CURRY AND SPICE: KANCHA AAM O ALOO R MISHTI

It has been pretty long time I came across sweet recipes made of potato. There was kind of a surprise at the first sight of it. Our homes never made sweets with potato, they used sweet potato. All this while I was skeptical about using potato as the main ingredient, I felt that yesterday was the right day to try my hands on a sweet with boiled potato. I went for "Bengali Shopping" yesterday, got super excited with the availability of "pat shaak".... I was too tired to prepare chena / paneer back home, Cristine had to clean all the fish and meat, thereafter asking her to get the clean white cloth from the wardrobe, assist me to strain the whey from the paneer was not the right thing to do. Also she had to wash the utensils used and not me. Instead you will see later in the post how neatly I prepared this vegetarian sweet KANCHA AAM O ALOO R MISHTI. I am in fact using raw mango in anything and everything these days.... the afternoons are hot and the flavour and taste of raw mango is refreshing. I got home two kilograms of raw mango yesterday, got it for less than 5$. I will do an "aam er mishti achar" and change the horrible picture I have in the particular blog post. I also wish to prepare a typical spicy and sour skin on raw mango pickle, the husband will like. I am having it ever since my non-Bengali speaking friends from school had been getting it in their lunch boxes. It is in the recent years that I have developed a fondness for "non-Bengali achar" as always termed by the family. It perhaps started with buying a particular brand popular in the Delhi region on our way to Shimla / Manali way back in 2008... I always forget the name, starting with the letter P may be. People from that region say it is one of the best selling pickle brand there.

There was a time when hundreds of pickle variety in Hardwar, our "hariddhar" could not cause any stir on my soul but I still remember the taste of halwa I tasted there. Halwa is something I and the husband love, our family love except for the son.... so I do less. I do eat it as a part of the mini thalis that I have in the Southern Indian restaurants.... but Northern India prepares the best halwa. Coming to mini thali that I had yesterday too, Southern Indian mini thalis are too big for me.... will share the picture in public tomorrow with my proud possession "pat shaak".... The grandfather loved "pat shaak er lutlute jhol" and oh my God! Cristine says they too eat jute leaves this way... soupy. The world is indeed round and small. I was disheartened to learn my Bangladeshi brothers may not ever import "kharkon Pata" here.... I asked them yesterday... "kyarey?".... They told, "folon za hoy ta dyashoi shob khaiya loy".... Before stretching your arms towards me, think several times. As of me, I will not make any attempt to walk towards you.... I was never a mingling type and now a lethargy has crippled me of any such wish to be nice to anyone... I enjoy spending time with myself.... turning to be my mother actually.... if only the Almighty could give me her level of physical and mental strength.

I do a lot of irrelevant talks na? Yes I do, this space is mine and I do not venture out for any fruitful activity. I am documenting my life and deeds here, just in case my son tries my recipes when he goes to live far away from mumma, so that he feels for his roots in the remote corner of his heart and visits mumma once a year, may be for authentic Bengali food? I should not be bothered if he spends most of the time with his wife and enjoys cheese balls, gets super elated when she adds more and more to the wealth and health of his life... "eei poribarer sesh borita oor maa i diye jabey, I do not even know who to handover my laddu Gopal, the family deity after me".... I have much of work pending before my family arrives.... now that we are getting fresh "parshe, rui, katla, mrigel, kalboush maach".... fish is not a problem. Okay, they may not taste same as in Kolkata! I must finish off preparing the pickles today and the bori / sun-dried lentil balls next week.

I had the plan to share the recipe of "shutkir bhorta" today.... an entire family love including the son, the genes does work. Then I felt it may not be wise a day after Tagore's birthday.... I do not think he had dried fish even during his stay in "Shilaidaha".... What I could do best is to prepare a sweet like this KANCHA AAM O ALOOR MISHTI that may stand as a bridge between "epar o opar Bangla".... he belonged to both. This vegetarian sweet can also be a prized possession to those who are fasting. Trust me, you never can smell or taste potato in it, I trusted one of the youtube videos of "aloor kalo jam" by a Bangladeshi woman and I think that both of India's immediate neighbours prepare amazingly innovative sweets. I wished to share a recipe from the kitchen of the Tagore household but I do not have an authentic, reliable book on "Thakurbarir Ranna", I wish to own one... need to do some research on its availability.... I did not find in Rupa & Co. or Chaterjee... my two regular hunts in Kolkata.... suggestions are welcome, you get an Afgani Mutton Cutlet in Gravy treat from me. Our mother at times used to try recipes from "Bela De".... her book is still there in our Barrackpore home may be.

The above book is of Poornima / Purnima Tagore, gifted by the brother-in-law and the husband's sister which ever suits you! I am a bit suspicious about its authenticity looking at the recipes... Did Indira Debi really compile the recipes of "Madraji Narkol er Chutney" or "Moisur Pak" or "Marathi Achar?" I must come across some supportive opinions before I blindly believe. However, I see in this book the recipes of fruit salad, "peyarer jelly", the mother used to do them the same way. Then, I saw her following the recipes that were telecasted or from hearsay. I need to wrap up; I have pickles to make, spices to grind. I have used boiled potatoes, raw mango paste, coconut flour, ghee, stevia extract, dry fruits to garnish, cardamom powder for this sweet.

INGREDIENTS :

POTATO : 2BIG
RAW MANGO : 1 STANDARD SIZED
COCONUT FLOUR : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
STEVIA POWDER : 6TBSP [you can use sugar of the same amount]
SUGAR : 1TBSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1TSP
GREEN FOOD COLOUR : 1/2A PINCH
GHEE : 3TBSP + 2TBSP
DRY FRUITS TO GARNISH, I used lightly toasted walnuts.

PROCEDURE :

We are using the below ingredients more or less.

Wash the potatoes, prick all over with a fork. Take on a plate and place inside the microwave.

Microwave at high for 5 minutes or according to your machine's capacity.

Let cool a bit, peel off and lightly mash with a fork while it is still warm. Blend at high for 1 minute.

Transfer to a bowl and mix well with 3tbsp of ghee / clarified butter. At this stage, you may want to have the "aloo-sheddo ghee bhaat with kancha lanka and salt".... please take hold of your greed and proceed with the recipe.