Today we celebrate 72 years of our nation's Independence from the British Raj. It's a day to reflect on a hard fought freedom, our rise as a nation and where we stand today.
The age old issues still hold us back. The deep rooted Corruption, the VIP culture, the maddening Bureaucracy, the unemployment and the Poverty. The recent times have also shown heinous atrocities committed against children and women, the depravity of it bone chilling. There have been public lynchings of "beef eaters" and other hate crimes against religious minorities. The Government in power has left a lot to be desired while the Opposition fails us time and again.
It's hard times in India..but the spirit of the common Indian will not be broken easily.
Because today we will still celebrate our beloved country with pride and hope. We will be standing tall and singing " Jana Gana Mana" with ramrod backs while across the country, in schools, offices and institutions the Tiranga ( the Indian tricolor flag of Saffron, White and Green) will unfurl proudly.
Happy Independence Day..Jai Hind!
Today on this happy occasion I'm sharing with you my mom Lucy's very special sweet recipe, a Potato Bebinca.
Potato bebinca may seem like a poor cousin of the Queen of Goan desserts , the Traditional Layered Bebinca but believe me, it lesser effort for an equally delicious morsel of goodness!
The only variation I've made to mom's original authentic recipe is a bit of a cheat really...I've switched from using freshly squeezed coconut milk to packaged coconut milk! Saves a ton of time without compromising the taste too much.
To add a touch of festivity I've marbled it in our National Flag's colours!
LUCY'S POTATO BEBINCA
Ingredients:
1 kg Potatoes
750 gms Caster Sugar
1/2 cup Pure Ghee ( or 100 gms melted butter)
6 egg yolks
1 cup of freshly squeezed thick Coconut Milk( or 200 gms of packaged Coconut Milk)
1 tbspn of Ground Nutmeg
100 gms of All Purpose Flour ( aka Maida)
Colours to tint
Method:
Preheat the oven at 180 C.
Wash the Potatoes thoroughly and boil til soft. Drain the potatoes once a knife pierced through goes smoothly in.
Peel the boiled potatoes. Grate them into a bowl and mash till smooth and creamy.
Measure the sugar into a large deep bowl. Add the pure ghee( or butter). Carefully, separate eggs and add the yolks to the mixture.
Beat till sugar stars dissolving with a handheld blender.
Gently add in the Coconut Milk.
Scoop mashed potato in small portions into the egg mixture and beat till blended in.
Add the ground nutmeg.
Keep adding increments of the mashed potato till it's all incorporated. The mixture will be fluffy with small lumps.
Measure out 100 gms of AP flour and gently whisk it in. Used a spatula to thoroughly fold in batter and mix well.
Separate the batter into three with the plain batter being a higher percentage. Add in the colours to the other two and stir well.
I used a new range of entirely natural food colour ( trying it out for the cakery) and they gave a nice vibrant colour. My mom in her original recipe would make a rich caramel of 1/4 cup sugar and a little water. This she would add to the batter once it was no longer hot. It gives a deep golden brown tint to the bebinca and adds a nutty hint to the taste.
Grease a 9" square tin with ghee or butter. Pour the plain batter in gently.
Scoop in the coloured batter in patchy shapes alternating the green and orange.
Use the back of a spoon to stir gently through the mix to swirl the colours into a pretty pattern.
Pop the tin into the oven and let it bake for 35 mins on 150 C.
The bebinca is done when it's firm to touch but still has a jiggle when the pan is given a gentle shake. Almost like a baked Cheesecake.
Let cool to room temperature, slice and serve with tea or as a rich dessert.
Enjoy!
Vande Mataram!
