Sarpuria

The same milk skins layered rather than fried, with chhena and cream between them.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (double cream), dairy (whole milk).

Ingredients

• 2.5 litres whole milk, for the skins
• 1 litre whole milk, for the chhena
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 200 ml double cream
• 200 g caster sugar
• 60 g almonds, ground fine
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Method

1. THE SAME MILK SKINS ARE LAYERED RATHER THAN FRIED, WITH CHHENA AND CREAM BETWEEN THEM. Its article names the three things it is built from -- it was made WITH COTTAGE CHEESE, CONDENSED MILK, AND CREAM -- and leaves the handling to be inferred from the name and from its twin. Sar is the skin of the milk and puri is a round flat thing, and the sweet is that film built up in layers.
2. AND ITS TWIN IS SARBHAJA, FROM THE SAME SHOP. The article records that in 1902 Adharchandra Das opened a sweet shop in Krishnanagar and the shop became known for its sarpuria and sarbhaja, and that he made both BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, AT NIGHT, carrying them out on his head the next morning. Sarbhaja fries the sar; this one does not, and that is the whole difference. Sarbhaja is on its own page.
3. SO THE PROPORTIONS AND THE TIMINGS BELOW ARE MINE. The article gives three ingredients, two origin stories and no method. The milk skins, the almond and the pressing are how those three ingredients become the sweet people describe.
4. COLLECT THE SKINS AS FOR SARBHAJA, AND DO NOT STIR. Two and a half litres at a bare simmer, each skin lifted off with a skewer. Fifteen or so.
5. MAKE THE CHHENA SEPARATELY AND KNEAD IT SMOOTH. The litre brought to the boil, split with lemon juice, strained, rinsed, then kneaded five minutes until it is paste rather than curds.
6. BEAT THE CHHENA WITH THE CREAM, SUGAR AND GROUND ALMONDS. A thick spreadable mixture. The almond is what keeps it from being simply sweet.
7. BUILD IT: SKIN, MIXTURE, SKIN, AND SO ON. Thinly, so the layers stay distinct, in a lined tin.
8. WEIGHT IT COLD FOR FOUR HOURS AND CUT IT IN SQUARES. It should slice cleanly and show its layers. Its article dates sarpuria to the Chaitanya Charitamrita of the 16th century, where it is one of the sweets served to Chaitanya.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes