Mohan Bhog/Bengali Semolina Pudding

Wishing you all a Happy Durga pooja from our family to yours. It's the time of the year Bengali people (who celebrate) start to gear up a couple of weeks in advance to welcome Ma Durga and her family. Ma Durga symbolizes divine force(positive energy) against the negative forces of evil. Durgapooja is also known as Sharodshav. The ritual is observed for ten days but las four days are grand celebration. It's fun festival that brings everyone together regardless of religious faiths. Durgapooja won't be completed without pandel hopping with new clothes, endless fun and partying hard with friends, relatives and neighbors, and last but not least savoring delicious sweet and savory foods.

Some Durgapooja and Lokkhipooja sweets, Narkeler Tokti/Coconut Fugde, Narkolnaaru/Sweetened coconut confection , Gurer Narkol Naru/ Coconut Confection with Jaggery, Labongo Latika I shared are easy to make. This year I am sharing another fabulous sweet recipe "Mohan Bhog" for offering Ma Durga can be ready in just 20 minutes.   

Mohan Bhog is a gorgeous sweet dish which literally means in Bengali food (bhog) and Mohan (Lord Krishna). The basic ingredients are roasted semolina, some flavorings, sugar, milk, some nuts and raisins. Even if Mohan Bhog is meant for Lord Krishna, this traditional Bengali sweet is offered to god and goddess anytime of the year and served as snack dish with puffed fried bread called lucchi. This semolina based sweet is perfumed with ghee(clarified butter), cardamom and saffron. Mohan Bhog tastes heavenly when slowly roasted and slowly cooked on low flame patiently. 

Ingredients~
1 cup coarse semolina
2 cups hot whole milk, reduced by half
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 cardamom pods, grounded
1 big  pinch saffron
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup ghee(clarified butter)
1 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp chopped nut of your choice  

Method~
Soak saffron in the hot milk and set aside. Dry roast semolina in a heavy bottomed pan on low flame until semolina turns light brown. Then pour melted ghee and roast for 2 minutes. Slowly pour warm water and keep stirring. Add in sugar and turmeric powder. Continue stirring so mixture doesn't turn lumpy. Once water is absorbed pour saffron soaked hot milk. Cook for a few minutes stirring continuously. Sprinkle ground cardamom, nuts, raisin and mix well. 

Happy Poojo 2018