ROSHBORA

It is during this festive period, we prepare a series of sweets, just as we have a series of festivals....Navratri, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali or Kali puja, Bhai Phota, until Poush Sankranti. This period is very auspicious for us, celebrating with lights all over and food, food, food....delectable, exotic, specially made, from starters to desserts. To be precise, Roshbora was precisely made in the months of December & January; as part of the Poush Sankranti ritual! It actually falls in the pithe category, not considered a sweet! In our home, it was made occasionally!

India having many states and our neighbours too, we are never in dearth of supply of recipes. You are saved from the boredom of repeating the same recipes years after years. With guests visiting, starting from Dussehra until Diwali.... we concentrate more on preparing a variety of sweets.... with simple easily available ingredients like Cottage Cheese, Lentils, Flour, Semolina, Besan, sugar, jaggery, milk and coconut. These few things can make mouthwatering sweets and desserts. Trust me readers, choose your ingredients & cook anything you are willing to! Like this Roshbora uses only split, skinless black gram lentils & sugar as the main ingredients!

I love this sweet because a favourite comic character of my childhood loved this... His name was 'Batul... The Great.... of Nonte Fonte fame. Bengali youngsters of the 70s and 80's can easily identify with these characters. We have grown up reading Batul, Teni da, Ghana da. They were written specially for the kids..... For this particular sweet called Roshbora, we will be using skinless  Urad Dal[black gram dal], sugar, water, a pinch of baking soda and fennel seeds. Cannot believe right? Then I would request you to explore through the recipe.

INGREDIENTS :

Urad Dal[skinless black gram dal] : 250 gm
Sugar : 150 gm
Fennel Seeds : 1 tsp
Green Cardamom : 3-4

Baking Soda : A pinch
Oil : 200 ml [for deep frying, the extra can be used later]

METHOD :

Wash and soak the dal overnight or in hot water for 2 hours. Put into a blender and make a smooth paste adding little water. Be very careful about using water for the paste because if you use bit more water, it will get very difficult to shape into balls.

           

After the paste is made, take it in a bowl & add the salt, beat for about 10-12 minutes! Check adding a little in a bowl of water, if it floats, it's ready! Add the fennel seeds and few drops of oil; beat well. Keep covered for 15-20 minutes!

In a deep bottomed vessel, add enough water, sugar, the green cardamoms! Bring to boil at low heat! In this recipe, the sugar syrup cannot get sticky but remain watery!

 

Add the baking soda to the lentil paste, beat a bit! Heat the oil in a pan, add gently small portions to the oil! Fry the balls in batches till golden brown. Take out & place onto tissue papers! Thereafter, add them to the boiling sugar syrup & boil for 5-6 minutes!

Transfer them to a bowl, cover with a lid! Allow the Roshboras / Lentil Dumplings in Sugar Syrup to soak for at least an hour or two. Enjoy warm or chilled.