Sandesh
Another wonderful thing to do with Surabhi and Matilda’s lovely milk! This Bengali sweet is delicious and pretty simple to make (compared to many Indian milk sweets!) We had golden raisins on hand which made a great garnish. You can also use saffron, pistachios or whatever tickles your fancy.
Makes 24 pieces.
Ingredients:
1/2 gallon (8cups) milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Method:
Heat the milk to boiling and add the lemon juice until it separates into curds and whey
Drain the whey using a strainer lined with cheesecloth
Wrap the curds in the cheesecloth, rinse under cold water, and squeeze well.
Once the soft cheese is drained, place on a dry, clean surface and knead it until it rolls into smooth soft dough.
Add the sugar and cardamom and knead it again until the sugar is mixed in well.
Next on low heat cook the cheese mixture stirring continuously with a rubber spatula until the excess liquid cooks out and it starts coming together as a soft dough. This should take about 6 to 7 minutes.
Turn off the heat and keep mixing the cheese like you are making dough.
This is the most important step to this dish; you are just cooking the cheese enough to take out the rawness. If you over cook it, it will become crumbly.
Divide the mixture into 24 equal parts and roll them into balls.
Garnish with whatever you choose
If you like, refrigerate them for a few hours before serving (Sandesh can be refrigerated for up to a week)
