Thakurbari r Beet Baata -- Beetroot paste

Though we get each and every vegetable around the year and at all times, every season I tend to gravitate towards those vegetables which were specific to that season  while growing up. 

Well, I make an exception when it comes to three of my favorite vegetables -- tomatoes, cauliflower and coriander leaves. These were very much winter vegetables in my childhood and even while waxing merits of seasonal eating, I am so very glad that now I can have them at any time of the year.

With veggies like Beetroot, I have seen I inadvertently end up buying and cooking more of this veggie in winter than summer. Similarly with Lauki or bottlegourd, which I am pulled towards in summer months but not so much in the winter.

So anyway, every winter, beetroot reminds me of 3 things, Yes the rule of 3 is ruling me today.

Bhejetebil Chop with grated beet and carrots, Beet Gajor er Chechki and a soup that my mother would make with big chunks of carrots, beet, thick slices of onion and potato sautéed in butter and then cooked in a pressure cooker with lots of broth spiced with whole black peppercons, cardamom and probably ginger.

No doubt I loved #1 and #2 but hated #3. I have tried to make that soup a couple of times as an adult and quite enjoyed it but I don't know why LS calls it "chemical jhol" and refuses to have anything to do with it!!

This time when I got beetroot, I wanted a quick easy recipe and found the Beet Baata in the slim book titled Thakurbari'r Ranna.  Now in contrast to popular belief, the recipes included in this book were not necessarily what was cooked in the Tagore Household, neither were they Rabindranath Tagore's favorite dishes.

This book is written by Purnima Thakur, daughter of Nalini Devi and Pramatha Chaudhuri. In the preface, the author very clearly says that these recipes are collected from a tattered recipe book handed down to her by her aunt, Indira Devi Chaudhurani. Indira Devi, the favorite niece of Rabindranath Tagore, had never entered a kitchen or cooked on a regular basis. But she was a connoisseur of good food and whenever she liked a dish that she tasted, she made sure to collect the detailed recipe from the cook and diligently note it down in her book. Purnima Tagore has also included some of her mother's recipes in the book. 

Surprisingly, never once in the book has the author mentioned a dish being cooked in the Tagore Kitchen nor anything about Rabindranath Tagore enjoying "beet baata" on a winter afternoon. She has very deftly and cleanly kept Tagore out of it and yet every time, someone cooks and shares a recipe from "Thakurbari r Ranna"  they want you to believe that the dish will make a poet of you.

If that is your intention, you have to skip this recipe. However you would be foolish to do so. From whomsoever this recipe of "Beet Baata" was collected, was a genius. It is the  easiest thing to do with beets and gives you way more value than the effort you put in. 

Pig In a Pumpkin with Indian spices -- from Chef John's Pumpkin-Braised pork

Pig In a Pumpkin with Indian spices | Chef John's Pumpkin-Braised pork 

Pig In a Pumpkin is a fun, seasonal recipe where the pork is braised for hours in seasonal sweet pumpkin.The original recipe is from Chef John as shared in AllRecipes. The husband-man has used Chef John's braising method and technique but his own blend spices. He has basically used the Goat Sukka Masala as his dry spice powder and marinated the meat with sharp stinging mustard oil, ginger-garlic paste and sliced red onion. Recipe Cards included in this post.

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Back in 2019, the husband-man had made this dish for our Thanksgiving get together. Pig-In-A-Pumpkin might sound like the title of a bad murder mystery or a children's book, but it was huge hit with all who had a chance to taste it. I was in India at that time and missed that chance. 

Once I was back, everyone still kept raving about the dish. I still had not tasted it.

Then whenever any pork dish was made for a party, everyone still kept telling the husband-man, "Oita ja baniyechilis, uff"!! I had still not tasted it.

The thing is, this is a dish which is as seasonal as they come. Mid October to end of November -- that is the short time period ideal to try out this recipe as that is when you will get the type of Pumpkin(small sweet pumpkins used for making pies) needed for this recipe!! The pig you can get any time, that is not seasonal.

This year, I had looked up the Panchang, consulted the Almanac, put in my request early and had committed his Pig-in-Pumpkin for the Thanksgiving get together by October end. Smart move eh?. The husband-man was notified the same well in advance. A week before Thanksgiving, we went in search of the perfect Pumpkin and none were to be found. After scouring through four different Whole Foods and couple of Farmer Markets, the right sized Pumpkin was finally brought home. The Pig was a way easier hunt.

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The original recipe is from Chef John as shared in AllRecipes. The husband-man has used Chef John's braising method and technique but his own blend spices. He has basically used the Goat Sukka Masala as his dry spice powder and marinated the meat with sharp stinging mustard oil, ginger-garlic paste and sliced red onion. He then followed the method as shared by Chef John.

The dish is really delicious, with the pork being cooked in the pumpkin for almost 4 hrs, the meat is tender and soft. The warm spices and sweetness from the pumpkin play together to bring a delicious flavor to the dish.

Baked Rosogolla | Baked Rasgulla -- Diwali sweet treats

Baked Rosogolla | Baked Rasgulla

Baked Rosogolla is a delicious and easy twist to the classic Bengali Rosogollar Paayesh where the Rasgullas(Rosogolla) are baked/broiled in a thick caramelized sweet milk. The broiling in the oven gives a nice caramelized surface to the roshogollas. I had first tasted it from the sweet shop of Balaram Mullick few years ago and I find the easy homemade version is very close to that taste. This comes together very quick and is a super easy Diwali sweet to take for your Diwali potluck

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First a  Disclaimer: Although I celebrate Diwali with as much merriment as any other, I do not usually make sweets on Diwali. 

