Rashogolla

After one week of Rakhi, it is Janmashtami.  The day before was a traditional day for R and she was curious about why she was wearing the color dress. Anything whatever is new in the schedule has to be explained to her. So, I said that it is Nandalala’s birthday and that is why she will wear a salwar kurta to school instead of her regular uniform. Now, my little one asked ‘where’s the cake Mamma?’ A valid question, truly. ‘Not a cake this time my dear, but Mamma will make rashogolla for Nandalala and you’.

Rashogolla, (rasgulla) as I prefer to call it as a proper Bangla pronunciation, is not a dish that you can make regularly or any day as you wish. It needs enough time and patience. It was a holiday for R on Janmashtami and I took a day off. So, making of the Rashogollas was possible. I was very excited to see those white, hot, sugar-syrup dipped sweets for the first time after opening the pressure cooker. I cooled one, and served R. She asked for another one.

My first attempt to make Rashogolla was a success. It was soft enough, sweet and adequately dipped in sugar-syrup. Here is the step by step recipe of Rashogolla.

Ingredients

1 L whole cream milk

Juice of 1 big  lemon

3 cups of sugar

4 cups of water (1.5l approx)

2-3 elichi pods (optional)

Nakuldana/ramdana/sugarcandies

Making the gollas

 Boil the milk.

When it starts boiling add the juice of 1 big lemon. Switch off the gas and stir. Within a few minutes the milk will be curdled. You can use any other curdling agent if you wish. Ensure that the milk should be coagulated fully. I have used curd to make the paneer or chana. I have taken full cream milk 2 liter and 6 big table spoon of curd.

Drain the water and keep the paneer aside. If you have used lemon juice you can just run it once under cold water.

After the water gets drained place the paneer on a plain cloth, tie it tightly and hang for 30-40 mnts or till the water gets drained fully.

Now knead the paneer well using your hands. This is the most important part of the whole recipe and the secret for soft rashogollas. Knead the paneer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Make balls from the kneaded paneer. The balls should be smaller from the desired size as the size will get increased atleast two times when they are dipped in sugar syrap. Approximately you can make 15 gollas from 1L of milk. Place the nakuldana inside the balls.

The sugar syrap or the Ras

 While you are making the gollas prepare the ras. In a deep bottomed pan mix 3 cups of water and two cups of sugar and bring to boil. Add some cardamom pods if you like, for flavor. When the sugar gets dissolved add the 4^th cup of water. Add  from the side of the pan so that the temperature does not gets decreased.

The flame should be in high all through.

Carefully slide the gollas into the syrap. As the size of the gollas increase after being dipped in the syrap take a pan which can provide enough room to the rashogollas.

You can pressure cook the rasogollas. I did that. In a high flame I cooked the rasagollas till one whistle and switched off the gas. If you don’t want to pressure cook then cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Do not overcook.

You can refrigerate them or serve hot as you like.

Spicy Dam aloo

Celebrations!!! Yes, we love to celebrate each and every occasion, right from Valentine ’s Day to Eed, from Christmas to Navroz.  Our calendar is marked with festivals and celebrations all through. Then there are birthdays and anniversaries.

As a Bengali my festival starts with ‘poush parban’ or Makar sankranti, followed by saraswati puja (Vasant Panchami), holi, paila boishak (Bengali new year or first day of Baisakh), jamai shoshthi and so on. Married to a Bihari family I now also celebrate some more occasions with much fervour.  Rakhi or Rakshabandhan is one such.

I remember one incident of Rakhi from my childhood when I was in first standard.  Our’s was a girls’ school and there was no holiday on Rakhi as in Bengal we observe Bhaiphonta (bhaiduj). One of my classmates Neeraj Pandey came with a big Rakhi adorned with all Zari and decorative beads. She managed it from her brother. The rakhi was too attractive and there was a wish hidden on my young mind to have one such some day. Then so much water has flown into the Ganges!!!

When I came to Mumbai, didi was the one who tied me a rakhi for the first time. It was a small decorative piece and I loved it. After that as long as I was in Mumbai each year she used to tie me the silk thread.

With R, Rakhi is now more serious and busy event. Till now, R, the only daughter of the family, has to send Rakhis to all her cousins. So, now I get enough chances to handle those silk threads. This year, I have even bought 3 extras. They are so beautiful and creative!!! A Superman or a Doreman Rakhi for the kids, Designer Rakhs, Rakhis like Punjabi ChuRas and so on. One for my boudi, one for my sis-in-law and the other one for me- 3 punjabi ChuRas apart from R’s share.

If Rakhis and gifts are one part of the celebration then the other important part is the food of course (the one without which we cannot think of our festivals). The menu that I decided this time was spicy dam aloo, dhokar dalna, shemai-er payesh and sattu paratha (chatu-r parota). Typically a mixed Bihari  & Bengali cuisine.

I am sharing the recipe of Spicy Dam aloo.

Ingredients

Baby Potato 10-15

1 big onion finely chopped

1 medium tomato finely chopped

Green chilies  (as per your tolerance) finely chopped

1 Big onion fine sliced

Garlic paste

Ginger paste

2 tblsp fresh lemon juice

Jeera/ Cumin powder

Dhaniya/ Corriander powder,

 Lalmirch/ Red chili powder

Haldi/ Turmeric powder

Whole jeera/cumin seed, whole dry red chili and tejpata

Mustard oil or any white oil

Ghee, garammasala and sugar (optional)

Method     

                                                                                                                          

Wash the potatoes and partly boil. Add some salt while boiling. You can cut them into halves if you wish.

Peel the boiled potatoes

Heat a pan with 1 table spoon mustard oil.

Fry the potatoes with ½ tbsp of turmeric. Fry till they have a golden colour.

Next add another tbsp of mustard oil and temper the oil with some whole jeera/cumin seed, 2 whole dry red chili and 2 tejpata

To it add the finely chopped onion, green chilies and tomato.

Cover and cook

Now, add 1 tbsp garlic paste and cover again

This should be cooked in a low flame.

Now in a small bowl make a paste with 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1tbsp jeera, dhania and ½ tbsp lal mirch powder, salt turmeric and water.

Add this to the cooked onion and tomato mix and fry. You can add a pinch of sugar at this time. I add this as a part of traditional Bengali cuisine. This doesn’t make the dish sweet but adds to the taste and flavor.

When the mix releases oil add the potatoes and let them be cooked in the spices for sometimes. After they are well cooked in the spices, add water and increase the flame.

Cook in a high flame for 5 minutes or till the water dries. This is a dry dish, so do not keep lot of gravy.

Now add the lime juice and mix it well and switch off the gas.

If you want you can add some ghee and garam masala at the end. I usually avoid this but this time I added as a part of festival dish J.