As is the case on most holidays, I spend the morning in the kitchen learning a new recipe, or preparing an old favorite, to offer the Lord.

This morning my wife suggested I prepare sandesh which is a Bengali Sweet favored by Srila Prabhupada, and one I have enjoyed many times (although I have never personally prepared myself). I have made up a fresh batch of panner (cheese curd) yesterday so will experiment today with this sandesh recipe from the Hare Krishna Cookbook.

Sandesh is a dessert, originating from the Bengal region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, created with milk and sugar. Some recipes of Sandesh call for the use of paneer (curd) instead of milk, which is how I will prepare it, as I have a fresh batch of paneer I made last night.

Ingredients

– curd from 1/2 gallon of milk

– 1 tsp rose water or 1/2 tsp cardamon powder (optional)

– 1 1/4 cups sugar (not more than 1 part sugar to 4 parts curd)

Preparation

Let curd hang 4-5 hours. Remove curd from muslin and knead on a smooth surface untill curd is smooth and oily. Mix curd and sugar and rosewater together in a small pot and place on a very low heat, being careful not to burn. Stir constantly untill curd begins to pull away from the pan and is not so sticky. Remove and knead again. Roll into balls. Garnish if you like for a more traditional look, and offer to the Lord.