and prepare a nice and smooth dough. Knead it as smooth a possible. The dough should be firm. Give it some resting time of about 10-15 mins.

Once the dough is ready, make equal portions of the dough. Take each part and roll it to a round shape. Fold it to a triangle and seal with a black pepper in the middle. Black pepper is optional here - I like it as it adds little heat & makes it pretty as well. Make sure to prick the Nimki with fork at random places so that the it doesn't puff up like Puris. Once all the Nimkis are ready, heat oil in a pan. Oil should be enough to cover the Nimkis as you fry. The oil temperature is a bit tricky, it should not be too hot otherwise the Nimkis will not be cooked properly & will not be crispy. Test the oil by putting a little dough piece- if it comes up slowly, oil is ready. 

Fry the Nimkis in batches. Don't over crowd your pan with too many at a time - this will lower down the temperature. Fry them on medium heat till they are golden. Remove and place them on paper towel to absorb excess oil. 

* If you are trying for the less Maida version - make it 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup of Wheat flour/Rice flour.

** This is again for making Nimkis crispier. Go for the fine one so that it gets mixed with the flours easily.

Note:

• Don't store them immediately. Let them cool a bit to room temperature and then store in an air tight container. 
• The shape of Nimkis can be changed as per convenience. As we roll the dough to round shapes - we can cut out strips & make small diamond Nimkis out of it.

Patishapta (Sweet, stuffed Pancakes) | Five Variations !

As promised, it's Monday and here I am with a recipe, simple & humble enough to impress anyone. Patishapta, as we call it in Bengali, is nothing but a sweet pancake stuffed with filling preferably prepared with coconut. Out of the many sweet delicacies, this is the one which I believe is prepared in every Bengali household during Sankranti. Probably, this is one of the many dishes which my mom is expert in & I bet no one can stop just eating one.

The ingredients are quite simple. I am personally fond of the coconut & jaggery stuffing. But there can be so many variations in it. You can just go creative and make new version of your own.Sharing some which I believe to be super tasty. So, the disclaimer here - it IS a lengthy post :)

Step 1: Prepare the pancake batter!
We need:

• All purpose flour/Maida 
• Rice Flour
• Semolina/Sooji/Rawa
• Milk
• Sugar
• Salt
• Baking Powder

Although the process is simple but it is tricky at the same time. If the batter is not proper, the pancakes can't be folded. The key to the perfect Patishapta is undoubtedly perfect batter. So, start by dumping everything on a large sieve. Add Maida & Rice flour in 1:1 ratio. If you take 1 cup Maida then add half a cup of Semolina & half a cup of sugar. Here we won't be adding that much of sugar & don't want this to be too sweet as these are going to be stuffed with much sweeter filling. Also more of sugar will make the pancakes difficult to fold in as they will stick to the tawa. So, the quantity of sugar here can be reduced as per the taste. Add a pinch of salt and 1 tea-spoon of Baking powder. Sieve everything properly on a large bowl. Now add milk slowly in it - not necessarily full fat. Simultaneously keep mixing the batter so as not to form any lump. The batter should be flowing consistency, not too thick not too liquid. And we are done with Step 1.

Step 2: Prepare the filling!

So, here are some options of filling that goes very well with it. Whichever option you try just try keeping the filling dry but moist.

1. Coconut & Jaggery

• Grated Coconut
• Jaggery - The one which is made from Dates (Khejur er Gur)
• Ghee (optional)

Start by melting the jaggery. Mix equal quantities of jaggery and water and start boiling it. Keep breaking the jaggery pieces as it boils until the whole mixture is liquid. Sieve the mixture to get rid of impurities. Be careful as the mixture will be too hot. Keep aside. 

In a pan, add grated coconut and jaggery mix. Adjust the quantity of jaggery as per your taste. Start heating the pan. At this stage, you can add a small quantity of ghee to make it non-sticky but that's optional. However, the coconut will start giving up oil as the mixture heats up. Keep stiring on low heat until the whole thing comes together and becomes a sticky mix. Transfer the mixture in a bowl & let it cool.

2. Kheer & Dry Fruits

• Milk/Condensed milk/Milk Solids or Mawa
• Sugar
• Dry fruits of choice
• Small Cardamom Powder (Elaichi)

Chop the dry fruits into smaller pieces or put everything in a grinder for a min to get a coarse but small pieces. Here if you are starting with plain milk, start boiling it in a pan & keep it on low flame. Keep stiring until it gets reduced to 1/4th of the quantity. Here condensed milk or Mawa comes handy & you can save quite a lot of time & effort. Once the milk is ready, add sugar as per taste, half a tea-spoon of Elaichi powder & dry fruits mix. Once sugar melts & everything comes together, remove it from heat & allow to cool. Make sure to transfer to a bowl to avoid burning the mixture.

