Receta Sandesh Recipe - How to make Bengali Sandesh at home and ideas
Sandesh Recipe – How to make Bengali Sandesh at home and ideas
by Swasthi
Sandesh Recipe
Many a times we try some sweets at home and feel that they did not meet our expectations, this happened to us with the Traditional Bengali Sandesh. The traditional one is made using raw chena (paneer), powdered sugar and cardamom powder and nothing is cooked. All these are kneaded to smooth dough and then garnished, refrigerated and consumed. I do not know if there are any versions of this. But this one tastes raw and may not be liked by many. So to remove the rawness, it could be cooked for a while along with sugar or till it reaches the consistency. You can try this Sandesh Recipe for Diwali as it can be done very quickly. After I made the Bengali Rasgulla, I was left with almost ½ cup of paneer, so I used it for making this.
You can make these cheesy delights more attractive by garnishing with whatever you like.I would like to share some of my simple ideas
Garnish with Choco chips or Choco rice (Crice goes well)
Sandesh Recipe – How to make Bengali Sandesh at home
Can add flavor and a traditional look by adding Kesar
Garnish with Tutti Frutti (i have no pics, i could not save it from my little son)
Note: Apart from the 3 main ingredients, I haven’t used anything else for kneading. You can add 1 tsp. pista almond powder to the mix while kneading or you can use 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder or just corn flour. All taste different. The one with nuts tastes nutty, one with Choco tastes Chocolaty (not really) and one with cornflour tastes floury. One made with only paneer and sugar tastes absolutely cheesy.
Preparation time: nil
Cooking time: 5 mins
Makes: 6
Ingredients
- ½ cup paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
- 2 ½ tbsp. Powdered sugar (you can increase slightly too, if using cocoa powder use 3 ½ tbsp.)
- Pinch of cardamom powder
- Garnishing (use which ever you like)
- Few Pistas, almonds, kesar(saffron), Choco Rice or tutti fruit
Method
1. Add paneer, sugar and cardamom powder to a nonstick pan, begin to heat on a low flame
2. Sugar melts and becomes gooey and looks as though you ruined the dish. But don’t worry; continue to cook on a low flame till it reaches a thick consistency. It also begins to leave the sides and looks crumbly
3. When it cools down, if you desire to add anything like corn flour or pista almond flour or cocoa powder, you can add and knead it till everything blends well.
4. Roll them to balls and flatten a bit. Tuck whatever you wish to garnish with in the center. Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve
Shelf life is short. Refrigerate and finish it within 2 to 3 days
In case you like the traditional Bengali Sandesh, here is how to make it
1. Mix paneer, powdered sugar and cardamom powder together. Knead it till everything blends well and roll them to balls, flatten them a bit. Refregerate for 3 to 4 hours.
Happy Diwali