Chanar Jalebi : A Traditional Bengali Sweet in a Different Way

In India almost in every month there comes some festival to celebrate. Maharastra and other parts of India is now celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. Lord Ganesh is son of Lord Durga and Lord Shiv. He is the symbol of prosperity and he has the power to fulfill your wish as I know from my grandmother. 

I once attended this festival in Pune. I love the way they arrange everything and specially the ARATI. I have a small Ganesh at home so I just made some sweets to please him. Wish all my friends a happy Ganesh Chaturthi. 

I made some CHANAR JALEBI which is an authentic sweet dish of Bengal. A very easy and tasty sweet dish to celebrate this auspicious day of GANESH CHATURTHI.

Ingredients:
1.All-purpose flour: ½ cup.
2.Milk Powder: 1 cup.
3.Baking Powder: 1 tea spoon.
4.Ghee: 1 tea spoon.
5.Heavy cream: 1 cup.
6.Few cardamom seeds.
7.Sugar: 2 cup.
8.Water 4 cup.
9.Vegetable oil.

Process:

In a heavy bottomed vessel add the water and sugar and start making the sugar syrup. After its start boiling add the cardamom seeds. Boil it in high heat for 7 to 8 mints now remove from heat and allow it to cool.

Now in a bowl add the milk powder, flour and the baking powder and whisked together now add the ghee and mix well.

Now slowly add the cream and make soft dough.

Now make 12 to 14 balls with the dough. Take each ball and start rolling it with two of your hand and make a long rope.

Now take one corner and join in middle and same way take the other end and twist it like a pretzel shape , or as shown in the picture. Repeat the same with all the balls. 

Now add oil in karai, deep fry the CHANAR JALEBI’S in low heat till both the sides turn brownish. Remove from heat.

Now soak the fried CHANAR JALEBI’S into the sugar syrup. 

Garnish them with few pistachios enjoy this lovely dish with your family.

Mawa Malpua: Indian Pan Cake (Sweet).

A very easy and famous Bengali sweet dish is Malpua not only in Bengal, in northern part of India also Malpua is a very famous sweet dish. More or less the way of cooking is almost same. I learnt making Malpua from my grand maa but she used to deep fry them but I love to pan fry the Malpua’s. This one is a signature festival sweet dish. In my home my MAA used to make Malpua’s during any Puja. 

In the auspicious day of Janmasthami I made this Malpua’s to celebrate Lord Krishna’s birthday. Malpua is a very good dessert to serve for your guests also. I made this malpua with some Khoya so this one is little different than the normal Malpua and it’s call MAWA MALPUA.

Ingredients:
1.All-purpose flour: 1 ½ cup.
2.Suji or Semolina: ½ cup.
3.Grated coconut: ½ cup.
4.Khoya or Milk Powder: ½ cup.
5.Grated Paneer or Indian Cottage cheese: 2 table spoon.
6.Few fennel seeds.
7.Pinch of baking powder.
8.Milk : 1 cup (if you need more you can add).
9.Sunflower oil for frying.

Sugar Syrup:
1.Sugar: 1 cup.
2.Water: ½ cup.
3.Few cardamom seeds.
4.Few saffron strands.

Process:

In a big bowl add the flour, baking powder, coconut, mawa or khoya, suji, grated paneer, fennel seeds and mix together. 

Now add the milk slowly and make a thick batter if you need more milk you can add but the batter need to look like thick as pan cake batter.

Now in different vessel add the sugar water saffron strands and the cardamoms and make thick sugar syrup. Just in high flame boil everything for 5 to 6 mints now remove from the heat and allow it to cool.

Now take one pan and spread some oil in medium heat, now spread some batter in middle of the pan, fried till both the side turn brown. 

Now remove from the heat and put the malpua into the sugar syrup and soak it for 3 to 4 mints. Now remove the malpua from the syrup and keep it in a plate. Now repeat the same process till the batter finish. 

Now serve hot or cold, enjoy this mouthwatering MALPUA'S with your family

Dry Fruit Sandesh With Kheer

As a foodie when you’re eager to eat something you just can’t stop yourself to make it. Most of the times it happened with me, every month I thought this month no sweet dish for me because it has lots of calories. But in my home my husband needs some dessert after dinner so do I. 

I made some easy dry fruit sandesh with kheer on top. They were so delicious and perfect that you cant resist yourself to finish them as soon as you can. Sometime just think about your tummy nothing else which makes you feel happy.

