Chaler Payesh - Rice Pudding

 

Chal'er Payesh

A comforting and deeply satisfying end to a meal, rice pudding is a favourite with young and old alike.

Bori Diye Doodh Lau - Bottle Gourd/Chayote Squash Simmered in Milk

Bori Diye Doodh Lau

Doodh Lau (Milk Bottle-Gourd) is a simple way of cooking squash which is suitable for people suffering from stomach ailments. This dish uses no spices and the seeds from the peppers can be removed, if need be. Bottle-gourd is widely available in most parts of India whereas chayote squash is found in the hilly regions, namely Darjeeling, which is nestled in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains.

Chayote Squash

Lau or Bottle Gourd

Chayote squash, sourced from Mexico (I think), is more readily available in North America and can be found in supermarkets across the US. Lau or bottle-gourd can only be found in the Indian markets and some Asian markets where I live. Both chayote squash and lau have no taste of their own and absorb the taste of the gravy in which they are cooked. Lau tends to break down more easily than chayote squash and reduces to practically nothing because of its high water content. I use chayote squash interchangeably with lau and have cooked it in all the ways that I've seen lau being cooked, most notably with shrimp, in a mustard sauce and in milk and bori.

Sona Mung Bori

Bori are lentil dumplings that are spiced heavily in North India, but more delicately in West Bengal. Made from mung beans, Bengali bori are small and round with a pointed crest. They are dry and hard because they are traditionally formed by hand and dried in the sun. I like to fry them to a golden brown and soak them in boiling hot water and left to soak until ready to use. I drain the bori and save the water for flavouring the lau or chayote squash. 

Plain milk can be used to make the gravy for doodh-lau, but I prefer to use the shelf-stable variety called evaporated milk, from which 60% of water has been removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk which contains added sugar.

Squash Simmered in Milk

Aam Doi - Baked Mango Yogurt Dessert

I found this recipe on Bong Mom's Cookbook but modified it a bit because the idea of using mango pulp as well as condensed milk seemed too sweet.  This is made the same way as Bhapa Doi except that condensed milk has been replaced with mango pulp. 

This is very quick and easy to make and took me exactly 10 minutes to put together and pop in the oven before setting the table for dinner.  We were so anxious to try it that we had it for dessert right after dinner today.

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 oz.) mango pulp*
1 can Carnation Evaporated Milk
1 tub (7 oz.) Greek unflavored yogurt**
1/2 tsp. saffron, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. Blend all ingredients and pour into an oven-proof dish.
3. Place the dish in a larger pan of water.
4. Bake at 300F for 45 minutes or until the edges brown slightly.
5. It's okay for the center to jiggle slightly.
6. Refrigerate overnight and serve cold.

*   Mango pulp is available in cans in Indian grocery stores.

** Greek yogurt is thick enough that it doesn't need to be strained, which saves time.  If Greek yogurt is not available use plain yogurt that has been strained overnight or use this tip provided by Vidya for a quick way to strain yogurt:  Spread a whole ( yes all 20 pages ) newspaper on your counter, cover with cheese cloth, folded twice over. Spread the yogurt on this in a 1/2 " thin layer. Wait 10 mins and it's done! Wait a little longer and you have a nice curd cheese.

Bhapa Doi

Bhapa (steamed) Doi (yogurt) is a baked yogurt dessert that tastes a lot like cheesecake.  It is also very similar to Laal Doi (red yogurt) that is available in the Kolkata sweet shops (misti dokan).

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz.) can condensed milk
1 (16.oz.) can evaporated milk
1 (6 oz.) tub plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Blend all ingredients.
3. Pour into a glass baking pan and bake at 350*F for 30 minutes.
4. Lower oven temperature to 275*F and bake for another 30 minutes.
5. Refrigerate overnight.

Caramel Custard

Caramel Custard or Flan

This is the easiest method I know for making caramel custard, also known as flan in Spanish or crème brûlèe in French. The texture of this pudding is firm and smooth and it tastes heavenly! 

The ramekins filled with custard should be placed in a bain marie (ban-mah-REE). This is a fancy term for a hot water bath used in cooking delicate foods like custards, cheesecakes or terrines. The hot water creates a gentle and uniform heat around the ramekins. Find a baking dish with high sides that will hold the eight ramekins. A roasting pan or casserole dish works well. First pre-heat the oven, heat 1½ cups of water, pull out one of the oven racks and place the pan on the rack. Pour hot water into the pan, carefully arrange the ramekins in the pan, making sure the water comes only half-way up the sides of the ramekins. Gently push the oven rack back in place, shut the oven door and the puddings are now ready to be baked.

After baking, remove the ramekins from the bain marie and wipe off the water from the bottom and sides of the ramekins. It is best to chill this pudding in the refrigerator overnight but if there's not enough time, allow to chill for at least 3 hours.  

Ingredients (makes 8 custard cups)

Caramel:

   ½ cup sugar

   ½ cup water

Custard:

   4 eggs

   1 (14 oz.) can Carnation Evaporated Milk

   1 (10 oz.) can Eagle Condensed Milk

   1 (8 oz.) cup fat-free ½ & ½ or milk

   1 tsp. Vanilla extract

   Raisins (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. in a small saucepan, simmer sugar & water until caramelized.
3. Divide caramel between 6 ramekins and set aside to cool.
4. Beat eggs and combine with remaining custard ingredients.
5. Stir thoroughly until mixture is smooth & pour into six prepared ramekins.
6. Prepare roasting pan as outlined above and place ramekins in it.
7. Bake at  300°F for 60 - 75 minutes until set and center jiggles slightly.
8. Refrigerate overnight and invert onto dessert plates to serve.

Notes: To darken color of caramel, add 1 tsp. instant coffee to caramel ingredients before simmering.


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