Friday 14 October 2011

Murir Moa / Sweetened Puffed Rice Laddoos

 Shubho Bijoya!!

After a long time, I was home for Durga Pujo.
Much as I had a wonderful time enjoying the familiar sights, smells and catching up on a lot that I had missed out on the last few years on Pujo,
I was equally disheartened to see huge changes.
The place of my childhood had changed. So have the people.
And the way of life.
To me ... everything.
Tried my best to find some semblance to my childhood ... guess I was wrong to do that.
I was only disappointed.

On the brighter side, I got to meet a lot of friends that I had lost touch with.
And many relatives I hadn't seen for a longish time.
Also, being and adult during Pujo has its advantages.
You can sit at the pujo bari the whole evening with friends, doing nothing but pure adda
catching up, comparing dresses and saris, 
laughing at silly bygone jokes or just pure gossiping .... while the evening stretched into late night.
Nobody will rush you ... that it is getting late ... you have to go home.

Or setting out pandal hopping with friends ... or enjoying street food, 
especially phuchka and jhal muri every single evening.
No ... I don't have much to complain on that.
Just wish that our elders did not age so quickly.

 Now I am back, with a heart full of memories and a phone full of new numbers.

I do not get to make too many things for Bijoya ... a time of celebrating the victory of good over evil.
The reason is Diwali ... which is always just round the corner.
It is for Diwali that I make all the goodies.
But this time I could not resist making a few things.

Maybe it is the visit home that made me crave for all things associated with my childhood.
So was very tempted at trying to make the Muri(puffed rice)r Moa. 
Dida always used to make the best murir moas.

While mine turned out perfect in taste, I failed miserably in making them as perfect rounds.
My hand too is partly to blame.
But am not complaining.
Making them is no joke ... so am glad I tried at least once.
Need
Puffed rice - 2 cupfuls
Jaggery  - a little more than 1 cup  ( I used powdered )
Black pepper - 1 tbsp freshly crushed
Coconut - very thinly sliced
Ghee - around 3 tbsp
Water - ½ cup

How to

Heat around 2 tbsp ghee in a thick bottomed pan or kadahi.
Stir fry the coconut slices on low heat till they are crisp and brown.
Remove.
Put in the jaggery and the water into the pan and keep boiling till the jaggery is completely dissolved and the water starts to dry up.
Wait till it becomes thickish ... then add the black pepper powder, 
the coconut slices and the puffed rice.
Keep tossing and stirring till everything is coated well.
Remove from heat and wait till it cools down halfway.
Now apply some ghee on your palms and take small scoops of the mixture and press with both hands to make round laddoos.
( Remember ... they will not bind if they are too hot or too cold. )
Cool well before storing.

The coconut gives a different feel and is enjoyable when you get a piece in a bite.
And the black pepper gives a beautiful flavour, especially when combined with jaggery.

These stay well for more than a week in airtight jars. 
If you stay in a place that is humid, throw in a few handfuls of plain muri or puffed rice in the jar along with the moas.
It helps to absorb moisture and to keep them crisp.
Enjoy !



17 comments:

  1. Subho Bijoya,Sharmila!So glad to see you and nice that you got to visit home for Pujo.Loved your muri'r moa - looks enticingly good:)

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  2. Looks delicious ...so long I had these ...hope you had gud time celebrating Durga Poja

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  3. wow delicious and yummy ladoos...

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  4. You stirred up my sweet memories. Your write-up reminded me of my visits to my Dida's house in Orissa.You see both my mother and father's side of the family are probashi Bengalis. Dida always had these Murir Moas ready and waiting for us. Oops I have tears in my eyes just thinking about those days.

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  5. Didar por kauke ar murir moa banate dekhini, oshadharon. Tomar Pujo to heavvy keteche, ekhon nishchoy mon bhalo :)

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  6. Happy festival season Sharmila. These rice laddoos or urundais as we call them are a kids delight.

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  7. Subho Bijoya, Sharmila! Moa gulo to besh dekhte hoyechhe. Aami kokhono narkel diye banaini, tomar recipe ta ekbar try korte hobe.

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  8. making them is no joke and I never got to try that. we used to have bihari moawali who brought moa and tilkut every sundays. I still remember the way she used to ask 'moa neben didi moa?' little nasal tone and bhabga bhanga bangla...memories of childhood never gets fade.
    Shubho bijaya Sharmila. tomar barir kache thakle gie moa kheye astam

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  9. Onek din pore Sharmila.. kaalke baba r shathey kotha holo and I was asking him about amader para r pujo and he told he exactly what you wrote.. that is so different that i would not be able to relate. The warmth and familiarity has been replaced with something which we do not know and probably never will. It is really sad. Kintu muri r moya is for ever.:D ekhane gorom komechey and i think A loves this even more than i do. I will have to make it and a little nervous as this is going to be my first. lots of love to you.

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  10. Sudha, Priti, Premalatha ... thanks girls.

    Shilpi ... haan, purono diner kotha mone porle boddo koshto hoye. Mon kharap koro na ... bhalo theko. :-)

    Sandeepa ... mon bhalo. :-)

    Tina ... thanks.

    ISG ... to you too. You are right ... almost everyone of us have nice memories associated with this. :-)

    Archana ... thanks.

    Madhu ... try kore dekho. Coconut + fresh balck pepper = wonderful taste. :-)

    Sayantani ... barir kache thakle bijoya ta onno rokom hote parto tai na? :-)

    Priyanka .. thanks.

    Soma ... jhanpiye poro ... ami jani tumi thik parbe. Amar gulo toh thik moton round o holo na. :-)

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  11. Amazing! I love these, just did not know how to make them. Must, Must, try them.

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  12. Sharmila,
    Shobho bijoya and good to see a lovely post...Muri ke ekto crush korle bodhaye binding e bhalo hoye tobe sotti kotha bolte ami nijey kono din prothem thekhe banae ni ..ma er sathe binding stage e ekto addo help kortaam..and humid condition e muri diye biscuite rakhle o crisp thakhe..ami ekhon ekto break niye chi blogging thekhe ..r dekho tumaar update dekhe nijeke r rokte parlaam na :-D..bhalo thekho ..hugs and smiles

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  13. Shubho Bijoya Sharmila di!!
    ei post-ta pore bhalo laglo..
    Swagata

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  14. How are you, Sharmila? Happy Deepavali to you!

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