Ingredients:

1.Chana/Paneer/ Inidan Cottage Cheese: 100 gm.
2.Sugar: 3 table spoon.
3.Chopped cashew nuts: ½  tea spoon.
4.Chopped pistachios: ½  tea spoon.
5.Chopped almonds: ½ tea spoon.
6.Khoya or Malk Powder: 2 Table spoon.
7.Few saffron strands.
8.Milk Maid: 1 table spoon.
9.Milk: ½ cup.
10.Freshly crushed cardamom.
11.Few drop of ghee.

Process:

How to make chana or Paneer click on the Paneer or Chana and go through the link.

Now knead the chana with your palm tightly, so that no lamb is there.

Now take on heavy bottomed vessel and add few drop of ghee, now add the chana and sugar and stir continuously till the sugar melt.

Now add the khoya and mix well. Now add the freshly crushed cardamom and all chopped dry fruits nad mix well till the mixture become dry remove from heat.

Now in a plate spread the chana mixture in square shape and keep thin fridge for 30 mints.

Now make the kheer, for making kheer in a heavy bottomed vessel and the milk. When the milk start boiling adds the milk maid and the saffron strands and keep stirring till the mixture become thick. 

Now take out the chana mixture from the fridge and spread the kheer on top of the chana mixture.

Keep it in fridge for 30 mints just to settle down the kheer on top.

Now cut the sandesh in square shape and garnish with some pistachios. Your easy dry fruit sandesh is ready serve and enjoy.

KHAJA: Puri Special.

From today morning I felt like to have some sweets, because it’s being a long time I didn't prepare any sweet dish. But didn’t want to make some cottage cheese sweet. So I thought to make some Bhaja Misti. While entering the kitchen my husband asked me did you ever try KHAJA exactly like PURI BEACH (ORISSA). And I thought let’s give a try because KHAJA is one of my favorite sweets too. I went PURI 5 to 6 times and every time we ate as well as bought for home lots of KHAJA.

And while making them I just went back to my childhood days. Previously I thought making KHAJA will be a very tough job, but it was not that tough at all. I never thought they will turn out that good. Recipe courtesy my grand maa but my Maa actually described me the full procedure over phone. Thanks is not the enough words for that. 

Preparation time: 15 mints.
Cooking time: 20 mints.

Ingredients: 
1.All-purpose flour: 1 cup.
2.Samolina or Suji: one table spoon.
3.Baking powder: one tea spoon.
4.Pinch of salt.
5.Ghee: Four table spoon.
6.Sugar: Two cup.
7.Water: Two cup.
8.Rice Flour: one table spoon.
9.Cardamom: Two.
10.sunflower oil.

Process:

Take a big bowl and slowly add the flour, semolina, baking powder, salt and three table spoon ghee (for moyam), now make soft and shiny dough with some water.

Now divide the flour dough into 4 equal size balls. Now use a rolling pin and make four round shape roti with the flour dough and keep it aside.

Now add one table spoon ghee and rice flour in a bowl and mix it well.

Now place one roti first and spread some ghee and rice flour mixture on top, now place one more roti on top and spread the rice flour and ghee mixture on top this way place all four roti one after one.

Now fold them together from one corner and fold it on the same side then flip it and do the same and repeat the same till it fold completely like the photo.

Now with a knife cut it from the middle and from each side make some small pieces. 

Now take one piece and join the edges, and flat the pieces with a rolling pin. Repeat the same with all the pieces.

Now deep fry the KHAJA’s till both the side turn golden, soak the extra oil in a paper towel.

Now add 2 cup of water, 2 cup of sugar, few cardamom and make a thick sugar syrup. The syrup should be that thick like liquid gum.

Now add the fried KHAJA’S into the sugar syrup and soak it for few mints. Now remove the KHAJA’S from the sugar syrup. 

Enjoy the KHAJA with your family member; my husband couldn't believe his eyes that actually I made this for him.

Malai Sandesh

Sweets are always a first choice in my home and almost every day, it’s hard to make different every time. But to satisfy my taste buds I try to make something different every time. And this time I made some Malai Sandesh in completely my way. And it tasted like I ate in a sweet shop near by my home town. Believe me I felt so good after that.

The reaction which I got from my husband that was also a great feelings for me, because he used to be the Guinea pig for me every time. While making this I didn’t go through any website I just made it in my way. 

Preparation time: 5 mints.
Cooking time: 40 to 50 mints.

