…No, atleast, not in Bengal!

Although now available throughout the year, the sandesh (made of nolen gur or date palm jaggery) is an unputdownable winter delicacy.

While the internet can tell you almost everything about it you'd possibly need to know, I would be glad enough to share a make-at-home-nolen-gurer-shondesh recipe with you and call it a day! Just in case you don't have a mishtir dokaan (sweet shop, that is) selling the stuff nearby or just happen to live in a place where Bengal lives and thrives in nostalgia. So, here you go…

Ingredients:

1. 1 litre full fat milk (makes about 250 gm cottage cheese/10 sandesh)

2. 1 large or 2 medium size limes (juiced)

3. Half a cup nolen gur/date palm jaggery or, 1 cup grated patali (the solidified form of nolen gur). A combination of nolen gur and finely powdered sugar may also be used depending on one's preference.

4. A few raisins and pistachios (finely chopped) for garnishing

Method:

Bring the milk to a rolling boil and turn off the stove. Add the lime juice. Stir slowly. The milk will start curdling. Strain and rinse the curd under running cold water to get rid of the lemony smell). Tie the cottage cheese tightly in a cheesecloth and hang it from a hook to drain any excess water. Once the cottage cheese is thoroughly drained (3-4 hours), spread it on a flat dish and knead it with the palm of your hands. Add the nolen gur and knead well until the jaggery is thoroughly incorporated and the mixture assumes a uniform consistency.

Now in a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan, heat the mixture over a low flame stirring continuously with a spatula for about 3-4 minutes (or just until the time it no longer sticks to the sides of the pan; cooking beyond this limit will make the mixture chewey and difficult to roll into the desired shape). Transfer the mixture into a roomy bowl. While the mixture is still warm, shape the sandesh with greased terracotta/wooden moulds (or just roll between your palms if you don't have moulds).

Garnish with the rasins and pistachios. Consume within a day.