VEGAN DUDH CHITOI

How do I keep up with my childhood memories? I keep up with whatever I do not wish to forget recreating the scenes within the premises of my Home where I have the liberty to rule, where no outsider have the ability to trespass and give "bostapocha gyan." I buy only those things & theory that makes me happy. Like I got home those bowls, a couple of them last week at a very good discount from Japan Home. I am giving away a lot of my old utensils to our help's family.

I so enjoy buying stuffs for the kitchen, okay not really anything expensive. You need a proper home to keep a nice teapoy you got from Istanbul or it may be so that my parents had never been openhanded where money was concerned, so I just cannot be otherwise. "Dudh, Maach, Mangsho chara ami kothai tyamon khorcha kori?" There is a kind of lethargy that has gripped in. I was telling the partner when we go back to Kolkata after a decade or more, we will not need an upscaled living space in a larger condominium. I will better engage Nirmal to totally renovate this one. I like his work and I am didi to him and his men. Can you all imagine even a year back I demanded a terrace garden wala flat from him? I have the feeling like whats the point investing in a flat similar to condos like Silver Spring when we do not know how long we would stay on this earth thereafter. If the son's wife would not be too unwilling, we will be visiting them too at least once every two years. It is the man who wishes to upgrade because the present one is a smaller condo with no swimming pool or a club. I am however very pleased with the location and do not mind walking upto "Haldiram er More" and take a club membership either at Clubtown or Spacetown. The partner's eyes were always fixed at Bengal Unitech, Rukmani-Parasmani or Manikarn. We could not take the burden of investing in any one of them back in 2006, else Mani Group seems to us the best builders in Kolkata. Now, it feels like "Boss, leave it! I will never buy raw produce from Spencer. If I am alive at 65 or 70, I would still go to the Baguiati Bazaar for match-taach." 

I am my family's daughter, I cannot be in the habit of taking risk! I was wondering how at 16, my boy started planning a life without his parents by 18, I am scared. He is not letting us apply in colleges here, January is the time, he is so unlike his mother. The mentally sick mother is unable to enjoy or take pride in his 5-6 years of plan. "Boss, chicken pox er vaccine deoa thakleo kintu hoy. ki korbi tokhon? Ami kintu pagol hoye jabo." To save myself from going mad or die of anxiety, I cook. Counsellors or Psychiatrists cannot help because those sedatives are killers, you have to help yourself. How do I help myself? I turn my face to a well lit morning and find happiness  watching my "shobuj appel er achar" basking in the sun, I think I should send a little amount to few of my neighbours.

I could finally make the flat owner dispose his malfunctioned refrigerator. We are paying a good amount of rent not to house his spoilt stuffs in this small area. My partner cannot ask for anything from the owner, neither allows me to mail the owner or the agent. It was of no use except for keeping his crates of beer. On so many occasions of a special prayer meet at home, expensive flowers and fruits stored got spoilt on the D-Day. On the Lokkhi Pujo Day, my Poddo phool got spoilt. How is the corner looking? I was planning to keep a big indoor planter there, the partner wants a proper wine cellar. The ever warring us never lose the warmth of our relationship, that depends on the issues you are fighting on.

You see, to prepare a VEGAN DUDH CHITOI, a tweaked Bengali sweet meat or snack, I do not need much electronic gadgets. There was a wish to buy an air fryer few years back, I could not for space crunch. Now, I have got a space but given the boy is going out to explore the world, I will not buy. The man is not a foodie, the son enjoys a variety of food mumma prepares.

