naru-malai (coconut-paneer sandesh)

This year I have celebrated Saraswati puja at my home. After coming to US I have attended saraswati puja twice. The bengali professors in my university celebrate it at their home. There are three reasons for which I wanted to organize the puja this time.

1. In Professor's house the priest is not bengali and he uses some new anjali mantra which is very disturbing.... :(
2. Whenever bengali professors invite us for a puja they specifically ask not to bring non-bengali people. However, most of my friends here are non-bengali. I do not enjoy puja without them.
3. Although we wanted to organize the puja we were not confident enough. This year my friend Anushka's mom made it possible.

For puja, I was managing the cooking department mostly. We invited most of our friends (~35 people). Our friends helped in cutting vegetables. Our menu was simple, typical saraswati puja menu, khichuri, bandhakofi er tarkari, tomato chatni (I'll post their easy recipe soon). Friends brought some other foods also. We also arranged 5 types of sweets, 5 fried items.

                       

Enough of puja description. I made this naru-malai as a prasad. It's easy and tasty.

NARU-MAlAI

Whole-fat milk - 1Gal

Vinegar - 3/4th cup 

Water - 1/4th cup

Condensed Milk - 1can

Grated coconut - 1 cup

(Optional)

Craisins/raisin - 1 for each sandesh

Ground cardamom - 2 tbs

Boil the milk

Mix vinegar with water

Add the mixture in milk

After adding vinegar the milk will start to break 

Keep the mixture on low flame

Once the paneer and water become completely separated, drain out the water as much as you can

Take the paneer in a straining cloth and hang it for overnight 

Next day, heat oil

Add cardamom powder

Add paneer and condensed milk and grated coconut

Now keep on stirring so that it does not stick at the bottom

If you have drained water properly you do not have to stir a lot

Once the mixture becomes tight enough that you can make balls with it pour it in a plate

Now make round, square (whatever shape you want) shaped pieces with this mixture

Do not forget to put 1 raisin or craisin inside it

P.S. This sweet has coconut and paneer both of them get spoiles quickly. Try to finish it fast. Usually it's so tasty that you do not have to worry about it. :)