Being a Bengali, sweet is part and parcel of our life. We experiment with many veg and non-veg dishes and similarly we do experiment with our sweets too. Sandesh and misti doi are the most famous Bengali sweet dishes. Bhapa Doi (Baked Yoghurt) and Sandesh Paturi (Steamed Sandesh) are two sweet dishes my grand mom used to prepare. The ingredients to prepare these sweets are simple but we need patience to prepare these dishes. Bhapa doi and Sandesh Paturi are two Bengali delicacies which you can prepare for your guests and mark your difference as a host. :)
Bhapa Doi (Baked Yoghurt)
Bhapa Doi
Ingredients :
Condensed Milk – 200gm
Cream – 200 gm,
Curd – 250 gm.
Pistachio and raisins to garnish
Method :
1) Take a muslin cloth and put the curd in the muslin and hang it for 1-2 hr to strain the water out of the curd.
2) Whisk the curd so that no lumps are formed.
3) Add the cream to the curd and whisk well.
4) Then add the condensed milk and whip it till a smooth mixture is formed.
5) Please take care that no lumps are formed. If you are not using sweet curd then you can take ¼ cup of sugar and grind it to a fine powder. Add the powdered sugar to the mixture and mix well until the sugar dissolves.
6) Pour the mixture in small oven proof bowls and cover with aluminum foil. microwave the mixture for 10 minutes at 80% power.
7) After baking refrigerate the baked yoghurt for 1-2 hr.
8) Garnish with pista and raisins and serve.
Sandesh Paturi (Baked Sandesh)
Bhapa Sandesh
Ingredients :
Milk – 2ltr
Sugar – 300 gm (ground to powder)
Plantain leaf – 2 nos (Banana leaf)
Lemon -1no.
Vanilla Essence – 3-4 drops(optional)
Pistachio and raisins
Method :
1) Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan. Once the milk comes to boil, squeeze the entire lemon in it. The milk will curdle.
2) Strain the excess water from the curdled milk and the chena (paneer) will be formed.
3) Now tightly bind the chena in a muslin cloth and put any heavy weight article over the chena for 1 hr. I generally take a big bowl and fill it up with water. Then I place this water filled bowl over the chena tightly packed in the muslin cloth.
4) By putting pressure like this above the chena will help to drain away excess water and the chena will be totally dry.
5) Now after draining out the excess water, mash the chena with the end of your palm to make a smooth mixture.
6) Add the powdered sugar to the mashed paneer.
7) Add the vanilla essence and mix well.
8) Now take the plantain leaves and make pieces of 6” x 6”.
9) Take 2 spoonful of the paneer mixture in each plantain piece and wrap it completely. If required you can tie the wraps with a thread.
10) Bake the paneer in microwave for 15 minutes at 80% power.
11) After baking, unwrap the sweets and garnish with pistachio and raisins.
12) Refrigerate and serve.
