Panchmewa Pag (Dry fruits fudge) : Krishna Janmastami Special

Hello everyone, today I will be showing you all, how to prepare Panchmewa Pag or dry fruits burfi. This goes as a bhog to Laddogopal (Krishna Bhagwan) on the occasion of Janmashtami. Janmashtami is on one of the very important festival in our house. During my childhood we used to decorate the entire house with balloons and other stuff. Mummy used to prepare various Prasad items like Panjeeri, Charnamrit and Pag. After Marriage I too celebrate it every year and make prasad like my mom does. 

As the name says, Panchmewa Pag is prepared with five types of dry fruits like dried coconut, Fox nut or Makhana, Charoli or Chironji, Green raisins and Melon seeds. But being in London, I usually don't get many things easily. Hence I make it on my own way since few years and it tastes amazingly good. Its a quick recipe and can be stored for 15-20 days in an air tight container. So lets quickly run through the ingredients following the method.

Video Link :

Ingredients :

• Dried coconut shredded : 2 cups
• Green Raisins : 3/4 cup
• Chopped Walnuts : 3/4 cup
• Chopped Almond : 3/4 cup
• Chopped Pistachios : 3/4 cup
• Sugar :1 & 1/2 cups 
• Water : 3/4 cup
• Green cardamom : 3-4 pods crushed

Method :

• In a pan take sugar and water, heat the mixture and continuously stir unless sugar is dissolved.
• Once dissolved, let is cook unless you get single thread consistency. I have shown in the video that how to check for one thread consistency.
• Once you get it, add the dry fruits and give a quick mix and turn off the gas.
• Transfer the mixture on to a greased plate or in a tin as shown in the video. Level it a bit and let it sit for half an hour.
• Once set, cut it into desired shapes and your prasad is ready :)

Notes :

• You can take any dryfruits of your choice or on your availability.
• While making syrup one thread consitensy is very important, otherwise your pag will not set.
• If not set, no need to worry, put your mixture again in the pan, heat up and again set.

Please do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :) 

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka

Thanks and Happy Janmashtami!
Priyanka

Mango Shrikhand

Mangoes are my all time favorite. But being in London have very limited access to Asian Mangoes. Found some this weekend, had few like this only and rest planned to make some dessert. 

Its very hot here, I can very well understand the heat in India. So made some Mango Shrikhand, its very light & refreshing dessert. Flavored it only with mangoes and didn't add cardamom or kesar, as just wanted to highlight mango in it. 

Its very easy and quick recipe, also very well prepared in advance, just refrigerate and serve chill. I prepared it with mangoes, but you can add any sweet fruit, dry fruits or even chocolate. So without wasting any of the time, lets quickly run through the ingredients, following the method.

Video Link :

Ingredients :

• Hung curd/ very thick yogurt : 1 cup
• Mango Puree : 1/2 cup
• Powdered sugar : 1/4 cup (adjust as per the taste and mango)
• Pistachios : 1 tbsp for garnishing

Note: the video ingredients may vary, but I have used the same ratio made it a bit easy.

Method :

• Beat the yogurt/curd with the help of a spatula or a spoon (please don't use a blender or whisk otherwise you will loose its consistency)
• Add in powdered sugar and Mango puree and mix well.
  Fold in some pistachios and leave some for garnishing.
• Serve it in a glass or a bowl, pour some mango puree on top and garnish it with some pistachios.

Enjoy!!!!

Note:

• For hung curd - put the yogurt/curd on a sieve over a bowl. Put it inside fridge overnight. Morning you will see that the excess water is drained in the bowl and you are left with thick curd.
• If you see any lumps, then pass the mixture through a sieve and it will be fine.

Please do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :) 

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka

Thanks & Happy Cooking

Priyanka

Bengali Rasgulla by Garima Sarolia Narera (Guest Post)

Hello everyone, today I would take an opportunity to introduce you all with one of my close friend and food blogger Garima Sarolia Narera. I met her on CAL and really appreciate not only her cooking skills but also a wonderful writer cum poet in her. Apart from it she is a lovely women with full of enthusiasm and her bubbly nature makes her a perfect lady :)))). Recently she has started her new venture of blogging and I would like to congratulate and wish her success :)

She is also very well known as "Rasgulla queen" at CAL, so just thought and took this opportunity for a guest post of Rasgulla recipe. Rasgullas don't need any introduction but for my foreign country readers - Rasgulla is basically a Bengali dessert, its cheese based ball, soaked in sugar syrup and served chilled. So lets go for the recipe, Over to you Garima :)

I am delighted to be invited to Priyanka's wonderful blog. She is such a talented and vivacious person and I constantly enjoy trying out her recipes.
I am here with a recipe very close to my heart and one that I have perfected after several trials. It was also the first post on my blog :)

The sweet delight from the Bengal- rasgulla. A dessert which is everyone's delight and can be an occasional indulgence even for the health conscious. 

http://cafegarima.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/rasgulla/

RASGULLA 

For the Rasgullas you need
1 Litre cow milk, cream removed (I buy the milk an evening prior, boil,cool and refrigerate. Next morning, remove the cream and proceed to make chenna/paneer)
1-2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

To Make Chenna
(Here is a step wise guide to making paneer/chhena at home)
 Bring the milk to boil, add 1-2 tbsp lemon juice gradually so that the milk mass and whey separate completely.Add 10-15 ice cubes. Rest for a minute.

Strain in a colander lined with muslin/cheesecloth. Wash thoroughly with fresh water to remove the lemony sourness. Drain the water by squeezing. Knot the muslin cloth and hang it  to get rid for any excess whey/liquid.

After about 10-15 minutes, remove and rub the chenna with fingers and heels of the palm till the chenna gives out some fat/ ghee/chiknaayee. It takes me about 5 minutes to get there. By now the chenna is like a dough ball that comes together easily, neither too hard nor too soft.

Take pinches off the dough and make small balls, you should get about 15. Remember, they are going to double up on boiling so size them accordingly.

For the Sugar Syrup 

For the Light Sugar Syrup to boil the rasgullas

1 cup Sugar
5 cups Water
1/2 tsp fine cardamom (ilaichi) powder

For adding to the Light sugar syrup after boiling the rasgullas 

1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water
8-10 saffron strands (optional- I haven’t used here)

While you make the paneer balls, bring to boil 5 cups of water with a cup of sugar (light sugar syrup). Add half a tsp fine cardamom powder. Just as the syrup comes to a rolling boil, add in the rasgulla balls. Boil covered for 12- 15 minutes on medium flame.
I make my rasgullas in two batches so that the rasgullas get enough space in the water to expand and also keep their round shape.
You may uncover to check every 5 min minutes. Switch off the gas. Transfer gently to a big bowl full of clean drinking water. There should be enough water for the paneer balls to float freely.

Add one fourth cup sugar and half a cup of water to the same light sugar syrup in which the rasgullas were boiled  and give it a boil so that the sugar melts. Add in the saffron strands when the syrup becomes warm, do not add while it is hot.Let the sugar syrup cool to room temperature ( takes about 30 minutes)

Remove the rasgullas from the plain water, squeeze gently and drop into the sugar syrup.
Chill for three hours. You may top with some finely slivered pistachios and almonds. 

Enjoy!

Garima

http://cafegarima.wordpress.com