FIG O KHEJUR ER NOROM PAK

I am into homemade sweets these days, unable to have store bought ones finding them too sweet given my present taste bud. This isn't case for "bhaja mishti" thats fried sweets, specially "jilipi, amriti".... which are poison for me. I get them home rarely for son, myself. Gone are days when I would want to have "Shaktigarh er Langcha" or "Jilipi" or "kakur dokan er tatka goja" anytime of day, after having 1/4th of them, my tongue craves for something spicy. I trust fully my hands when it comes to making of sweets, more because we do not get that quality of sweets here as compared to our place of origin. As child or teen I was never fond of sweets, particularly of roshogolla.... I developed fondness for it later in life. 

It is true if someone has told me sweets have nothing good to give us. We can't think of an occasion, festival, ritual without sweets, flowers. It is a special day for us at this home, back in India tomorrow; whats better than preparing vegetarian sweet with all goodness of dry fruits, homemade paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese FIG O KHEJUR ER NOROM PAAK. In fact, my initial plan was to completely do away sugar, stevia, I felt that will be too much of torture on my men. If I am doing something for them, I must pay my major attention to their taste bud. My initial plan was to use milk powder, chopped figs, dates as natural sweeteners which would have been absolutely fine with Myself and Cristine. At one point in the process, I felt my men cannot have it. If family veterans are not around or if I am not cooking for my God's family, I do make it a point to taste food a bit. This morning, I had one full. Without tasting it, I cannot recommend it for my readers. Some went to man's office for his colleagues.

In this context, I remember an incident. After marriage, I had been working in a school. It was a warm, summer morning when I got an interview call from that school in Belur, I had to leave home around 10 or 11am in morning. Some hot rice and vegetables were there on table. I had to eat, was serving my plate, thats when husband's paternal grandmother shouted at me.... you cannot have first rice grain before others.... I ate two slices of bread, went off. Not getting to have rice wasn't problem, the reason behind it was unacceptable. Years after, the night when her death news arrived, we were at my parent's place in Barrackpore. "Dada-Boudir Biryani" came in already when husband had to go for not a joy ride through a National Highway around 11pm. He has to go, he must but I have always noticed that his life has always been less important, like in that unearthly hour or always, he had to sit beside  Raja, our first caretaker of the fourwheeler who had ability to be Formula1Car Racer. 

Leave that, the husband obviously could not but I had full packet of Mutton Biryani. The death news did not affect me not because she was 84 years old but because she had no feelings or respect for me. She was a good woman, we had mutual fondness too but women are women's barrier to freedom, the rein remains in man's hand. My mother-in-law does not know how to respect other's feelings, her treatment of me & my brother-in-law is visibly different. That shouldn't affect my Sense of Duty however!

I was preparing this Bengali themed vegetarian sweet with Homemade  Indian Cottage Cheese, Milk Powder, Stevia Powder, Figs, Dates FIG O KHEJUR ER NOROM PAAK in between watching two movies.... "Margarita with a Straw" and "Chittagong".... After watching "The Sky is Pink," our friend Soumya recommended Margarita which we missed somehow. If something appeals to me, I do some research concerning it. I did read about the qualitative couple director Shonali Bose and Bedabrata Pain, their immense losses. Not having child is pain, having, then losing is pain beyond repair. I love Southern Indian Star Revathi, I hope she would enjoy this "non-south-y" sweet given she is versatile when it comes to choosing roles, averse to botox jobs being done. Kalki is French at birth, Indian at heart, she can have, Bengali director duo would surely enjoy. Manoj Bajpayee still has some mannerisms, Nawaz-ud-din can make you sit tight throughout his movies without having heroine. Come do it, send a sweet box to their homes, I do not send friend's requests to celebrities, I am averse to their temperament or tantrums whatever!

INGREDIENTS :

FRESH MILK : 2 LITRE
POWDERED MILK : 4TBSP
CHOPPED DATE : 2-3TBSP
CHOPPED FIG : 3-4TBSP
VINEGAR : 2TBSP
WATER : AS REQUIRED
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1TSP
SUGAR : 3-4TBSP [I used Stevia Powder]
CHOPPED PISTACHIO TO GARNISH

PROCEDURE :

Put milk for boil pouring it in heavy bottomed vessel.

To 2tbsp of vinegar, add 4-5tbsp of water to dilute.

We have already soaked Figs in warm water, washed dates. Thereafter just drain water, towel dry, chop them.

When milk starts boiling, reduce heat to minimal, add diluted vinegar 1tbsp at a time. 

As milk starts curdling, switch off gas oven.

Immediately strain whey water passing it through white piece of cloth placed over a sieve. 

Wash chena / cottage cheese under running water. Tie cloth, this time I kept it under a heavy utensil instead of hanging it.

After 45 minutes to 1hour, you get this.

Knead it well for 3-4 minutes.

In a glass of warm water, add 4tbsp of powdered milk, stir well. Pour it onto a wok passing it through a sieve.

Switch on gas stove, keep stirring milk. When milk comes to boil, add sugar or stevia powder. Keep stirring.

After 5-6 minutes, add chena / paneer / Indian cottage cheese, stir to get rid of lumps.

Continuously stir for 10-12 minutes, add green cardamom powder. Mix well.

Stir cook for another 7-8 minutes. The cooked cottage cheese would still be moist, not get crumbly. Take down on a plate, let it cool.

Knead for 3-4 minutes.

Add chopped dates, figs; mix well. This will moisten content further.

Shape as you wish.

Try to have them fresh, if refrigerating, have within 3-4 days.