GUWAHATI: The much-awaited Durga Puja festival is around the corner. As sweets are regarded as essential parts of the Durga Puja festivity, here are five delicious sweet deserts you can make at home.
Patishapta
Recipe by Purabi Naha, blogger at cosmopolitancurrymania.com
Ingredients:
For the Crepes
1 cup rice flour or chaaler guro
1 cup refined flour or maida
½ cup fine semolina or suji non-roasted
¼ tsp salt
½ cup sugar
3.5 cups milk
Less than ½ tsp cow ghee for each Patishapta
Ingredients for the filling:
1 cup freshly grated coconut
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup milk
½ cup khoya
Directions:
- Make the filling first. Cook 1 cup of freshly grated coconut with ¾ cup sugar, ¼ cup milk and ½ cup khoya, until the contents are golden-brown in colour and leave the edges of the pan. The mixture should be semi-wet. Remove the filling in a bowl and proceed to make the Patishapta crepes after that. The filling can be made days in advance, though it has to be refrigerated in that case.
2. Make the batter by dissolving all the ingredients for the crepes, except the cow ghee. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 min.
3. Heat a small non-stick pan. Add less than ½ tsp cow gheefor each crepe. Let it heat up a bit.
4. Give the batter a good stir after the resting period. Add a ladleful of the batter to the pan and take the pan off heat.
5. Spread the batter as thinly as possible by tilting the pan slightly in a circular motion.
6. Put the pan on medium heat again. When the edges look cooked, add the filling at one corner, as shown in the picture.
7. With the help of the back of two spoons, roll the crepe uniformly around the filling.
8. Press the Patishapta slightly from the top.
9. Remove into a plate.
10. Make all the Patishaptas in this manner, making sure that you stir the batter once before adding to the pan.
11. Enjoy with homemade khoya kheeror even with sweetened condensed milk. You can even eat the Patishapta just like that.
Bhapa Doi
Recipe by food historian Pritha Sen for Mustard
Ingredients:
400 gm curd
1 tin condensed milk
Roasted cashews chopped
20 raisins
1 pinch cardamom powder
½ cup caramelised sugar syrup
Directions:
- Beat curd well and then whisk again with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Set to steam on boiling water, covered, for 20 mins.
3. Cool and serve with almond slivers.
Chenna Payesh
Recipe by Executive chef Deepak Barua of Momo Café, Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai
Ingredients:
1 litre milk
75 gm sugar
6 pieces almonds
2 piece cardamom
15 gm refined flour
10 ml lime juice
Directions:
- Pour half of the milk in a pot and slowly bring it to boil.
2. Put few drops of lemon juice to split the milk and make chenna.
3. Drain the whey and put the chennaon a muslin cloth.
4. Tightly hold all the ends together so that the chennadoes not slip out. Hold it under the running water for a minute. This will help to reduce the sourness of lemon juice.
5. Drain excess water from chenna.
6. In a separate bowl, add refined flour drained chenna and 1 tablespoon of sugar and mix.
7. Knead it well using your hand, until the sugar dissolves and it forms into very soft dough.
8. Pass it through vermicelli machine and make vermicelli of dough.
9. If vermicelli machine is not available then just roll it thin on plastic sheet.
10. Now put the remaining milk on the gas and bring it boil. Add crushed cardamom and almonds and let it boil on low heat.
11. When the milk reduces to one fourth, add the sugar and chenna and continue cooking till it reduces to half.
12. Chenna payesh is ready. Serve chilled.
Pineapple Sandesh with Orange Zest and Saffron
Recipe by Chef Neherulal Sahoo at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore
Ingredients:
For Pineapple Sandesh
4 pineapple rings
1 cup chenna or cottage cheese
2 tbsp fresh cream
2 tbsp organic honey
3-4 cardamom crushed
Zest of 2 orange
For garnish
Pinch of saffron soaked in a little water for 2-3 mins
2 tsp coconut slivers
2 tsp almond flakes
Rose petals
Pistachio if desired.
For spiking the pineapple
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
Directions:
For spiking the pineapple
- If going with the spiked version, soak the pineapple rings in white wine (or even vodka/rum) and 1 tbsp sugar for about 4 hours. 2 hours minimum, overnight maximum for a more intense infusion.
For the cottage cheese topping:
1. In a blender jar, mix together the chenna or cottage cheese, cream, honey till smooth. It will still be a little grainy but essentially mixed well. Add the orange zest and cardamom and mix thoroughly by hand.
For making the pineapple sandesh
- Arrange the pineapple rings on a platter. Drain them of excess liquor.
2. On top of each pineapple, spread the chennamix in an even layer using a spoon and your fingers to smoothen it out all over the pineapple.
3. Keep it in the fridge for 30 mins to set a little bit. Now add the garnish on top of the pineapple Sandesh.
4. Keep in fridge till serving time. Remove from fridge 20 mins before serving.
Chenna Jhilapi
Recipe by Chef Abhishek Basu JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu
Ingredients:
For the Jhilapis
1 cup chhena or paneer crumbled
1 tsp semolina or sooji
1 tsp flour or maida
2 tsp milk powder
A pinch baking powder
For the Sugar Syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
3-4 cardamoms or elaichi crushed
Directions:
- For the sugar syrup, boil the sugar with the water and crushed cardamoms till one string consistency. It will take around 8-10 minutes.
2. While the syrup boils, mash the chhenaor paneer with the heel of your hand till there are no coarse grains or lumps and the chhennais a little pliant.
3. Add the semolina, refined flour, baking powder and the milk powder to it and knead it for nearly 10- 12 minutes or till it starts releasing oil to make a smooth textured dough. This is the most important step otherwise the jhilapi will crack when you shape it.
4. Keep the dough aside covered for nearly 10 minutes and divide the mixture into 15 equal sized balls.
5. Start rolling each ball gently into a cylindrical shape of 5-6 inches of length with the palm of your hand on a plain flat surface. Use a little oil or ghee to roll if the dough is sticky.
6. Now roll the cylindrical rope in the shape of a coil as shown in the pictures and press the end to the coil so that the coil doesn’t disintegrate on frying.
7. Gently lift the coiled jalebi and slide into the hot oil and fry on medium flame till golden brown.
8. Drain the Jhilapis and soak them in the prepared warm sugar syrup for 2-3 hours. Serve warm or chilled as enjoyed.
