This morning I woke up to a sweet surprise – Prima Donna came back late last night with this delightful Sondesh from Kolkata.

Bengali sweets are unparalleled in their delicacy and are always welcome no matter what. While Odisha and Bengal are fighting for proprietary rights over the Rossagulla ( both claiming to have invented it first ) Sondesh is undoubtedly of Bengali origin .

This sweet is not so sweet and it simply melts in your mouth. But the Sondesh I had this morning was really special: Nolen Gurer Sandesh made with date palm jaggery and typically available only in Winter.

So this was the perfect Sondesh to have. Especially the baked version that had a special ‘smoky’ kind of flavour to it. At first bite, it has a hint of sweetness but as it dissolves in your mouth, its magic hits the right spot.

NO KITES IN MY SKY TODAY

14th January is one of those strange days when the Hindu calendar follows the Solar one to celebrate Makar Sankrant or the beginning of the northward journey of the Sun ( Uttarayan). In my part of India it is called Sankranti and celebrated by flying kites and distributing a sweet made of Jaggery and Sesame seeds. And for those feasting at home, one can indulge in the Tilachi Poli, a flatbread stuffed with jaggery and sesame seed mixture.

At this time of year, kite flying is very popular but thought the tiny shops are busy selling kites and the manja (string coated with fine powdered glass), I can’t see any kites in my sky.

Nor have I been invited to any Haldi-Kumku so perhaps this will be another ordinary day for me.

Anyway, here’s wishing you all a Happy Sankranti.

Ciao,

May the longer days bring you joy and abundance