Bagels and Cream Cheese

Bagels and cream cheese are two items that can't really be found here...unless you want to pay upwards of $16 for a block of the imported Philadelphia.  They do have something labeled cream cheese, but do not be fooled, the ingredients say imitation cheddar cheese.

I really enjoy bagels and cream cheese, so when I saw the recipe for bagels in the Badeshi Baberchi (The Foreign Cook), I wanted to give it a try.  I also saw on a friend's blog how to make cream cheese from yogurt, so that was a must try as well.

Here was the process:

 Start with plain yogurt, known as Dahi here (in Hindi) or Doi (in Bengali).

Dump it into a tea towel and tie it up.  I also a tied a spoon in there to help weigh it down.  I saw on a website the idea to hang it off a kitchen cabinet handle so that gravity could also help the whey drain from the cheese.  I let it hang and drip overnight.

 The next morning, it was ready!  I tasted it, but then realized I couldn't remember what cream cheese tasted like.  I had to ask Julie's parents if it tasted right since they just arrived from America, and they said it did.

Then it was time for the bagels.  First mix the dough which is only 5 ingredients:  flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and warm water.

 Then roll it and shape it into circles.  I knew rolling playdough in Sunday School would someday be useful! :) 

 Let it set for a while and then put in boiling water for 3 minutes.

 After that, they go in a hot oven on a wet dishtowel for 6 minutes.

 And then they are baked for 20 more minutes on just the wire rack.

 Here is the finished product!  Yum, yummy!

One of my favorite sayings here is, "We can make that!"  And, when it comes to bagels and cream cheese, we really can!