Choshi'r Payesh on Sankranti

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.....