My childhood winters came with loads of fun. I have vivid memories of my Thamma (grandmother), sitting on a small Mora (wicker stool), her back to the warm, early winter sun. Her starched, crisp, white cotton sari with a red border draping her Alta adorned feet, a Kulo (winnowing basket) on her lap. Her hands deftly churning out chosir in a continuous motion, filling up the basket. Seeing the spindle-shaped chosi take form, so effortlessly, was mesmerising. I watched the magic in awe, as my heart danced in joy, as I knew Chosir Payesh was on the way.
With the advent of winter, new crops of rice are harvested. The date palms yield the quintessential Nolen Gur (jaggery), with its unique flavour. It’s time to use the new rice and gur to make Pithe, the traditional Bengali delicacies, honouring Dhanalakshmi, the harvest deity.
Chosir Payesh is one such traditional delicacy that is a rare gem now.
Chosir Payesh
Rice flour – 100 gm
Hot water – 1cup
Salt – A pinch
Milk – 1.5 litre
Nolen Gur – 200 gm
Boil water with a pinch of salt and add rice flour to it, stirring well for five minutes. Let the rice flour cook. Transfer to another bowl and knead into a dough. Take a pinch of the dough and with a gentle swipe on the palm of the other hand make small spindle shapes. This is chosi pithe. Make with rest of the dough. Boil the milk. Add the chosi till it is cooked and the milk thickens. Bring the milk and Chosi moisture down from the heat and add the Nolen Gur.
My Food Story is a collection of stories and recipes that celebrate India’s traditional plant-based ingredients sourced from local biodiversity. You can see these recipes on our interactive dashboard (https://www.cseindia.org/page/myfoodstory).
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Shreya Biswas is a storyteller and owner of Cloud Kitchen, West Bengal