Ingredients:
1.Heavy Milk (I use 3.5%): 3 cup.
3.Condanced Milk: Three table spoon.
4.Gram flour or Besan: Two table spoon.
5.Ghee: One table spoon.
6.Two cardamom.
7.Sugar: Two to Three table spoon or as per your taste.
8.Few pistachios for garnishing.
9.Silver Tabok for garnishing.

Process:
Put two cup of milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and keep string it in low flame.

In another vessel add the ghee after it become hot add the cardamom after it start leaving the aroma add the besan and stir continuously till it fry properly and a nice color come out.

When the milk started to become thick or reduce the quantity almost half add the condensed milk and stir continuously.

Now after 5 mints add the fried beasn and sugar into the milk and stir till the mixture become thick and dry.

Let it become cool now make some small round shape SANDESH which  makes you happy after every bite. 

Malai Sandesh

Sweets are always a first choice in my home and almost every day, it’s hard to make different every time. But to satisfy my taste buds I try to make something different every time. And this time I made some Malai Sandesh in completely my way. And it tasted like I ate in a sweet shop near by my home town. Believe me I felt so good after that.

The reaction which I got from my husband that was also a great feelings for me, because he used to be the Guinea pig for me every time. While making this I didn’t go through any website I just made it in my way. 

Preparation time: 5 mints.
Cooking time: 40 to 50 mints.

Ingredients:
1.Heavy Milk (I use 3.5%): 3 cup.
3.Condanced Milk: Three table spoon.
4.Gram flour or Besan: Two table spoon.
5.Ghee: One table spoon.
6.Two cardamom.
7.Sugar: Two to Three table spoon or as per your taste.
8.Few pistachios for garnishing.
9.Silver Tabok for garnishing.

Process:
Put two cup of milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and keep string it in low flame.

In another vessel add the ghee after it become hot add the cardamom after it start leaving the aroma add the besan and stir continuously till it fry properly and a nice color come out.

When the milk started to become thick or reduce the quantity almost half add the condensed milk and stir continuously.

Now after 5 mints add the fried beasn and sugar into the milk and stir till the mixture become thick and dry.

Let it become cool now make some small round shape SANDESH which  makes you happy after every bite. 

Komolabhog : Poila Baisakh Special

One of the important festivals of West Bengal is Poila Baisakh the Bengali New Year. This is a very special day for all of us, I remember in my childhood days  I usually used to go with my grandmother to take bath in the holy river GANGA. And after that we all used to wear a new dress, used to go temple for puja specially to wish that the year must go smoothly. The best part of the festival is food which is almost a best part of the day. My maa always loves to prepare so many dishes on the special day. And among everything she used to prepare sweets, because without sweet dish the menu will never be completed. 

I know I am sitting far away from home but how can I stop myself to prepare something special on the special day. Apart from the platter I prepared some KOMOLA BHOG or ORANGE FLAVOUR CHEESE BALL an authentic sweet of Bengal. The basic ingredients are milk and oranges. The flavor of orange makes the sweets a nice aromatic. Hope this New Year brings lots of happiness to your life subha POILA BAISAKH.

Preparation time: 20 mints.

Making time: 20 mints.

Ingredients:

1.One litter milk.

2.One big cup of of fresh orange juice.

3.One tea spoon of suji or semolina.

4.one cup sugar.

5.Few drop orange food color.

Process:

Put the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and let it become boil, then add  the orange juice at a time and keep on stirring until milk starts to curdle and the water separates.

Now put everything in a cheese cloth and Wash the chena under running cold water. Now hang the chana for 4 to 5 hr.

Now add the suji in the chana and  smash the chena with your palm till it very smooth.

Now add 2 to 3 drop of orange food color and mix well. Now make some small round shape baal with the chena.

In a big wide pan add half cup sugar and 1 cup water, when the water start boiling add some orange zest, and slowly add the orange chena balls and cook in medium heat with a lid for 15 to 20 mints.

Your Komolabhgo is ready serve hot or cold.

Komolabhog : Poila Baisakh Special

One of the important festivals of West Bengal is Poila Baisakh the Bengali New Year. This is a very special day for all of us, I remember in my childhood days  I usually used to go with my grandmother to take bath in the holy river GANGA. And after that we all used to wear a new dress, used to go temple for puja specially to wish that the year must go smoothly. The best part of the festival is food which is almost a best part of the day. My maa always loves to prepare so many dishes on the special day. And among everything she used to prepare sweets, because without sweet dish the menu will never be completed. 

