𝑳𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒏𝒊 - 𝑨 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏..

Mr. Bheem Nag said Lady Canning " These are as delicate as your fingers", and the rest is history. 

Ladkyeni is a sweet said to have been originated in Kolkata during the British Raj. Bhim Chandra Nag was one of the most reputed confectioners of Bengal whose shop in Kolkata's Chandni Chawk, Bowbazar still upholds the great legacy he left behind.  It is said that the dessert was prepared in honour of Lady Canning who was coming to India to be with her husband. To commemorate her visit in India, the confectioner prepared the sweetmeat for her. Locals soon started referring to the dessert as 'Ledikeni ', a localized alternate pronunciation of 'Lady Canning.

The sweetmeat gained such massive popularity across Bengal that soon no Puja celebrations were complete without ledikeni. People often confuse it with 'Pantua', which is slightly oval in shape a compared to ledikeni. Ledikeni also may have a fragrant cardamom essence and raisin in the middle of its elongated cylindrical case.

The next time you are in west Bengal, do try the iconic dessert . 

Here is the recipe of Ledikeni..

Ingredients :

Chena of 1Litre milk

2tsp semolina

4pods of cardamom

1 cup sugar

1/2cup water

1tsp lemon juice

Few strands of saffron

Ghee/Dalda for frying

Method: 

•Chena is prepared from 1Litre milk. Heat the milk. Switch off the flame and then add lemon juice, about 3-4tsp and stir it gently to combine. Thats is how you want to form chena for this. When the chena is formed, strain it. 

•Rub the chenna on wooden board because it absorbs excess moisture. The trick is that the chena should be hot while rubbing. •Rub it until there are no tiny lumps. A clean paste like. 

•Add 2tsp Semolina and combine.

•Make finger like shapes out of it.

•Meanwhile prepare sugar syrup with sugar, water, lemon juice and saffron. 

•Keep oil for heating. Te flame should be medium. Deep fry the chenna in low-medium flame. Do not fry on high flame. The colour should be golden in colour. I made a mistake in the beginning by frying it on high flame. The ladikeni turned hard and a bit hollow inside. 

• Let them soak for 3-4 hours. Garnish it with almond flakes and sugar syrup. 

Why go to lames of Bowbazar when you can experience it while sitting at home..

 Happy Cooking❤️