Nolen Gurer Sandesh

We are approaching to the end of this year 2013. Everyone is in Happy Holidays mood. Many of you must have brought new Christmas trees to your home, decorated the trees with beautiful ornaments and lightings or the old boxed artificial Christmas trees might have been out from the closet to your living room by now and rejuvenated by the lovely touch and design of your family members. Out hearts glow with the Glitter Sequin Buck Christmas Decor, colorful wreaths, or illuminated candy canes. We have started shopping for gifting something special for all special members of our family or friends on this special auspicious occasion. The end of a year marks the fresh start of a new year, new resolution, new hopes, and new aspirations. To celebrate the special occasion we will always indulge into sweet treats from cakes, pies, cookies, ginger breads to custard, chocolates and Indian savory sweets.

This time in India specially in Bengal we devour into special date/palm molasses. The sweets made from this molasses are super tasty and the smell is awestruck. If you have any sweet from rasogolla to sandesh from this nolen gurh (date molasses), you can't stop to smack your lips. I love the local market where small vendors sell the molasses in earthen pots and the the smell of aromatic jaggery/gurh/molasses spreads all around. Once I visited Diamond Harbor.There I saw how a person was making molasses from the syrup collected from a date tree. The date syrup is collected very early morning from the top of a date tree and then the syrup is boiled and processed for a long time to make the molasses. But the authenticity and the scent can not be compared with any other item.

To keep the tradition of our originality of winter I prefer to make Nalen gurer sondesh or sweet made from date molasses. I often buy date molasses from Bangladeshi store. But this item is not available in all parts of the world. So I thought of making it this time without the date molasses. Believe me friends, the taste really does not vary much. I have made it with date molasses and also without it, the taste really does not differ a lot. So people who are not getting date molasses can confidently substitute it with brown sugar. Let me share the recipe below:


Ingredients:

1. Ricotta cheese: 2 lb or 1 Kg
2. Khoya: 341 gms
3. Brown sugar: 1 lb
or Date molasses: 1/2lb

Steps:

1. Shred the khoya block to get crumbled khoya.
2. Grease a deep and heavy bottomed  pan with clarified butter or ghee. Put it on heat.
3. Add ricotta cheese on the pan. Who does not have access to ricotta cheese they can make it from home made cottage cheese or chhana. After making the cottage cheese, strain the sour water from it by washing it with cold water once or twice and then strain the water with a cheese cloth.
4. When the ricotta cheese melts in the pan, add the shredded khoya to the pan. Stir it well.
5. You need to keep stirring for long untill they mix it well and starts drying up. You need to ensure that it never sticks to the bottom. So you need to be patient for some time. I have cooked it on medium heat.
6. Add brown sugar or date molasses to the pan now and mix it very well. It will again add some liquid to the pan. You need to continuously stir and mix it well with ricotta cheese and khoya until it dries up. When you see that it has dried up and no liquid is left, and you think that you can form sondesh from it, switch the heat off. 
7. Cool the mix for 5 minutes. Grease your mold with butter or ghee. I recently bought some silicon molds online. I love them. Now take a 1 tablespoon of mix from the pan and put it in the mold. Press the mix lightly to the mold so that mixture gets the print and shape of the mold. Then take the mold off the mixture slowly. Repeat the procedure until the whole mixture is exhausted. If you don't have mold, just use your hand to form a flat ball. You can garnish the balls with raisin or cashew nut.
8. Refrigerate for couple of hours and you can start eating right away. The left over can be stored in refrigerator for some days until they are over.

Your sondesh is ready to serve.

Enjoy!!!!!!