Its Poush Sankranti approaching, with it the island's biggest celebration Chinese New Year and also Saraswati Pujo, others do not require a mention in public at this point. Let me take one at a time, Poush Sankranti is the nearest. Last year, I blogged about our Traditional Bengali Chitoi Pithe following an easier recipe from a Face Book Page "Daisy's Notebook & Cuisine Gallery." This time too I followed the same recipe, I got more confident and they are softer and near perfect this time. I have used an iron wok, I did not get "matir shora" from Kolkata; earthen woks with lids specially meant for chitoi pitha. We Bengalis do two types of Chitoi, one is made plain and eaten with liquid "khejur gur", the other is dunked in a creamy milk syrup sweetened with khejur gur, that is date palm jaggery. This is a winter treat back in Bengal, here it is a tropical weather. Creamier Milk treats are not so congenial to the stomach health and I never had been a milk person. I felt, let me take a healthier route so that I can also enjoy what I used to love in my younger days. So, this vegan, gluten free, Bengali Pithe was born. Its easy. Instead of a syrup made with boiling full cream milk for long and then adding date palm jaggery on switching off, I had boiled some soy milk and added a little of date palm jaggery and beet root juice. It was lighter, healthy and we could have it with less amount of guilt. I will prepare the traditional dudh chitoi too but today let us have this VEGAN DUDH CHITOI "pithe" which is all about some rice, coconut, a little of salt and sugar, okay the chopped almond and pistachio were my addition. Some people may be very health conscious unlike me, they matter and I have always respected their wish; no matter what. Then, I had to have a bit of me and my teaching gurus in whichever field be it; cooking or otherwise in today's share.

INGREDIENTS : [FOR THE RICE CAKES]

SMALL GRAINED FRAGRANT RICE [KALIJEERA OR GOBINDO BHOG] : 1COFFEE MUG [YOU GET IT IN ASIAN STORES IF LIVING OUTSIDE BENGAL]
COOKED RICE : 1/3COFFEE MUG
SHREDDED COCONUT : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
SALT : 1/2TSP
SUGAR : 11/2TSP [I USE BROWN SUGAR]
BAKING POWDER : 1/2TSP

INGREDIENTS : [FOR THE VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE SYRUP]

SOY MILK : 300-400ML
GRATED DATE PALM JAGGERY : 1/4MEDIUM TEA CUP
BEET ROOT JUICE : 4-5TBSP
SUGAR : 1TBSP [I USE BROWN SUGAR]


FINALLY :

THE RICE CAKES
THE GLUTEN FREE SYRUP
1TSP OIL TO BRUSH
CHOPPED ALMOND & PISTACHIO TO GARNISH
2-3 DROPS OF KEWRA WATER

PROCEDURE :

Soak the raw rice in enough water over night, at least 8-10 hours.

Drain the water and wash well. Transfer to a blender, add half of the cooked rice, sugar, salt and very little water. In my case, it is brown sugar.

Blend it to a paste.

We will do the given amount in two batches.

Store it in a big bowl and and keep covered for 40-50 minutes.

Open cover and add the shredded coconut. Fold in well.

Add the baking powder and fold in well.

Heat a heavy wok and just brush the centre with oil.

Take a round spoon, fill it with the batter and gently pour at the centre of the wok.

Immediately cover.

Open cover after 3-4 minutes, the middle will fluff up and the bottom little browned. Take off.

After every 4-5 of them, we will brush the centre of the wok.

In the process, I found that a smaller cover yielded better cakes.

We will keep them aside, they are ready to be eaten with tea or date palm jaggery.

But today we will go a little further and dunk them in a syrup.

So, we have grated some khejur gur, that is date palm jaggery  and got some juice from half of a standard sized beet root.

We have put the mentioned amount of soy milk for boil and boiled it for 5-7 minutes.

Switch off the gas oven. Add the grated date palm jaggery and stir to melt.

Dunk the rice & coconut cake in the syrup and let cool a bit. Add some beet root juice & kewra water and stir. I added in accordance with the colour I wished for.

Try to have them fresh. Before serving, garnish with chopped almonds & pistachios.

If we are refrigerating it, we will take it out an hour before having, serve in bowls and microwave at low for few seconds. Else rice cakes tend to get hard on refrigerating.

