#EasyIndiandessert

[lazyfoodieskitchen]

Eggless Dessert Crepe (Pati Shapta)

Pati Shapta is nothing but eggless dessert crepe with sweet coconut filling. It is a very popular traditional dessert in Bengal especially made during winter. Sometime in mid-January Bengalees celebrate "Poush Sankranti" also known as "Makar Sankranti". That is the end("Sankrant") of "Poush" a Bengali month. This signifies the start of the Harvesting season and celebrated as a harvest festival Poush Parbon. During this celebration, the freshly harvested paddy and the date palm syrup in the form of Khejurer Gur are used in the preparation of a variety of traditional Bengali sweets made with rice flour, coconut, milk, and date palm jaggery and known as 'Pitha'. Pati Shapta is one of them. This dessert crepe is one of the easiest "Pitha" and the most flexible one too. I often stuff it with other fillings than traditional coconut and it tastes great also gives variety. You can improvise this dish as kids lunch with lots of fruits and nuts stuffing rolled in peanut butter and/or chocolate.

Crepe Ingredients

Sweet Crepe Batter

Coconut mix with Condensed Milk

Stuffed Sweet Crepe

Stuffed Sweet Crepe topped with Date Sugar Palm Syrup In this recipe, I have stuffed the crepes with the sweet coconut. The recipe for the sweet coconut is the same as the coconut balls on my site. The batter for the crepe is instant, but I have often noticed that if I rest it for a half-hour or so it comes out even better. The crepe can be enjoyed as is or you can top them with condensed milk, date palm syrup, caramel syrup, or even maple syrup or honey. The thickness of the batter is thin enough to spread a thin layer on the frying pan. Remember to brush the pan with grease, I tend to use either a brush or a paper towel dip in oil and brush on the pan evenly. Read the full article

[lazyfoodieskitchen]

Sweet Coconut Balls

Sweet Coconut Balls are commonly known as Coconut Laddu or Narkel Naru in India, more so in Bengal. Most Bengali household makes this dessert every now and then, especially during festivals. Nowadays we can easily buy these Sweet Coconut Balls in the sweet stores in Kolkata. Today's recipe is dedicated to those who cannot buy them at the stores. We make Narkel Naru or coconut balls for almost all festivals, and for all religious offerings. That is because you can make them ahead of time, and can store for few days without any hassle. In my neighborhood, in almost all houses with GrandMaa's had a stash of Laddu available year-round. This is one of those tastes that we have grown up with and did not think of it as a delicacy back then. Only after leaving home I started missing them.

Coconut Balls with Date Palm Jaggery

Coconut Balls For the longest period of time, I avoided making these, as they were quite tedious. But once the shot cut worked, I do make them often. Some variation of this dessert I use as filling of other dishes as well. You can make these balls with sugar or with Date Palm Jaggery. If you are using the jaggery, it will be reddish in color and will have the distinct flavor of the Nolen Gur (Jaggery). In the above picture, I have mixed the jaggery and condensed milk.

Coconut Ball Ingredients!

All ingredients are mixed together

Coconut Ball Mix ready to be shaped This recipe has very few ingredients. I have used frozen grated coconut, instead of fresh coconut, but in the end, the taste is comparable. I have made this in the microwave as well as in the stovetop. Both are easy and fast. In microwave, it may be easier as you do not have to stir continuously. I soak my frozen coconut in hot milk for a half-hour, but that is optional. It takes 4, 2 minutes rounds in the microwave to get the desired consistency. It can vary depending on the microwave and quantity. Just remember the final mixture should not be too dry. Read the full article

[lazyfoodieskitchen]

Easy Indian Pudding (Chenar Payesh)

If I try to translate Chenar Payesh to English it will be Cottage Cheese Pudding. But that's not exactly correct, as Chena or Paneer is a specific form of Cottage Cheese. It is an acid-set form of cottage cheese. Never the less, the Chenar Payesh is a very popular traditional dessert among Bengalees. It is very delicious and the recipe I will share today is extremely easy. This is one of the few Indian desserts that can be part of a fancy meal but can be cooked in less than half-hour. This is a milk-based pudding, made with a handful of ingredients. I often play around with it and make different variations. The traditional Indian Pudding takes a long time to prepare, it is baked for hours till the milk condenses to desired consistency. My Mother-in-law is one of the finest cooks I have ever met. I have seen her preparing Payesh/Kheer (Pudding) for hours on special occasions like Birthdays and Anniversaries every year. Even though we would enjoy the Payesh to our hearth's content knowing the fact the amount of effort she has put into it, I often wondered if I could keep up with that tradition. But as they say, necessity is the mother of invention ;) I have found my ways to improvise the process without compromising the taste at all :)

Drained cheese curd

Kheer Ingredients!

Indian Pudding is ready to be served! The starting point of this recipe is Chena or cheese curd. You can make it following the Cheese Curd recipe or you can use store-bought Paneer from any local grocery stores or even on amazon. I have tried both versions and they both taste good. In the original recipe, the flavor is from green cardamom seeds. But you can use Saffron, rose water, green cardamon, or any flavor of your preference. You can also add nuts (like Pistacio, sliced almonds, etc) to add some crunch. I have tried this recipe in a slow cooker as well as in an Instant Pot. Both have pros and cons. But using an Instant Pot this can be made in a half-hour with store-bought Paneer. Read the full article