The earth rotations evokes season, and with each passing
season comes, the festivals that are particularly associated with that season.
Winter, although proclaimed to be rather cold, kind of a villain in a film, but
even then, there are many festivals, specific of these seasons which prepare us
for celebrations. Last year in December we celebrated Christmas. Now it’s
Lohri/Makar Sankranti/Pongal/Poush Parbon, actually these all are quite similar functions but with
different names particularly region specific in India.
Wish you all a very
happy Makar Sankranti, Poush Parbon, Lohri, and Pongal.
Being raised in a traditional family, those never-ending
get-togethers, party and festivals, always sounded like a “Mela” to me. Every
season has various festivals, and each festival was integral part of our family
culture, even including Christmas. And once the New Year ushers in, it was soon
time for “poush- parbon”, as in a typical, middle-class, joint Bengali family.
Three days were important, every corner of the house was mopped and cleaned and
then it was the usual routine of making various Pitha and pulley in our family kitchen.
This goes same with my husband’s family. Although it was more rigorous, as it
was so specific of Kolkata culture. For us probashi, it was lenient, in terms
of cooking pitha or pulley.
My Ma-in-law observes Sankranti for two-three days.
Each day a new type of pithey or pulley should be made, like-
shoro Chakhali, ranga aloor pithey,
Sedho pulley-pitha etc and must is nolen gur’er payesh.I have listed few Sankranti recipes over
here.And
Sankranti celebrations in my in-laws native’s place without nolen gur’er
payesh, is incomplete. Now, My Ma who has mix of both the world, I mean UP culture and
Bengali culture, she makes Sankranti Khichuri and also one of the various
pithey only on Sankranti day. For her, a Sankranti celebration is incomplete if
she doesn’t make “Sankranti Niramish Khichuri” and “pati shapta”.
Today, I thought of sharing a long forgotten recipe,
Choshi’r payesh.As it seems to me now with a vague memory, I can’t recall when
was the last time I ate it, so forget about making it in my kitchen. Then I
searched in internet, it added to my further disappointment.So, to be honest
this is my first attempt of making choshi/chushi.As I can’t recollect the
method, I called back home to ask my Ma to guide me with her recipe, while she
was telling me about two possible way of making this. One was with atap
chal/rice flour and other with khoya+maida.How ever, she is keen on making the
choshi with khoya+maida, as it tastes more flavourful.
She herself has seen her grandmother – making
“Choshi”- chushi, all from scratch, which obviously is a tedious process, as in
those days, there was nothing called commercialization aspects of recipes. So,
every home used to make home made rice flour or even making or shaping choshi with
their hands. Once the Choshi were shaped and made, then it used to sun-dry. Once the choshi were sun-dried properly, on Sankranti eve or on one
of the days during Poush Parbon, they would make Choshi’r payesh.Usually, it
was first fried in ghee and when the milk has thickened with sugar or “nolen
gur”, the choshi were slowly added to the simmering milk/kheer, finishing off
with sprinkling crushed cardamom powder.My Ma has a very melodious and lyrical
way of describing the act when the “choshi” should be added to the thickened
milk in case it’s made with rice flour as once they are added , it tends to go soggy or fall apart in milk.Put the flame to med-high when you are
about to add choshi and ‘jokhon dudh ta
“tog-bog” korey phute uthbe, tokhon chushi ke ashte korey dudh e chere dite
hobe,anch ta bondo korey, er por chapa diye rakhte hobe.” (Ok I don’t need to
translate that.)
That was a long process, and time –consuming affair. These days,
when I don’t have much time on my hand, like many of you, I would suggest make
it with “ready-made choshi” which are now easily available in various grocery stores
in Kolkata during these Poush- parbon days. And in case you don’t have access
to ready-made choshi, then read ahead and try to make it in your home kitchen.
If a novice like me can do it, so you can.
Since I have made it with Milk powder+maida, I will just put
a note about the Rice flour choshi pithey.All the process of making choshi pithey
remains the same except just not making it with rice flour.
Note about Rice flour Chushi Pithey
Take about half cup of rice flour and knead it with lukewarm
milk. After the dough has started to collect well, it will be soft to touch.
Now divide in two portions. Roll each portion with the help of your palm and
shape it like choshi. After the milk has thickened, add in sugar or nolen gur
if using it. Let it dissolve completely. Fry the choshi in ghee, just barely to
give them a nice golden colour at low flame. Add them in the thickened milk,
cover and let it simmer for few minutes. Switch off, and let it cool.
Now to the method which we have made- (My Mother’s recipe)
Choshi’r payesh
Recipe requirements
For the choshi
- ¾ cup of milk powder
- ¼ cup of maida/ flour
- Or 1 cup of khoya+4-5 tbs of maida
- 800 ml or 2 ½ -3 cups of whole milk roughly
- 3-4 crushed cardamoms
- 5-6 tbs of sugar or to taste or Nolen Gur as per taste
- 3-4 tsp of ghee
Method
Chushi making and shaping
- In a mixing bowl, mix in milk powder+ maida. Knead them
well, with lukewarm water. Or you may use Khoya if you can get it fresh as that
is what my mother uses it.
- Now after it starts collecting well, divide the dough in to
small portions. With clean hands, roll each portion in to a long rope, use some
flour if the dough is sticky.
- Each rope can then further be divided into portions. Roll each
portions in to the shapes as depicted in the “how to shape picture”. Now
usually at this time the Choshi is roughly 5-6 cm. You can go ahead and make it with this
much long choshi. As you can see, I have further reduced the length to roughly
2 cm.Now put them to air dry for about an hour.Unused dough freezes well, and in case you want to fry them all, do so and store in fridge, consume within 2-3 days.Ok to be precise, if you can shape like "Orzo pasta shape" then that is nearly perfect.
- Make other choshi similarly. Do not hurry, take time to roll
the choshi, and shape them with gentle hands. The smaller they are chances are they won’t break
in the thickened milk.
Now to making payesh with Choshi
- Meanwhile you are making choshi, put the milk on heat, Crush
cardamoms, and add in to the simmering milk. When the milk has reduced (which at least require 30-35 mints at med-low flame, and stirring in between ), add in sugar.You can also add in nolen Gur, which gives that rustic touch to Choshi’r
payesh.And I don’t need to write about the flavor.
- Put a fry pan on heat; add in ghee/oil. Now fry the choshi
on low flame, just barely giving them a nice golden to brown colour.We require about
¾ cup of choshi or two handfuls of
home-made choshi.
- When the sugar has completely dissolved, the milk tends to
get thinner, even though it already has thickened earlier. Don’t fret; continue
simmering another 10-15 mints. You will see the milk starts thickening again. At
this point add in the fried Choshi to the thickened milk. Few minutes of
cooking and stop cooking it further. Let it cool.
- Refrigerate once it gets cooled; consume within 2-3 days.
Enjoy the choshi’r payesh.
This is absolutely divine in taste, and if you can make it
with nolen gur, I really don’t think, I need to write further.
Note-
Choshi’r payesh -the recipe above is how our home makes it,
I don’t claim it to be traditional, as the traditional process is time consuming.
If you are making choshi pithey payesh, then make it with rice flour. Although
personally I will prefer the taste of choshi payesh, if choshi is made with
khoya or milk powder.
Happy Cooking and have a Happy Sankranti and Poush Parbon.....