Preparing sweets for Diwali is not a tradition I grew up with. Very practical too, as we are done with our sweets like naru and sondesh making first for Bijoya Dashami, then Lokkhi Pujo and now we are prepping to make more for Bhai Phota. In between is Diwali, when we light up candles, enjoy some fireworks, do Kali Puja, eat bhog prasad and enjoy sweets gifted by other people!!!

So this post is for you. Not me. 

I will eat grilled vegetables, no-oil chicken curry, light Diyas and try to lose 10lb of my hard earned Pujo weight while you won't.

Happy Diwali

If you are still searching for Easy Diwali Mithai Recipes here you go

Microwave Besan Mithai | Besan Laddoos

It has been 8 years since I first made these laddoos for Diwali🎆. 8 years back making *besan laddoos in the microwave* was a novelty and I had learned it from another blogger.

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I feel ancient even saying that how much internet & social media has exploded in these last 8 years. Now if I search a recipe, there is such data deluge that I don't know which one to pick. So thankful that I knew Supriya and had got this recipe from her blog back then.

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Else you know my Diwalis would be sweetless.

For if you have known me even for t-e-n nanoseconds you would know that when there is a microwaveable-done in twenty minutes- besan laddoo versus stovetop-arm twisting- back aching-one whole hour-besan laddoo, I will choose the former.

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If you are the kind who will go for the latter, more power to you and a Happy Diwali in the kitchen. Others, please follow the recipe link and say sweet things about me😜.

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I had added a little more ghee by accident and couldn't make those round laddoos. So put them in cupcake liners, stuck a chocolate chip and voila there were besan laddoos that doubled as Diwali Diyas.

Microwave Kalakand | Chocolate Kalakand

In the fag end of 90s and early 2000s, we were new to this country. Fireworks were not sold in NJ and only allowed during 4th of July celebrations. No stores sold special mithais or namkeen for Diwali.

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Come Diwali, we however diligently strung fairy lights on the porch, lit 14 candles for choddo prodeep, trekked to the only Kali Pujo in some high school and then got our movie tickets for the rare treat of a Bollywood movie in a far away theater.🎬. Yes movie tickets!

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For in those days, Diwali was the time when KJo movies with all the bling, drama, Kajol, Rani and SRK would be released. A group of us friends would go together and the sole theater showing Hindi movies would be brimming with people. Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kal Ho Na Ho...Ahh those were the days. 

And in one of those early days, totally a novice in cooking anything at all, I had learned to make Kalakands in the microwave from my friend R. It was probably the first dessert or meetha I had learned to cook! And it was so easy. I was thrilled with the result. Later I even added a chocolate layer to make chocolate kalakand for my kids.

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It is still a sweet that reminds me of those days -- the Diwalis that glittered with whatever little we had, twinkling fairy lights dancing in cold fall evenings and romance, drama, bling unfurling in a big movie screen. 🎆🎇

Chanar Jilipi | Chhanar Jilipi

Chhanar Jilipi (or Paneer Jalebi) is a typical Bengali sweet which holds its place is a few ranks above the Ledikeni, which in turn is again a rank above Pantua. All of them are kind of similar except for the shape. They are made of  maida (all-purpose flour), chhana (or Ricotta Cheese), deep fried and dunked in syrup.

Here is  easier recipe with Ricotta and Bisquik which I am sure you will love.

Sondesh | Bengali Sandesh | Shondesh

Sandesh is a popular Bengali sweet made from fresh chhana/chenna aka home made paneer also known as curdled milk solids. The chhana is kneaded with sugar and different flavorings to make different variety of Sondesh. Different kind of kneading from smooth to grained, leads to different types of sandesh.  Other than making the chhana, it is not a very difficult dessert to make. Try it this Diwali

Khejur Gur Rosogolla | InstaPot Rosogolla

Roshogolla or how it is famously known as Bengali rasgulla needs no introduction. There was a time before internet and micro-cuisine, when people from different regions of India had little idea about what other Indians ate, spoke, wore; and yet when faced with a Bengali they would say "Rasgulla Khaabe?" That is how cliché it was. Rasgulla aka Roshogolla == Bengali. 

Of course then come the the whole war about whose-Rasgulla-is-it-anyway and GI tags and now I am not even sure to call it Odiya Rasgulla or Bengali Roshogolla or Cheese Balls Dunked in syrup!!! Anyway if you want to make it this Diwali -- there are two methods that I have on my blog a. Instapot Rosogolla and b. Rosogolla in Pressure Cooker or a Regular Pot.

Lobongo Lotika

The Lobongo Lotika is  a delicate square shaped parcel of flour, stuffed with kheer, the flaps of which are secured with a lobongo or clove,and then dunked in a sugar syrup. This is a sweet that I love immensely. At the end of the sweet sensation, biting into that clove brings about a fresh, pungent and spicy burst of flavor. A very different and refreshing note to end the sweet journey. I used to be a bit weary of the lobongo as a child and wished mine didn't have any. I would always eat around it. But as I grow older, I have come to appreciate the innovative mind of the sweet maker who first came up with this sweet and used a clove to tie up the loose ends. What brilliance!