Chocolate and Jaggery Sandesh

Sandesh. These moist yet flaky sweets ( excuse me but I have not been able to figure out the right adjective to describe a Sandesh ) of Bengali origin have a special place in my heart. While I never had much of a sweet tooth, but I cannot resist the lure of these beauties. Maybe it the beauty in their shapes or the amazing texture or even the low sugar content, I can never have enough of these. And I would promptly pester anyone coming from Calcutta to get a packet for me.

While the preparation itself is nothing much to talk about, the kneading time of the chenna and the cooking time play an important role in the final taste of the product. Most of us would be able to get it right with a few trials. Here is a very simple recipe that I refer to whenever I am in the mood for some low calorie cocoa indulgence. This is a sugar-free chocolate version of Sandesh.

Read on -

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 1/2 liter milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 3 tsp grated/powdered palm jaggery
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• few drops ghee to rub on the palm and the molds

Preparation - Bring the milk to boil on a medium flame in a thick bottomed vessel. Once it gets to a rolling boil, keep on the flame for another 2-3 minute.

Dilute the vinegar with 1/2 cup warm water.

Remove from flame and keep aside for 4-5 minutes. Add the diluted vinegar in one corner of the vessel till the milk shows signs of curdling. Using a spatula, mix the contents of the vessel thoroughly till the greenish water (whey) and milk solids (chenna) get completely separated. ( You might not need to add the entire cup of citric acid but use sufficient amount needed to split the milk )

Place a thin cloth on a metal strainer ( Do not use  plastic as the mixture is still very hot at this point ). Pour the contents of the vessel over it. Wash the chenna under running water for 2 minutes to remove all traces of citric acid. Bundle/gather the corners of the cloth and squeeze out all the water but do not squeeze too hard.
Hang it for 1 hour or till the chenna is dry.

Remove the cloth and place the chenna on your sanitised kitchen counter / chopping board. Start kneading it with the heel of your palms. Then gather the chenna into a ball and start kneading again. Do this for 10 minutes.

Now add the powdered jaggery and cocoa powder and knead again till completely incorporated.

Cooking - Heat a nonstick pan on low flame. Add the chenna mixture and spread it all over the bottom. Let it cook for 5-6 mins with regular stirring till any residual mositure evaporates.

Once the mixture starts to come together, remove from the stove and allow the dough mixture to cool down till it is just warm to touch.

Knead it again for 2-3 mins.

Break of small bits of the chenna dough and shape it using us fingers or use a mold.

Allow it to cool down.

Serve or keep refrigerated till consumption.

Lamcha

I am back from a family wedding and in dire need of a mental detox. Even before the celebrations were over, my 'Hum saath saath hain' types extended family was coming apart at the seams. Not to be content with bitching behind each others back, some of them were having a field day hurling accusations at each other. And that too in full public view or hearing ( with the latter having a more damning effect). If one was ever in doubt as to why those ladies steal all the screen time in those silly soaps, the drama unfolding before my very eyes was proof enough to show that the weaker sex calls the shots on the domestic front. When they are not fretting over someone else's saree or jewelry, these women focus their energies on jacking up their position in the pecking list of a favorably disposed relative.

I am lucky that none of them have the slightest inclination in reading my blogs or else I wont be here pouring out my heart to you folks. This is my first recipe after a break and I am sharing a sweet that is a childhood favorite of mine. Thought of sharing this on Holi but could not find the time as was busy in the arrangements of the wedding. Read on for the recipe -









Preparation Time - 40-50 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup chenna (home made paneer)
• 1/2 cup milk powder
• 1 tbsp maida
• 1 tbsp semolina
• 2-3 pinch cardamom powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 11/2 cup water
• Oil for deep frying

Preparation - Gather the chenna in a cheese cloth and tie it up. Allow to hang for 1 hour so that the excess water is drained off. Take it on a clean kitchen platform and mash it with the heel of your palm for 3-4 mins.

Add the milk powder, maida, semolina and cardamom powder to the chenna . Mix everything into a smooth dough. Knead this dough for another 5 mins. Keep aside for 10 mins.

Take the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 7-8 mins till the syrup reaches a medium consistency.

Heat the oil in a wok. Break small portions from the dough and shape each one into a smooth cylindrical shape. Ensure that there are no cracks.

Drop 3-4 pieces into the hot oil at a time and fry on a low temperature. Once they become brown uniformly, remove from the oil and place them in the sugar syrup. 

Bring the already hot sugar syrup to boil for 1 minute. Switch off the flame and allow the 'Lamchas' to soak for a minimum of 30 mins.

Serve warm.