3. Carrot

• Grated Carrot
• Milk solids (Mawa)
• Sugar
• Ghee
• Small Cardamom Powder (Elaichi)

Heat a tablespoon of Ghee in a pan. Add little Elaichi powder to infuse the flavour. Add grated carrot, sugar, Mawa. Mix until the mawa & sugar melts. Everything will come together and will not be sticking to the pan. Keep aside, cool. If you don't get Mawa, substitute with milk powder. In this case, lessen the amount of sugar.

4. Coconut & Sugar

• Grated Coconut
• Sugar
• Small Cardamom Powder (Elaichi) for flavouring.

This is the easiest. Mix everything in a pan. Heat until the mix is sticky and comes together.

5. Choco-Coco

• Grated Coconut
• Grated Chocolate/Coco powder
• Milk - a little
• Sugar

This is by far a different variation. Avoid sugar if using sweetened chocolate. 

Mix everything, heat and follow the same process.

Step 3: Assemble!

• Non-stick Tawa
• White oil or ghee
• Tissue paper
• Ladle & Spatula

Heat a Non-stick tawa. Put a tablespoon of white oil/ghee and spread it properly. Sprinkle some water and wipe out the excess oil with tissue paper. Mix the batter again and put a ladle full of it on the pan. Spread it. This should not be necessarily round but spread as much possible. Let it cook on medium flame. As it cooks, you will see round hollow spots on it - this is the time you should be adding the filling. Put a spoon full of filling on one side of the pancake and start rolling it over. Flatten it with a spatula and cook on both the sides. You can keep on adding little bit of ghee or oil from sides if needed but don't overdo it. Oiling the Tawa is not needed every time, may be after two-three pancakes and repeat the same step of sprinkling water & wiping off oil.

So, this was my take on one of the traditional Sankranti recipes, I hope you like it!
Do let me know in comments. Stay tuned for more :)

Chopsticks !: Sankranti Week !

Chopsticks !: Sankranti Week !: 2 years- that I posted anything here! If I look back - it seems like an era. Life was simple, simpler were my posts with low quality mobi...

Sankranti Week !

2 years- that I posted anything here! If I look back - it seems like an era. Life was simple, simpler were my posts with low quality mobile photographs. Not that I was a regular blogger but it is always a good feeling to resume something that we had stopped doing long back & start off that thing again which we so much love to do with more zeal & freshness. So, here I am again :)

P.S. I still capture photos with my mobile & cannot guarantee high quality posts either. So, please bear with that :)

There have been quite a lot of writing and then backspacing to decide what I can post. As I was conversing over phone with my Maa the other day & describing the massive Radish that I had brought from market - she instantly reminded me that I have to finish that off before Friday i.e. 15th Jan no matter how massive it is. As Friday being Sankranti and apparently we CANNOT eat Radish after that in Maagh Mash. Well that's my mom - a custom is a custom, should be followed no matter what. Anyways, so the point is all I could note that Makar Sankranti was nearby and that word itself brings a bundle of recipes in my mind & leaves me drooling, 

For those who don't know what Makar Sankranti is - Its basically a harvest festival and is celebrated mostly in all parts of India in different ways, also known by different names. It also marks the arrival of Spring. As it is a harvest festival - almost all the delicacies are prepared with Rice or Rice flour. Going back to my roots in Assam and Bengal - the first thing that comes to my mind is the typical sound in those silent wintry afternoons that we heard when women used the traditional wooden mortar to beat rice into powder. This marked the onset Sankranti & was so popular in our colony, which was a blend of Assamese & Bengali families. 

Not sure if this is still done in this traditional way considering that we have many easy handy gadgets now to grind rice. This powdered rice is then used to prepare all the delicacies both savoury and sweet. Jaggery (Notun Gur) is another mostly used ingredient in these recipes that has a warm and earthy aroma. Traditionally, women in the family used to sit around the Chulah  & make those pitha & payesh. Since it was winter, this was quite a comforting activity & the food although being rich was easily digestible.

So, I have decided to bring a new post everyday till Friday with a new Sankranti (Pitha-Payesh) recipe. Keeping in mind that we are all busy & don't have that much expertise like our moms - will be trying to keep everything very simple and easy-to-make with little bit of easy hacks which  I have learnt while making them. So, stay tuned :)