Shubo Nobo Borsho (Happy Bengali New Year) to you all. On this auspicious day, here comes a traditional and a long forgotten Bengali dessert. Pithe is generally made during Sankranti and there are a number of varieties. And one of them happens to be "Chooshi Pithe'r Payesh".
Try making it with date palm jaggery, the authentic way, it is simply mouth watering. This dessert has not been commercialized yet and remains purely a homemade one. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this amazing delicacy.
I had the opportunity of relishing it at the hands of my late grandma in law more than two decades back. And this is my very first attempt at making it. It turned out simply delicious.
You need to have a lot of patience to dish out this sweet, but it is worth all the effort. These days you get store bought Chooshi in Kolkata, but it is absolutely nothing compared to the satisfaction you get from home made chooshi.
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. ghee
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 3 1/2 cups full cream milk
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 5-6 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tbsp. fresh grated coconut
- 2 tbsp. pistachios, chopped
- 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
- 1 tsp. rose water
To make the Chooshi - In a bowl add the rice flour and pinch of salt. knead into a dough by adding lukewarm water, little at a time. Cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
Divide the dough into several small portions. Take each portion and roll lengthwise on a flour dusted surface.
Divide it further into very small portions. Pick each portion and roll it lengthwise again. Take a small piece of the dough and roll out into chooshi shapes, around 2-3 cm. long (as shown in the picture below) in between your palms.
Keep dusting with rice flour so that it does not stick to your hands. Transfer to a bowl and keep aside.
To make the payesh (Kheer) - Heat ghee in a pan and sauté the prepared chooshi for a minute. Keep aside.
Bring the full fat milk and the bay leaves to a boil in the same pan. Simmer on a low flame for 10-15 minutes by continuously stirring.
Now add the evaporated milk and sugar. Simmer further for 5-10 minutes till the sugar is dissolved.
Now add the fried chooshi, chopped pistachios and coconut. Mix everything well and simmer on a low flame for 10-12 minutes by stirring continuously.
When done, add the cardamom powder and give it a stir. Take off the flame and allow it to cool down a little. Add the rose water and serve them chilled.
Take rice flour & a pinch of salt in a bowl.
Knead into a dough by adding lukewarm water, little at a time.
Divide dough into several small portions. Take each portion & roll lengthwise
on a flour dusted surface.
Pick each portion & roll out lengthwise again. Take a small piece of dough
and roll into chooshi shapes.....
This is how the chooshi's are shaped.
Transfer to a bowl.
Heat ghee & sauté chooshi in it. Keep aside.
Bring full fat milk & bay leaves to a boil in the same pan. Simmer on
a low flame for 10-15 minutes by continuously stirring.
Add evaporated milk & sugar. Simmer further for 5-10 minutes till sugar is
dissolved. Add chopped pistachios.
Add fried chooshi,
Add coconut. Mix well & simmer on low flame for 10-12 minutes
by stirring continuously.
A dd cardamom powder & give it a stir. Take off the flame & allow it to cool.
Add rose water & serve them chilled.
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