Chicken 65

Severe snow storm warning from weather forecast department on a weekend is depressing specially when someone doesn't get to go outside other than a week end. Also sever snow might lead to power cut for indefinite period. Still I can remember powerless 5 freezing days of snow in Massachusetts. We were really helpless when our oven did not work because of no power at home, restaurants were closed for power failure. Although offices were closed due to lack of power but who can enjoy such forceful vacation without food and warmth (heater off due to power failure) at home. Everyday we were having candle light breakfast to dinner with bread, butter and some fruits. Finally, last two days one of our friends gave us shelter in their home.They were lucky to have power at their home as the electric wire in that place is not over head but underground. We had a gala time with another friends family staying there, too. We had a feast there with khichuri (hotchpotch), omelet, beguni, or dimer jhol ar bhat (egg curry and rice) and full masti with lots of adda. This snow-storm warning made me remember those days.

Mid -Central America and southern part received untimely snow attack yesterday. One of my friend from that area has shared her thought in facebook.  Since they don't get much snow in that area this snow storm has made them happy and she is rejoicing it with good home made food. Although she is on a strict diet, she is going to skip it for celebrating the white fluffy fortune. That's the spirit. Way to go girl!!!
Now to get our life rolling we should make some good food. On a rainy day like this let us spice our evening up little with our favorite snack or starter item Chicken 65. Most of us always have it in a restaurant here served  in a lunch buffet or order as a starter item in the dinner plate. Although we have it often, in a stormy day like this we might not be able to drive to a restaurant. So it is better that we make it at home and add some smile to your face or members of your family. Although I am posting here the recipe of chicken 65 here, it can definitely be made with paneer or cauliflower. Paneer 65 or gobi 65 is equally appreciated item. The recipe is same except the main ingredient is substituted with vegan item from non-vegan.

 

Ingredients:

1. Boneless Chicken Thigh pieces: 4 lbs
2. Ginger chopped: 2 tablespoon
3: Garlic chopped: 2 tablespoon
4. Ginger paste: 1.5 tablespoon
5. Garlic paste: 1.5 tablespoon
6. Curry leaves: 1 spring
7. Salt: as per taste
8. Corn starch: 3 tablespoon
9. Red food color: 1 teaspoon
10. Chilli-Garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
11. Cumin seeds: 1.5 teaspoon
12. Green chillies: 12-14 finely chopped
13. Cumin powder: 1.5 teaspoon
14. Corriander powder: 1.5 teaspoon
15. Red chilli powder: 1.5 teaspoon
16. White Oil for deep frying
17. Cilantro/coriander leaves and spring onion: 4 tablespoon for garnish (optional)
18. Eggs: 2

 

Steps:

1. Cut the chicken pieces to small bite size pieces. Take the fat off the meat if it exists.

2. Make a fresh paste of ginger and garlic. I have grated them to make the paste.

3. Now marinate the chicken pieces with ginger -garlic paste, salt,  2 eggs and corn starch for 15-20 minutes.  Before you marinate the chicken pieces make sure they are not wet. If you find moisture in the chicken please pat them dry with a paper towel, otherwise the marinate would not stick to the chicken pieces.

4. Heat oil in a deep pan and deep fry chicken pieces in small batches until they turn golden brown.This would take little time and it needs your patience. You can give yourself an energy boost-up by putting some of the fried pieces to your mouth. That can make you stand for longer and not letting you loose the hope.

5.After you have fried all the chicken pieces take a heavy bottom pan. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in it.

6. In the oil add cumin seeds, finely chopped green chillies, chopped ginger and garlic. Fry them well untill they turn golden. Make sure you are frying it in medium heat, otherwise, you might burn the spice.

7. Now add cumin powder, coriander powder followed by red chilli powder and chilli garlic paste and red food color. Mix them with the ginger and garlic in the pan.

8.Add chicken pieces now and coat them well with the spices in the pan. Cover the pan to let the chicken pieces sizzle a bit. Give them a good stir.

9. If you find it is too dry and all the chicken pieces is not getting coated with the spice mixture evenly, sprinkle a few drops of water, stir, and cover.

10. Switch the heat off. Garnish with chopped cilantro and spring onion. Your chicken 65 is ready to serve.

Enjoy!!!!!