Komola Bhog

komola bhog

Ingredients:

• Milk: 1 lt
• Lime juice: 2 
• Water: 4 cups
• Sugar : 2 cups
• Elaichi /cardamom: 3-4 (crushed)
• All purpose flour/maida: 1 tsp
• Sooji : 1 tsp
• Orange extract: ½ tsp
• Yellow food color: 4-5 drops

 Note:
       [You also need a strainer and cheese cloth or a piece of muslin.]


Procedure:

1)  Boil the milk. As the milk boils add lime and orange juice. The milk
     will curdle.

2)  Strain the chana.

3)  Hang the chana in the muslin cloth for 20-30min.

4)  Take a large pan with lid; put 4cups of water and 2cups of sugar along
      with crushed cardamom. Let it boil, as the syrup boils simmer the flame.

5)  Mix maida, sooji, orange extract, yellow color with the chana; use your
     palm to  knead the chana into smooth dough.

6)  Make 18-20 equal size round balls from the chana.

7)  Put the chana balls in the boiling hot sugar syrup. Cook in medium flame
     for 20-25mins with a lid on.

8) Check in between and turn the chana balls, if the chana balls tend to stick
    with each other then sprinkle some cold water. Turn off the heat and let
    it sit for half an hour.
 
   Your komola bhog is ready to serve.

komola bhog

Laddoo/ Darbesh

laddoos

Ingredients:

•  besan/ gram flour:1 cup
•  water:1 +1 cup
•  red food colour: 1 drop
•  sugar:1 and 1/2 cup
•  sliced almonds: 1 tbsp
•  elaichi powder: 1 tsp
•  oil:1-2 cup

Note:

 (The critical part of boondi making is to use the right kind of utensil

   for the batter to drop through the holes into the hot oil to form the

   little pearl shaped fried balls.To accomplish this you need to use a

   flat skimmer, strainer or perforated ladle(in bengali we call it jhanjri)
   that has several round holes on the surface.)

Procedure:

   

1) In a pan put 1 cup water and sugar and bring to boil on medium high heat.

    When sugar melts down and syrup becomes thick,then simmer the syrup.

2) Now in a bowl mix besan with 1 cup water to make a smooth thick batter.

3) Heat the oil in a frying pan.

4) Hold the skimmer above the oil over the center of the frying pan with one

    hand. With your other hand pour some of the batter onto the skimmer to

    cover all of the holes without  spilling over the edge of the skimmer.

5) The batter will start dropping through the holes into the oil. If the batter

    doesn’t drop right away through the holes, pour the batter on the skimmer

    back into the batter bowl, mix a little more water to the batter and start

    again. Drop enough boondi into the oil  so they just cover the surface of

    the oil in frying pan in a single layer. In 2-3 tbsp batter mix red food colour

    and also make boondi from this batter.

6) Fry them until boondis are light gold in color but not crispy. 

7) Lift the boondi out of the oil with a slotted spoon (this allows excess

    oil to drip back into the frying pan) and put them directly into the warm

    syrup and mix.

8) Before making the next batch of boondi, wipe clean the skimmer.

   Repeat the process of making boondi and adding to the syrup with rest

   of the batter. You may have to adjust the heat in between making boondis.

9) When finished frying the boondi, let them soak in the syrup for few

   minutes.  Add elaichi powder and sliced almonds to the syrup.Now

  drain off the excess syrup.

10) let them sit only until they are warm enough to handle – don’t let them

  to cool off. If the boondis become cold you will not be able to form them

  into ladoos.

11) To make the ladoos,take some of the boondi mixture into your palm with

    a spoon. Gently squeeze the mixture between both palms to shape into a

    round ball.

   Put laddoos on a plate and cool to room temperature.They will become firm

   but they should still be moist.