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Sekai Gohan
Pera: Naogaon's Rolled Sticks of Reduced Milk and Sugar
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Whole milk (dudh) | 4¼ cups (1 L) | The body of the sweet. Its solids and natural sugar concentrate as it reduces |
| White granulated sugar (chini) | 9 oz (250 g) | Sweetness and firmness. It helps the sticks set |
Steps
1Start the reduction over medium-low heat
Pour the cold milk into the heavy, wide pan and add the sugar. Set the pan over medium-low heat and start stirring right away with the flat spatula. Scrape the bottom and sides as you go. As the milk comes up to a simmer, watch the rim: milk climbs fast, so turn the heat down at the first sign that it is rising. The heat is right when the milk simmers steadily with small bubbles and the spatula brings up nothing brown from the bottom.
2Cook it down to a thick kheer
Keep stirring and scraping. This is the long part of the recipe, because the volume has to drop a great deal before anything happens. As the milk thickens it bubbles more heavily and clings to the spatula, so scrape the bottom more often and keep the heat gentle. The kheer is ready when it gathers into one thick, pale mass, pulls away from the sides of the pan, and the spatula drags a clear trail across the bottom that does not close up.
3Spread on a plate and cool until you can touch it
Turn off the heat. Scrape the kheer onto the shallow plate and spread it out so it cools evenly. Leave it alone while the heat comes out of it, and do not test it with your palm. Touch it lightly with a fingertip. It is ready for shaping when you can hold a piece comfortably without it stinging.
Hot sugar and milk burnFresh kheer holds its heat and sticks to skin. Never touch it straight from the pan. Keep children away from the stove and the plate until it has cooled enough to handle.
4Roll between your palms and trim to size
Wash and dry your hands. Pinch off a bite-sized portion of kheer and roll it between both palms into a short, smooth stick. Trim each one with the knife to about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide (5 cm by 1.3 cm). Use no oil and no flour. Clean hands and a cooled kheer are all you need. A stick is right when it keeps its round shape when set down and the surface is even.
5Set the sticks on a tray to firm
Lay the sticks in neat rows on the lined tray with a little space between them. Leave them at room temperature until they firm all the way through. They are done when a stick holds firm as you lift it from the tray and does not bend or flatten.