BEGUN DHONEPATA BATA

Eggplant is a family love and this particular dish is a winter speciality from my side of the family. There is no winter in this island does not mean I will not want or try to bring back childhood memories. "Gorom Bhaat" was what it was served with. I do not know why "Begun Pora" was mostly done in the evenings. This particular one was not further cooked but was made into a paste with onion, green chillies, fresh coriander. Later, salt was added. How much I loved it. Preparing the vegetarian pate BEGUN DHONE PATA BATA in the blender also makes a difference. I have no other way but to do it in a blender!

These days, I wish to present most of my dishes in a totality, so that they can serve as a meal idea to my readers. As a food blogger, we are here to solve your every day meal planning. If you are an Indian or enjoy having Indian Food, CURRY AND SPICE should prove helpful.

Today, I was craving to share something I grew up eating and immensely loved, still love. My family will not deny having it if served with "luchi o mangsho." Do check with my "LUCHI O MUTTON" recipe, it is considered a religion for the otherwise rice loving Bengalis. I have to change the pictures wishing to include a salad and a vegetarian dish in the platter. I can have "luchi" with any side that is spicy and yes with roshogolla. Our mother enjoys her "ruti-porota-luchi" with butter or roshogolla. Off course, my men cannot have their rice or bread alone with the vegan, gluten-free egg plant pate, they need something else like a meat or fish or egg too unless it is an "aloor dum or chanar dalna or paneer dish." I can have this vegan, gluten free vegetarian side alone with rice and breads. I am a foodie actually. Yesterday morning, Cristine prepared two "luchis" with the leftover dough and served me with "shaak bhaja." If the Filipino has learnt to cook "fulko luchi", I am a good teacher.

This morning I had my tea with "Chitoi Pitha". How is it possible that I do not prepare "pithe puli" during "poush mash?" I have some sweet & savoury snacks coming up next.

Our son is watching talks on climate change. Ask him to eat full vegetarian food more than one day and see the reaction. Climate Change is a big concern of the present day is true; going full vegetarian or vegan is unacceptable. If its by choice, then it is okay, food should not be a force. What we eat is our choice, how can anyone else decide it for us?

INGREDIENTS : 

EGG PLANT : 1 STANDARD SIZED

ONION : 1 MEDIUM SIZED
CHOPPED FRESH CORIANDER : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
GREEN CHILLI : 2-3-4 [CHOOSE YOURS]
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 1 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Wash the egg plant and pat dry. Make slits and rub little oil all over the body. Take it on a manual roaster and place it on the gas oven top. Keep the heat at low or at the minimal.

Roast all the sides very well till it is burnt well. I love that smell of roasted egg plants. Let it cool. 

We will discard the stem end & the skin now. Add it to the mixer-grinder.

Also add the peeled, ends discarded, washed and chopped onions to it, the washed green chillies, chopped and washed fresh coriander, garlic cloves to the blender!

Blend everything together to a smooth paste. If you have a "shil nora", that is Bengali style mortar and pestle, do it in that for a more authentic texture. The taste remains the same done either way!

Enjoy with piping hot steamed rice or flat & puffed bread.

 

