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‘Pait’ Puja!

Chitrakut For Dassera, indulge that sweet tooth,
Bengali style…right in your kitchen

We all know that Bengalis have not just a sweet tooth, but a whole set of 32 sweet teeth! Mention Bengali sweets and people usually think – ‘rosogolla’! Well, there are many, many more exotic varieties… There’s chitrakoot, a close cousin of the gulab jamun, but square in shape and made with slightly different proportions of ingredients. There’s that ‘sweet message’ sandesh, with its velvety texture. You have lobongo lotika - a square envelope of crisp flour filled with a khoya-coconut mix (rather like a square samosa with a sweet filling). The envelope is held together with a lobongo (clove), hence the name. Have we tantalized your tastebuds? Well put on your apron and try your hand at two of these all-time favourites.

SANDESH

SANDESH
Makes about 10 pieces

Ingredients: Fresh paneer from 2 litres milk, 150 gm sugar.

Method: Blend paneer and sugar in mixer till smooth. Put this mixture in a heavy-bottomed kadai and stir continuously on a medium flame, till it keeps rolling to the center in a ball. Remove and allow to cool. Pat into conch-shaped moulds, squares or little flattened rounds. Eat as fresh as possible. They will keep for a few days in the fridge. This is the basic sandesh. You can make a hundred and one variations to this. Here are some:

Add saffron, cardamom powder and chopped dried fruits.
Add chocolate powder.
Add a little juice and thinly sliced pieces of strawberry.
Add peeled orange segments.

CHITRAKOOT

CHITRAKOOT
Makes about 10 pieces

Ingredients: Fresh paneer from 2 litres of milk, 3 tbsp flour, ½ tsp baking powder, saffron, cardamom, oil to fry.
For syrup: 3 cups sugar, 3 cups water brought to a boil together and kept aside.

Method: Mash paneer till completely smooth and grainless. Mix baking powder with the flour and add to mashed paneer to form a smooth dough. Add cardamom seeds (whole), saffron and mix well. Pat the mixture on the back of a plate or tray, about ½ inch thick. Cut into 2-inch squares.

Heat 1 cup oil, reduce heat and fry a few pieces at a time, till they are light brown. Increase heat and let them brown evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon and soak in warm syrup.

Happy Dassera!

- Mita Banerjee

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