Just two days left for our New Year and I had to plan for something that suits the occasion.... I was unwilling to go pure Bengali as other states of India are also celebrating their New Year and it is Easter too. My first teacher was a Keralite Christian who I think was the best example of how a teacher should be. I have some paneer loving Punjabi friends whom I love. I myself is not so much of a chocolate lover but my family is, then I have made some beautiful friends from the western world who really mean to me. I have learnt to show integrated love to all from my sister like guardian Piyali Muttha, though I cannot put up a post as beautifully as she does. My Punjabi sister like Jolly Makkar of jollyhomemaderecipes.com fame gave birth to a baby boy a month back, sweet is the natural choice for me today. Jolly had been the technical head for my blog. Mango is much loved in South Asia and South East Asia, Rasgulla or Roshogolla, the whole of India or may be few places in South Asia love..... and Chocolate is so universal. I remember the Cadbury advertisement 'kuch khas hai zindegi mai...'so much a love.
Coming to love, I decide who I do, who I do not and I do not wait for anyone's approval for that neither do I care for any legal stamp for that.... so long I do not bump into their personal life or privacy with my short, flat nose. In spite of a number of differences, I do love my virtual friends without whom the blog would not have survived. I love my real life friends who have contributed to my life in one way or the other, yet I do not allow any of my friends or family members to decide who I mingle with, who I do not. I am not in the habit of taking dictates from anyone. My indulgent senior gives me full freedom.... you know why? My not so much of a friend mother-in-law is arriving tomorrow... I did travel all the way to the Indian market to get what the diabetic old lady loves, the best saris in her wardrobe are my gifts, the two years I have worked in this island, it was me who gifted her and my mother gold neckpieces with my first month's salary... however meagre amount it was. Off course the son thing sacrificed his academics to get comfort for the family. When it comes to duty, my man does not have to bother. Though my brother's wife is much ahead who gifts my mom refrigerator too and still talks to me knowing I have stolen my mom's marriage day jewelry. I may not be in the same wavelength with my mom-in-law but she loves my son a lot. I am very much in touch with few old people whose wavelength matches mine and I do not hide it from the world.... do not ever make the mistake of caging a free spirited bird like me.
I will not go pure Bengali today for another reason. Since yesterday I see an array of posts showing off undaunted love for Bengal, I know very well at the first given chance they will choose a lucrative job offer in a developed country for their kids. I do not find any wrong there because it is a way to earn foreign currency for the country, earning to get a better quality bread for self and the family. I can be a silly wild untamed horse but I am unable to lend my shoulders to such 'Bengal Lovers' who cannot send their kids to a Bengali Medium School, they prefer Convents therein. I am actually that typical Bengali mother who did all possible mental torture on her four year old son to get him admitted to Don Bosco... Park Circus.... one of the high nose, top notch missionary schools of Kolkata in spite of divorce threat coming from the ship stationed at seashores. Off course my son did not get the admission for a number of reasons.... we did not stay within 5 km of the school, there was lottery system where 2500 applicants fought for 200 sits and finally my son's father did not have an IIT / IIM tag. My son's mother got bedridden and the father partied. Yet the trio are living together in an island where the mother goes out for her evening walk during her son's examination. You may well call me an 'anti- national' who do not qualify to be a Kolkata kind of Bengali mother anymore.
This Aam Kheerey Chocolate Roshogolla should go well with your tastebuds I hope....... a vegetarian dessert that will surely be loved by my vegetarian friends. Rest it is a fasting day for many of us, we offer prayers to Lord Shiva. I will pray for my kids and break fast in the evening. What is my dinner tonight?.... tapioca pearls soaked in water for hours, drained, mashed with mango, banana, milk, sugar and sweets... I prepare my grandmother's way yet it does not taste as hers.... her love is missing. She got sores in her legs keeping the little me on her lap... my mom was in college then. I did a lot of talking, come let us prepare the super cool, yummy sweet in few easy steps. There definitely will be an Easter recipe soon.
INGREDIENTS : [for the instant mango kheer / pudding]
Ripe Mango : 2-3 big
Condensed Milk : 1/2 small cup
Plain Yogurt : 2tbsp
Sugar : 2tsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/4tsp
INGREDIENTS : [for the paneer / cottage cheese]
Fresh Milk : 2lt [I find Meiji the best]
Lemon Juice : 1/2small cup
Ice Cubes : 1small cup
INGREDIENTS : [for the sugar syrup]
Sugar : 1coffee mug
Water : 4-5 coffee mugs
Green Cardamom : 3-4
INGREDIENTS : [for the roshogolla / rasgulla]
The Paneer we get
Semolina : 1tbsp
Chocolate Shaving : 1/2small cup
METHOD :
Let us prepare the instant mango kheer / pudding first. Get the pulp from the mangoes by washing them, peeling and discarding the seed. Take the pulp, condensed milk, plain yogurt, sugar and green cardamom powder in a blender.
Blend to a paste and pour into a serving bowl. Refrigerate it.
Take the milk in a vessel and bring to boil. As it boils, add the lemon juice. Switch off and add the ice cubes. It will curdle. Let cool.
Pass the paneer through a strainer. You can use the whey water later for making paneer again later or in curries.
Place the paneer in a piece of cloth, tie it on your kitchen counter tap.
Take down after 45 minutes and transfer to a plate.
Mash and knead for 6-8 minutes and add the semolina. Knead further for 7-8 minutes.
Get your chocolate shavings ready.
Tear out small portions, Make smooth balls with help of your palms.
Flatten them and fill with chocolate shavings. Close and smoothen to form balls.
Take sugar and water in a vessel and bring to boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, gently drop the chocolate filled cottage cheese balls in the boiling syrup.
Once done, they look like this.
Switch off. Once cold, take out the roshogollas from the syrup. Take out the mango kheer / aam pudding and arrange the rasgullas atop.
It is ready to be enjoyed with friends and family or you can chill further before enjoying this yummy vegetarian dessert.