SOY & COCONUT MILK PUDDING

Let there be a sweet start to a new decade. Though things were not that sweet late at night yesterday for me. If you are an amateurish boozer like me, have it cautiously. All the pleasure of sitting beside the river and having the vodka shots yesterday went haywire only because I went faster with it even after repeated warnings. People were enjoying, I always feel happy when my husband seems happy; he did not even drive yesterday wanting to relax. We went in a cab to join the party and was to come back in the same. The moment I felt I may spoil the party which I will never do whoever I am with, I took an exit asking the son and husband to stay back. Whoever of you are reading this will not blame my boys and you will take one lesson from me; each of your family member has their own space, do not rob them of it, let them be! The worst thing to happen was that on the way I soiled the back sit of the cab badly. Here you do not have the fear to get dishonoured if travelling alone at 12am in the morning but they will not spare you for a loss caused. The cab driver forced me to pay 78Sing$ on reaching home; I had no other way but to comply. I cannot argue, I wanted a shower and my bed. What if I soiled the venue of the party? I absolutely hate to be the reason of others' discomfort. My boys came back around 2am. I say all these to assert one thing; too much of anything is bad. Drinking is not a crime if you know where to stop and it does not take you over. Do not be like my beautiful friend Madhu; she is such a simple, next door girl but her one problem is "S ora mod, goru, shuor khai, kichutei bhalo na." I think I cross limits at times to tell her that we need not agree and still can be friends, its her nicety or the couple's nicety which makes me remain close to them, not that they will gift one of their flat to us. She definitely would get angry looking at my late night social media post few hours back. Okay, the thing is that in Kolkata or in anywhere in India, I never would have the guts to come home alone around 12am nor my husband would have let me. I reached home safely yesterday around 12:20am. This can be one good reason to share South East Asian Styled dessert recipe today. I named it SOY & COCONUT MILK PUDDING. But tell me one thing, how do you go for sleep overs at each other's place? Ahh! I may be very homesick kind, I love every corner of what I call my home!

I had shower as early as 12:30am today, I had to wash the soiled clothes this morning and take a good shower again with Dove which did not give me a soft & supple skin. What I want to say is that if you have gone through a sickly night, have a plate of rice in the morning and no kind of breads. I did so today before the sun rose.

Thereafter, I felt better and noticed three "jobas" ushering in the new year. I clicked and had a round of biscuit and cha with some milk.

So, I had two rounds of food before anyone could wake up. After I finish this post, I will do a "motor dal er tetul tok o bora", Cristine will in fact do the "daler bora o mushroom er bora" and we will have a good lunch with "data chingrir jhol, motor dal er tetul tok, til bata diye broccoli o aloo, pakora bhaja." At night, I will fry some luchi and serve with the mince chicken. I do not know how my mother-in-law freaked out everyday even when she was my age, she only felt sick when it came to cooking or household work. I think one is energetic about what one enjoys doing. We siblings never are outgoing, "sharadin chorki baji aar bokbokom amader poshai na." Dal I need for my meals, the son too prefers it while eating desi. If I serve the man four items including a dal, he skips the dal and I get angry. Anyway, I call this dessert SOY & COCONUT MILK PUDDING vegan & gluten free because I am using a proper kind of soy milk.

Coconut milk is always diary free. The thing is if the brown sugar I used is free of bone char? Next time when I buy sugar, shall try to see if its "beet sugar." I do not know how many posts of mine did I wrongly tag vegan and gluten free earlier? I am clueless why you people do not bother to correct me? By the Way, this is made in the lines of Maja Blanca if not exactly so because I have used less amount of coconut milk and corn flour than is required in a Maja Blanca. Cristine helped me in explaining and she prepares good, authentic Maja Blanca.

INGREDIENTS :

SOY MILK : 500ML + 100ML
COCONUT MILK : 200ML + 200ML
BROWN SUGAR : 1/2MEDIUM TEA CUP
CORN FLOUR : 2TBSP
POMEGRANATE KERNEL : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP

PROCEDURE : 

Take 500ml soy milk and 200ml coconut milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and mix well.

Put it for boil.

While it will be cooking at the minimal heat for the boil to come, we will mix together 100ml of soy milk and 2tbsp of corn flour.

We have put 200ml of coconut milk in a sauce pan and switched on another burner. We will prepare the latik here by boiling the coconut milk till it dries and latik [caramelised coconut milk or cream]. It takes about 12-14 minutes of cooking. I loved the smell.

When the milk comes to boil, we will let it boil for another 6-7 minutes at low heat giving an occasional stir.

We will add the sugar and stir. Thereafter, add the soy milk and corn flour mixture.

At this point, we will start stirring the milk mixture continuously until it turns creamier which may take 6-7-8 minutes. I prefer cooking at low heat.

Switch off gas now and add half of the pomegranate kernels. Pour on to a bowl.

Once cool, refrigerate it for at least 2-3 hours. Take out and top with the latik and rest of the pomegranate kernels. Enjoy!