I often drop in here on the way home from work to buy vegetable samosas and pakoras. Add some spicy tamarind sauce or mango chutney... mmm, delicious. MISTAAN is the Bengali word for sweets.
There's a wonderful selection of burfi.... Bengalese sweet desserts.... in all flavours: coconut, mango, pistachio, almond, cashew, date, and some even have edible silver foil on them for decoration.
My favourite Indian dessert is Rasmalai, made from paneer (soft cheese) flavoured with coriander (no not coriander, I meant to say cardamom, thanks to Peggy's husband for putting me right!) and almonds, served in a sweet milk syrup. Probably full of cholesterol and all the things I shouldn't be eating, but what the heck?
Everything looks so delicious and so very colorful! I'm not sure I've ever had Bengal deserts before. LOVE samosas and pakoras, though! mmmm! I'm sure there must be a store somewhere in the Bay Area that sells sweets, I'll have to keep an eye out for one.
ReplyDeleteALL of these things you've named are totally new to me! Hmmm. Looks like I need to get with it !!
ReplyDeleteAhh, it is really delightful to know that bengali sweets are available there in Canada too. I can share you a thing that the bengalis are best in making sweets made of milk and milk products all over India...& for the shots- really mouth-watering & well captured!
ReplyDeleteThis is Peggy's husband, yes The Man Of The Place....
ReplyDeleteHaving been an avid and enthusiastic consumer of ras malai for well over 30 years, I can confirm that it's not coriander that's used to flavour it. It's actually cardamom seed. next time you eat some (soon, i hope) keep a look out for the small black seed fragments, the ones that are kind of lemon/vanilla flavoured. that's the cardamom right there!
Saleems - the Pakistani retaurant that I visit in birmingham as often as I can - sells this too, as do almost every other Pakistani restaurants so I think it's a north Indian sub continent kind of thing rather than exclusively Bengali.
It's still yum though. I called in to Saleems on the way back from London last week and after a plate of their heavenly Mateer and Panir curry (curd cheese and peas) I finished off with a bowl of Ras Malai. man, i'm getting hungry just thinking about it :-)
You're so lucky! In Switzerland you'll find only very few and the offer of specialties is much smaller.
ReplyDeleteyour photos remind me of the sweets shop in montmartre that's across from the metro stop near le moulin rouge.
ReplyDeletethis post also reminds me that the farmers market in dupont circle later this morning will have a vendor and his wife selling their homemade 1) vegetable and 2) chicken samosas. love em!
Mad: Burfi are sold by the pound, and have a distinct "perfumed" taste. There are lineups at this shop during Diwali.
ReplyDeleteGinnie: Try it, you'll like it!
Kalyan: Thanks for your kind words, I really love the colours in these foods, I just had to take some photos!
Peggy's husband: I always get Coriander and Cardamom mixed up, they both begin with C! Thanks for the correctiom. Yes Rasmalai is yummy, they cost $1 each in this shop.
Cdnswss: Next time you're in Toronto.... you'll you know where to go to get yummy burfi!
Extreme: Is your mouth watering for the taste of samosas? Better go shopping!
This is all very exotic to me...Not many Indian places in Naples, Florida, but if you fancy some Mexican, this is the place ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou want something from me? take to a place like this, give me sweets. :d
ReplyDeleteIt is 5 pm and all day I was at home, do nothing. I saw your pictures and I decided to go and buy something.
Thank you for the comment, and yes, life does move on. Seeing your note from Ontario reminds me of my hometown, Hollywood, FL, where we have many Canadians flocking during the winter. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOhhh! Love the colors on the trays.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting NYCDP.
Ususally living in a small town brings all types of speciality shops; bakeries, odd goods, restaurants....but....we just got our first sushi place...lots of American food I can make at home, a BarBQ place and tons of chinese...in envy you.
ReplyDeleteOh, do they have an internet shop? Yum. Because I´m totally ready to order.
ReplyDeleteLucky people, I only enjoy some of these deeelicious items when I get the opportunity as they are found on a smaller scale here. Extending my mind is a problem, the site has new vocab,I've heard of Cornwall as a start!
ReplyDeleteMy mistake, read Devonshire, sorry!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about "not supposed to eat". A little of what you desire is good for you.
ReplyDeleteI have just read your comment on my blog re your space cadet born in Middlesbrough! So was I!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhereabouts and when?
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhh!
Everything sounds so yummy. i love trying all the different ethnic foods. Good pictures of them.
ReplyDeleteI live in a multicultural district of my city and there are many shops that sell those sweets near me. In fact to cook asian food is cheaper than cooking western food in my area, therefore we often shop in the asian shops.... I love them. Absolutely love them and the sweets!!! OMGiddy Aunt.
ReplyDeleteMy children ask for sweets for special treats at Easter or Christmas.
I just want to say, thank you for comment on Nelson DP.
ReplyDeleteDo you know the name of the soft-ish chickpea desert? I would love to get a recipe for that!
ReplyDeleteThese are some seriously delish looking eats! I am passionate over Indian food. I am completely obsessed with finding an opportunity to get out to that part of town to try this place. Thanks for this great post.
ReplyDelete