MY STYLE SHORPURIA

 I AM PLANNING TO COOK & BLOG ABOUT IT SINCE THE INCEPTION OF MY BLOG!

In fact this special sandesh should have been the first recipe in my blog! Why not? It is a speciality sweet of my birth place! It is so special that it is exported to the Bengalis worldwide! At least that was the scene in our growing up time! The township is famous for it's clay models & sweets! It is special not only because it is my birthplace; I have spent a considerable part of my childhood there in the lap of our maternal grandparents, uncles & aunts! Until the end of the 80's; I was emotionally detachable with the place, even though we shifted to Kolkata in 1976! Once in college, I was going less there! The brother has been always Kolkata's child! Also, he never wished to stay a single night without the mother, I would go for month long holidays! I have several memories attached to the place; the open space in the Judge's Court was where the uncle, aunts would sit with friends, we would have peanuts there! It is there where I saw my first movie, I was admitted to the Church's school, visits to the King's palace during the Durga Puja, the mehendi plant in the Muslim locality all are still afresh on my mind! Starting from the Railway Station to the river bank of the Churni river, everything would remain stored in my heart forever! People do not change, circumstances & priorities change; the place itself stands testimony of notable memories! The cousin sisters are already out of there, one cousin brother is there; the other frequents to his roots! The three maternal uncles, the youngest maternal aunt, the grandma are still there & unlikely to relocate permanently! I believe they cannot survive anywhere else! Everyone knows them there! Where? I am talking about Krishnanagar City Junction in the Nadia district of West Bengal!

I AM DEALING WITH NOSTALGIA TODAY!

Last year, when I went to see the grandma & off course the rest in the family; I had a hurried tour of the city, I need to scroll back the album to share some clicks; but I feel tired to! Also something happened within a year that  is not allowing me to go gaga about how special the place is to me! Let it stay within, outside of the public glare! But this recipe had to come, it's a tribute of a food blogger to her birthplace! Last year, I visited the sweet shop from where till date the family gets the sweet! I felt, it lost it's former pride! T had been there, he was born in another historic place near it, Nabadwip! The son I could not show my birthplace, do not even know if he has any interest! The kids of the present day are a bit different; technology has taken over them!

According to this gentleman, they do not use fresh milk cream / dudh er shor anymore due to the scarcity of supply, that top layer formed after boiling the milk! But that is an integral part of the Shorpuria sandesh sweet, hence the name! I have sweet memories not only of the place, it's people but also of this sweet and of shorbhaja & nikhuti! Krishnanagar is not only my birthplace, it was my playground until the late 80"s! I have not researched if the name of the city has any connection with one of it's rulers Raja Krishna Chandra!

WHAT IS THIS MY STYLE SHORPURIA?

As discussed, Shorpuria is a sweet that originated in the Nadia district of West Bengal, precisely in Krishnanagar! I think, I am having it since my rice feeding ceremony! Ever since I became a food blogger, I garnered the wish to blog about it! There were no proper & enough information in the internet & I held it until my visit to the shop that seem to have discovered the sweet hundreds of years back! Last year, I went & made one of the makers talk about it! I however felt it necessary to add a bit of malai / milk cream in the making of this sweet! They never divulge the exact recipe I believe but I could get the taste of it after few tries, I yet would name the sweet, vegetarian & gluten-free as MY STYLE SHORPURIA!

INGREDIENTS :

MILK : 2 LITRE + 1 LITRE

VINEGAR : 2 TBSP ADDED TO 4-5 TBSP WATER

SEMI SOLIDIFIED MILK / KHOYA / MAWA KHEER : 250-300 ML

CHENA / FRESHLY MADE PANEER / SOUTH ASIAN COTTAGE CHEESE : 400 GM

MALAI / MILK CREAM / DUDH ER SHOR : 150 ML

SUGAR : 150-200 GM [YOU CAN USE SUGAR-FREE ALTERNATIVES]

MILK POWDER : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP

GHEE / CLARIFIED BUTTER : 2 TBSP

GREEN CARDAMOM SEED : 1/2 TSP

ROASTED CASHEWNUT : 1 1/2 TSP [CHOPPED]

ROASTED PISTACHIO : 1 TSP [CHOPPED]

PROCEDURE :

For long, I wished to store milk cream to cook ghee; no one at home have milk, when the son was around he had chilled milk, never boiled! You need enough milk cream to get a little of ghee! I kept the idea on hold & stored that little of milk malai, the top layer after boiling to make a sweet famous in my birth place!

We would keep boiling 1 litre of milk & take off, store the top layer until the milk changes colour & thickens! After taking off the top layer, we would add the ghee & milk powder to the thickened milk, mix well; microwave at high for 3-4 minutes, pausing & stirring in between to get the mawa / khoya kheer!

For the paneer / chana, we will boil 2 litres of milk, add a mixture of vinegar & water & switch off the gas stove! We would stir & pass the curdled milk through the clean, thin cloth placed over a strainer! We have to hang it for an hour to get rid of the whey!

Now, we have in hand the chana, milk malai / shor, khoya kheer / mawa!

Mix together the malai cream & khoya kheer & beat well, add to the chana / paneer! Also add the sugar, green cardamom seeds, roasted & chopped pistachio, cashew nuts! Now we are to knead it for sometime!

We would take a pan that is not used to cooking curries, add the dough & keep stirring at minimal heat for sometime! When we would see the dough leaving the sides; we would take out and transfer the mixture to a greased mould of our choice! We would keep it at rest for an hour, transfer to a plate, cut & serve! It tastes best when served fresh!