I know I am sitting far away from home but how can I stop myself to prepare something special on the special day. Apart from the platter I prepared some KOMOLA BHOG or ORANGE FLAVOUR CHEESE BALL an authentic sweet of Bengal. The basic ingredients are milk and oranges. The flavor of orange makes the sweets a nice aromatic. Hope this New Year brings lots of happiness to your life subha POILA BAISAKH.

Preparation time: 20 mints.

Making time: 20 mints.

Ingredients:

1.One litter milk.

2.One big cup of of fresh orange juice.

3.One tea spoon of suji or semolina.

4.one cup sugar.

5.Few drop orange food color.

Process:

Put the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and let it become boil, then add  the orange juice at a time and keep on stirring until milk starts to curdle and the water separates.

Now put everything in a cheese cloth and Wash the chena under running cold water. Now hang the chana for 4 to 5 hr.

Now add the suji in the chana and  smash the chena with your palm till it very smooth.

Now add 2 to 3 drop of orange food color and mix well. Now make some small round shape baal with the chena.

In a big wide pan add half cup sugar and 1 cup water, when the water start boiling add some orange zest, and slowly add the orange chena balls and cook in medium heat with a lid for 15 to 20 mints.

Your Komolabhgo is ready serve hot or cold.

Chanar Goja Holi Special

Among all the festivals HOLI is the most colorful festival of India. Almost all parts of India celebrate the festival of colors. Every year we all wait for this special day with lots of fun and food. HOLI is known as DOLL JATRA in West Bengal. Especially in SHantiniketan they celebrate the day in a huge way with BASANTA UTSAB, every year plenty of people visit Shantiniketan to become a part of this colorful festival.

And all festivals have their own charm for foods. And we Bengalis are born to have good food. For this special occasion I prepared some sweet it’s called CHANAR GOJA a very authentic Bengali sweet. I learnt the recipe from my Ma. Enjoy your holi with your family and friends and have lots of good foods.

Preparation time: 5 mints.
Cooking time: 20 mints.

Ingredients:
1.Chana or cottage cheese: 100 gm.
2.Suji or Rawa: 3 tea spoon.
3.Pinch of baking powder.
4.Sugar: 2 Cup.
5.Few raisins for garnishing.
6.Sunflower oil and ghee.

Prcoess:

Mix the chana, suji and baking powder and keep it aside for 30 mints.

Now make some square shape sweets with the mixture.

Now make some thin sugar syrup and boiled the sweets for 8 to 10 mints in medium heat.

Now take out the sweets form the syrup and fry them in half ghee and half oil till both the side turn brown.

Now make some thick sugar syrup and soaked the sweets for 8 to 10 mints.

Serve cool and garnish with some raisins. 

Homemade Jibe Goja

Friends are always a big support for us and I am blessed with such wonderful friends surrounding me. And truly they are my big support for any kind of help they are always connected with me. Most of them are very good cook and believe me it’s my dream to have something from their kitchens.  Among them one of my very good friends Pinki Sarkar shared one of her very good recipe of GOJA a famous sweet of Bengal. In my childhood days I used to eat JIBE GOJA every time when we visited any Mela or Fair. Few old shops in Kolkata are famous for this JIBE GOJA. Especially during durga puja time they make lots of JIBE GOJA.

In my home town there is a small sweet shop where JIBE GOJA is very famous because they make GOJA in a very nice shape like a stick. Whenever I visit my home town I never forget to buy GOJA from that shop. I never prepared this at home but really wanted to make something different like that and made it with full confidence, because the taste took me to my childhood days.

Preparation time: 10 mints.
Cooking time: 20 mints.

Ingredients:
1.All- purpose flour: 1 cup.
2.Khoya : 50 gm.
3.Few Kalonji.
4.Ghee: 4 table spoon.
5.Half tea spoon baking powder.
6.A pinch of salt.
7.Two cup sugar.
8.One cup water for making sugar syrup.
9.Sunflower oil for frying.

Process:

Take one bowl and add the water and sugar and start making the sugar syrup. Syrup should be thick and sticky.

Take one bowl and add the all- purpose flour, salt, kalonji and baking powder and mix well.

Now add the ghee and the khoya and mix well finally add some water and make one stiff dough.

Keep it aside for 20 mints.

Now give a square shape of the dough and cut the dough into some small square pieces. 

In very low heat fry the GOJA’s till they turn brown. And soak the extra oil in a paper towel. 

Now add the fried GOJA’S in the sugar syrup and  keep the GOJA”S in the syrup for few seconds.

Now take out the GOJA”S form the syrup and your GOJA’S are ready to eat. Enjoy every bite with your family members.