AN AUTHENTIC BENGALI WINTER TREAT!
These recipes take me to my childhood, precisely to our maternal grandmother's courtyard! I speak less of the paternal grandparents only because they lived far off, in Assam! There too the cooking scenario was the same, only that I did not witness it! Actually, the paternal grandmother never used to cook or do the household chores! I have heard, back in Bangladesh, the paternal grandfather had a flourishing business, they always had a couple of helps to do the cooking, cleaning, gardening! Whatever, our paternal grandparents had a golden heart, our maternal grandmother had golden hands! Ask me what she could not do? She would cook, she had an Usha sewing machine which she would use to stitch in most of the afternoon after a small nap! Again her evening started with tea making, evening prayer, a brief communicative session standing at their gate! These days, it seems to me it was just yesterday! One thing the grandmother was relieved of was cleaning the beds, dusting; that was always done by our youngest maternal aunt! I have learnt to do the same from her, our mother never had to look into that area until my marriage! What I did not do at all at the parent's home was cooking! Then gradually I felt the urge to cook & wanted full freedom to run my kitchen & home my way! I think I do it pretty well!
WHICHEVER WAY YOU SPEND IT, 1st JANUARY IS INDEED A SPECIAL DAY!
This year, the son is home, the happiness is doubled! I wish he could stay month long with us! I am a bit off about the fact that he would leave too soon! Yet, we enjoyed the 31st night over a quiet dinner at the Swiss'otel's Steakhouse! I do not eat steak, I had bread, olives, cheese stuffed red pepper, olives, artichoke, creamy Rigatoni with mushrooms! I have clicked the food, will do a public post with those sooner! It was the son's choice, he doesn't demand too often; else I am not the kind to visit too expensive food hunts! But, you should take care of your kids' wishes as per your ability, such wishes vanish with time, cater to those wishes in time! Your kids should not feel unattended! This morning, I went to the Ramakrishna Mission, it's Kalpataru Utsav there! All the followers of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda-Sarada Maa Order would go to their nearest RKM on this day! After the devotional songs, chanting, pranam; I had breakfast there before walking back home!
Here the sun rises at 7am, see the enthusiasm in the old man! I reached a bit late! That tall, thin young man is a Sindhi boy who volunteers at the temple! About today's food at the temple & yesterday's at the steak house, I would make two separate posts in public view! I cannot share prasadam together with ham & beef steak! Let me give you a glimpse of the cocktails & the complementary onion bread!
I would discuss in details in a different post with our picture together; we could manage the son's consent for one!
WHAT IS THIS DUDH CHITOI PITHA?
This is the 1st January Morning, our Poush Mash too & Kalpataru Utsav! Poush Mash calls for a variety of "pithe-puli" among us; they are sweet & savoury pancake & dumpling varieties, steamed or fried, even dunked in sweetened & thickened milk! Chitoi Pitha is a salty rice flour based pancake, when we dunk this pancakes in thickened sweetened milk, it becomes a vegetarian, gluten-free Bengali dessert, DUDH CHITOI PITHA! It is too much of a traditional recipe among us and as I say, it brings back a lot of childhood memories! Today, I would want to wrap up the post sooner, not in the mental frame to engage here, the reason I would divulge later! Anyway, for this recipe we need few ingredients like shredded coconut, rice grain, a bit of salt, milk, date palm jaggery specifically in our case! But you can use sugar or brown sugar or normal sugarcane or coconut jaggery instead! I guess only Bengalis use date palm jaggery during the winter months, it's heaven to me & I store it in the refrigerator!
Gobinda Bhog / Chini Gura / Kali Jeera Rice : 1 coffee mug [we get this variety in the Bangladeshi stores] [ I have used Idli Rice variety] [our families use atap chal / rice grain]
Shredded Coconut : 1 small tea cup [optional]
Oil : 2tbsp
Salt : 1/3tsp
Baking POWDER : 1/2 tsp [authentically not used]
BAKING SODA : A PINCH OR TWO [authentically not used]
Water : As Required for a paste like consistency
MILK : 1 Litre
Date Palm Jaggery : 150-200 GM
Sugar : 2 TBSP
METHOD :
Let us prepare the Rice Pancakes at first!
Wash and soak the rice overnight. Next Morning, drain the water and transfer the rice to a grinder, add the shredded coconut too.
Add some water and grind to a fine paste. Do the grinding part pausing in between and do not add water all at a time!
Pour the batter into a large bowl.... Add a little of water if only required! Add the salt & mix well, use a hand beater!
Add the baking powder & soda, the family veterans never use. Beat again well! The batter wouldn't be too thick or watery! Mix well again the entire content.
Heat a cast iron or non stick round, small wok on the gas oven very well. Brush the centre of the wok with a bit of oil! Take a round shaped spoonful of batter and pour gently at the centre of the wok.
Do not do anything.... just cover and reduce the heat to minimum immediately.
It took me about 1 minute for each to fluff up. They say the more we beat the batter, the fluffier the cakes become!
Gently take out, the bottom will be little burnt..... while the centre will be fluffy!
I usually cut each rice pancakes into four pieces! I do melt the date palm jaggery adding a bit of water & let it cool!
Then I boil a litre of milk until thick, stirring every 2-3 minutes & add the sugar & rice cake pieces!
I would boil for 2-3 minutes more & then I switch off the gas stove & add the jaggery, else the milk may curdle!
We either eat the dessert warm or cool, refrigerate & eat next day at normal room temperature! Many among us enjoy it stale!
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