Mango Phirni

             

As we all know Eid is just around the corner so something special dedicated to Eid has to be there on the blog. What's better than celebrating a special occasion with a dessert. I have already shared many dessert recipes on the blog. You may check them out here (click here).

Phirni or Firni is a kind of rice pudding which is very popular in North Indian and Mughlai cuisine. This pudding is also prepared during the holy month of Ramzan and to celebrate festivals like Holi, Diwali etc.....

It's a very easy and quick dessert which needs very few ingredients. It's very similar to Rice Kheer but the difference lies in the kind of rice being used. Phirni is prepared from ground rice while the later is prepared from whole rice. 

So, let's celebrate this Eid with your friends, family members and Mango Phirni. 

Rasmalai.....Bijoyar Mishti Mukh

Durga Pujo.....whenever we Bengalis hear this word the image of Maa Durga-the goddess of power and strength comes to our mind. According to mythological stories Maa Durga was created by the most powerful Gods: Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh in order to defeat the demon Mahishasur.

Durga Puja is the most popular and glamorous festival of Kolkata. It's not only a festival for us but it's a blessing for us. You can judge our madness for this festival by the fact that as soon as we get the new calendar the first thing we see is when is the Durga Puja? 

The city of joy-Kolkata get's decked up like a newly wedded bride. The whole city gets embellished with lights. You can find fairy lights on every nooks and corners of the streets, buildings and even on trees. Thousands and thousands of pandals and idols are prepared months before the celebration. Idols are mainly prepared in Kumortoli. 

This carnival of madness is the celebration of love, color, light, enthusiasm and most importantly Food. We Bengali's can't imagine any festival without impeccable food. 

People start their shopping months before the festival and make different plans what to wear, when to wear, how to deck up on different days of Puja, where to go for Pandal hopping, what to eat, where to eat and the list goes on and on and on.......

This year I got a chance to be a part of this carnival. Though I enjoyed the festivities in Nagpur, Maharashtra (I grew up there) but missed all the fun and frolic of Kolkata. We went for shopping, did lot of Pandal hopping with friends and family, enjoyed Bhog in our complex Puja, tasted different varieties of food starting from street side to fine dining restaurants and finally bid a tearful adieu to the goddess at my Uncle's residence Puja.

Due to this reason I took a break from the blogging world and enjoyed the largest and biggest festival of Bengali's. During the 5 days of Durga Pujo I prepared different varieties of food and for the climax i.e Dashmi I prepared a special dessert for my family: Rasmalai. 

Rasmalai are creamy cheese dumplings dipped in cardamom and saffron infused creamy milk. Firstly, cheese dumplings are prepared the same way you prepare Rasgulla (for the recipe of Rasgulla Click Here). Once they had soaked enough sugar syrup, press to release the syrup. Secondly, Rabri is prepared and flavored with cardamom powder and saffron (for the recipe of Rabri Click Here). Finally, the dumplings are dipped in this Rabri and garnished with chopped almonds and pistachios. 

So, let's begin with the recipe of Rasmalai:

Phirni

As we all know tomorrow Indians all over the world will celebrate Raksha Bandhan; the festival which celebrates the bonding of love, affection and trust between brother and sister. A promise made by a brother to protect his sister in each and every circumstances.

Celebrating any festival by treating your family by making some special dishes have its own fun. I have already posted some very easy desserts which you can try this Rakhi. Have a look here:

• Shahi Tukda
• Malpua
• Rasgulla
• Langcha
• Coconut Ladoo
• Gajorer Patishapta/ Carrot Crepes
• Carrot Barfi/ Carrot Fudge

Today's recipe is Phirni or Firni. It's a kind of rice pudding which is very popular in North Indian and Mughlai cuisine. This pudding is also prepared during the holy month of Ramzan and to celebrate festivals like Holi, Diwali etc.....

It's a very easy and quick dessert which needs very few ingredients. It's very similar to Rice Kheer but the difference lies in the kind of rice being used. Phirni is prepared from ground rice while the later is prepared from whole rice. Traditionally, Phirni is served in earthen clay pots and garnished with dry fruits and edible silver leaf.

There are many variations of Phirni; Mango Phirni, Rose Phirni, Almond Phirni, Pistachio Phirni, Kesar Phirni and the list goes on but today I'm posting the recipe of a very basic Phirni. So let's get started:

Shahi Tukda/ Bread Pudding

We all know Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan is just around the corner. It's an Indian festival which celebrates the loving relationship between every brother-sister. This festival has many historical stories related to it; Rajput queens used to send raksha (safety) threads to the neighbouring rulers with a promise to protect her in each and every circumstances.

Rakhi is a sacred thread tied on the wrist of brothers by their sisters which is embellished with love and affection. It is observed on Rakhi Poornima (full moon day) in the month of Shravana. This thread is considered very strong as it binds the inseparable love between a brother and a sister. 

This year I decided to make Shahi Tukda for my family to celebrate this festival. It's a royal treat for you and your family anytime. It's origin can be found in the Mughal era. Mughlai dishes are bit on the laborious side but this dish is very easy to make and you can do the preparations earlier and assemble it when you want to serve. 

I'm a big foodie for sure and I love to have something sweet after I finish my lunch but at the same time I'm calorie conscious too. So, I love to make such kind of rich desserts on special occasions and gobble it down. I have just toasted the bread slices in little bit of butter but if you want you can deep fry them in butter or ghee (clarified butter).

So, make this dessert this Raksha Bandhan and enjoy it with your family.

Gajar Ka Halwa.......A quintessential dessert of Indian Winters

A very Happy New Year to all my readers. May this new year flourish with new discoveries, wonderful inspirations and happiness to fulfill all your desires. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed with your near and dear ones.

I know last week I was bit irregular in posting since there was so many things going on at my end. It was my husband's birthday so we hosted a small party at our home followed by a Christmas potluck, a dinner invitation at our friend's place, prepping for the new year celebrations and finally welcoming the new year.

There are few food items which are specially prepared in winters and without which the winters are incomplete; "Gajar Ka Halwa" is one of them. Back in India, marriages and parties during winter are incomplete without it. Such is the influence of this delectable dessert.

There are many variations of this recipe like microwave version, pressure cooker version, sugar free version blah...blah...blah but this tastes best when it's made in a traditional way, where grated carrot is slow cooked in milk and then a generous amount of ghee, khoa and dry fruits are added to it. This makes the recipe very rich in calories. I need to confess here that I'm not that much calorie conscious but yes, I do care about my waistline.

During winters those red, sweet and long carrots can be found copiously and my mind starts drifting shall I have them in salads or make some Gajar Ka Halwa out of those. After having a prolonged dilemma I manage to convince myself to indulge into this sinful bowl of Halwa. Whenever I have a bowl it makes me feel guilty :( So, I tried to keep this recipe low in calories as much as I can. 

So, let's relish this bowl of bliss: