CARAMEL CUSTARD PUDDING WITHOUT EGGS

Other day I went to my friend's home and got introduced to 'ready to make' packet of caramel custard pudding.  In fact, she gave me one packet to try at home.   My pudding was made in a jiffy and turned out to be delicious.   I must confess I had not tasted caramel custard before. I had this weird impression that caramel custard smells like raw eggs. Not really a baseless bias as strict culinary definition of custard is eggs and milk mixed and baked or stirred over low to medium heat until thickened.

The ancient Romans understood the binding capacity of eggs; they were the first to cook them with milk and honey into various custard like dishes.  When the Arabs brought cane sugar to southern Italy, France and Spain, they also brought their love of dessert custard.  Over the years, custard was used in pies, pastries and  sauces in Britain and other European countries and even countries and cultures influenced by them.

In the 19th century America availability of arrowroot, topioca and potato flour were used to give a pleasant smooth look to puddings.  The introduction of cornstarch in 1842 in New Jersey, USA, changed the custard pudding scenario for the better.  In 1844 in England, a pharmacist named Alfred Bird devised custard powder, a flavoured starch mix, for his wife who was fond of custard but was allergic to eggs.  Thus took the birth of modern day custard.  Even to this day Bird custard is a well recognised name brand.

 Indeed, I cooked the caramel custard pudding from the packet but I am one of those cooks who is never satisfied unless I try a dish from scratch.  Somehow I wanted to make this dessert without eggs.  So I started to make the same pudding with yogurt, milk and condensed milk and result was pretty good. I gave myself 98 percent marks when my self appointed food critique husband said this caramel pudding is even better than the boxed pudding you made other day. 

Here is the recipe for CARAMEL CUSTARD PUDDING.

Ingredients:

1 cup cold milk, 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup condensed milk, 3 tsp custard powder, 10 -15 drops of vanilla essence, 1 cup of white sugar.

Method:

Take one cup of white sugar in a non stick pan. On medium heat cook this sugar by adding just two drops of water. When sugar melts and turns light brown, pour it in a pie mould.   Mix custard powder into 1/4 cup of cold milk.  Mix rest of the cold milk, yogurt, condensed milk, vanilla essence.   Now this mixture and custard and milk mixture should be well blended together.  Pour this in the same mould over the carmelized sugar.  Steam this pudding for 15 minutes.  Steam will harden it. After steaming, let it cool off for five ten minutes and put it in the refrigerator. Enjoy this yummy dessert. 

PANEER AND MAKHANA CURRY

Paneer dishes are generally favorite of young and old.  This is one ingredient which can be cooked in varied ways to satisfy the taste buds.  I made paneer and Makhana(Fox Nut) curry.  Traditionally this curry is very rich and heavy but I have skipped heavy cream and milk to make it less sinful.  Best part is I have not compromised the taste of this dish.  I cooked this for a get together and guests complemented me for the authentic taste of this gourmet dish.

Paneer is a fresh cheese commonly used in the cuisine of South Asia, especially in India, Iran, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.  The word "paneer" is of Persian origin.  The origin of paneer is a debatable issue.

Vedic literature refers to a substance that is interpreted by some authors as a form of paneer.  Based on texts like Charaka  Samhita, BN Mathur wrote that the earliest evidence of milk being turned into paneer can be traced to 75-300 CE.  Another theory is Paneer was introduced to India by Afghan and Iranian travelers.

It is believed that Portuguese introduced the technique of breaking milk with lemon or vinegar to Bengal in the 17th century. That explains why paneer or Chhena sweets originated in Bengal.

No matter when and where did it originate, Paneer is the most popular ingredient in the dishes cooked in North India.  So much so most international fast food restaurants in India offer paneer.  McDonald, Pizza Hut, Subway, Domino's and even Taco Bell have paneer in some form in their menu.

So here is my version of Paneer Makhana curry.

Ingredients:

2 big onions chopped finely, 1" long piece of ginger grated, 5 cloves of garlic crushed, 250 grams of cheese(cut into small cubes and pan fried), 2 cups of Makhana (fox nut), 3 large tomatoes, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tbsp khuskhus(poppy seeds), 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp red pepper, 1/2 tsp dried mint leaves, 1/2 cup cashew halves, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp Garam masala, salt to taste, 2 tbsp yogurt(Dahi), 1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil.

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add onion, garlic and ginger till they turn light brown. 

Turn off the flame and let the mixture come to room temperature.

In another pan roast Makhanas without any oil till they turn crunchy.

Soak khuskhus in 1/4 cup of water. After an hour grind this into a paste.

In a food processor grind onion, ginger and garlic mix with tomatoes.

Put this paste back in the same pan and cook on medium flame for five minutes. Add turmeric and black pepper to this and cook another minute.

Now add  khuskhus paste and cook for another three minutes stirring continuously.

Add yogurt, salt, red pepper, coriander powder, roasted Makhana and add one and a half cup of water.

Simmer it till everything is well blended and Makhana turn soft.  Now add fried cheese cubes and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Add cashews and Garam masala and sprinkle mint powder..

Cook on slow flame, while covered, for another minute.

Turn off the flame.

Serve hot with Nan or parantha.

TORTILLA SOUP: MEAL IN ITSELF

On a cold wintery evening when you wrap your hands around the bowl of hot soup, it not only warms up your hands but your heart too.  Like Louise P. DeGouy, Waldorf-Astoria chef, wrote about soup:

"It breathes reassurance, it offers consolation; after a weary day it promotes sociability... There is nothing like a bowl of hot soup, it's a wisp of aromatic steam teasing the nostrils into quivering anticipation."

The evidence of the existence of soup can be traced back to about 20,000 BC. Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers, which probably came in the form of clay vessels.

Commercial soup became popular with the invention of canning in the 19th century, and today a great variety of canned and dried soups are available in the market.  All you have to do is to add water and give it a boil.

Mostly soup is taken as a prelude to what is coming next, but there are soups which are complete meal.  All you need is some crackers or not even that to fill you up.  One such soup is Tortilla Soup which is very flavorful and filling. 

Tortilla soup is generally made with black beans and corn but if you don't have black beans you may use black eyed beans(lobhia beans). If you like to eat salsa and tortilla chips, you will love this soup as you get both in this bowl of soup.  This soup has fiber and protein and is low in fat. It is healthy to eat and easy to cook. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp cooking oil, 1 medium onion chopped finely, 3 cloves garlic minced, 1 small green bell pepper diced, 1 small red bell pepper diced, 2 medium tomatoes chopped finely, salt a pinch,

1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp red pepper powder,  1/2 cup salsa, 2 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups water, 1 cup  black beans or black eyed beans boiled in salt water but drained, 1 cup whole kernel corn boiled in salt water but drained, 1 cup tortilla chips, 1 medium lemon, 1 tbsp ketchup, 1/4 cup grated white cheddar cheese.

Method:

Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Sauté till onion turn translucent.

Add green and red peppers and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add cumin and red pepper powder and stir.  Add broth and water and let it boil. 

After a boil let it simmer for 10 minutes. 

Now add salsa, ketchup, beans and corn and let it simmer for another 15 minutes.

Before serving squeeze lemon juice in the pot.

In every soup cup, put some tortilla chips and garnish with little cheddar cheese.

 NOTE: You don't have to buy salsa from the store. The recipe of tomato salsa is given in my blog of January 9, 2012.  You can make salsa even a day or two in advance.

CHOCOLATE AND STRAWBERRIES DESSERT

"Wanna be always Happy?  Always carry some chocolate with you. ". -- Pablo

With Valentine Day around the corner, a chocolate dessert can be a perfect dish for special someone or even for your next get together. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is not just delicious food it has innumerable health benefits. It lowers cholesterol, prevents memory decline, lowers heart disease risk and it is full of anti oxidants.  So what is there not to like about chocolate.

Last week I bought some strawberries which turned out to be more tart than I expected. Worse is they seemed nice and ripe on the top but when I opened the package, many of them were rotten. I could not waste the good ones so I washed them, cut into small pieces and cooked them with some sugar in order to preserve for a day or so.   That is when it dawned on me to come up with dark chocolate and strawberries combo dessert   This dessert can be made in a jiffy and it does not require any baking.

Ingredients:

 1 cup grated dark baking chocolate. 1/2 cup strawberries, 15 Marie low fat biscuits or any kind of less sweet biscuits, 1/4 cup milk, a few colourful m&ms to decorate 

 Method:  

Cut strawberries into small pieces put three tsp sugar and cook them. When strawberries turn soft and a bit syrupy, turn off the flame. Let it cool off

In a mixer make powder of biscuits. 

In the double boiler melt the dark chocolate. When it gets melted, add milk and stir well. Now add powdered biscuits to the chocolate mix and stir vigorously till everything blends well.

Pour this in a pie dish. Put in the refrigerator for 10 - 15 minutes. 

When it turns a bit hard, pour cooked strawberries in a circle or any other pattern of your choice. Put in the freezer. Ten minutes  before eating  or serving take the dessert out of freezer and decorate with colourful M&Ms. Enjoy.

GREEK LEMON PILAF

This past Christmas Eve, my niece invited family for a party at her home with Greek theme. It was a pot luck party, which means everyone was supposed to make one or two Greek or Mediterranean dishes. I was to make hummus and Greek lemon Pilaf.  As I knew how to make  South Indian style lemon rice, I was not too nervous cooking Greek lemon pilaf for the first time.

Pilaf is a rice dish that starts like risotto where garlic and onion are sautéed in olive oil, then rice grains are stirred in it until they turn translucent with the oil. It is then that protein is added in the form of either chicken broth or vegetable broth.  Cooking rice in a pilaf way transforms plain rice into a flavourful gourmet dish.  There are many rice dishes around the world which are cooked this way:  Right from classic Italian Risotto, to Spanish Paella, to Biryanis of Indian subcontinent and Pilaf variations of Middle East.

Pilaf has very interesting history.  The English term Pilaf is borrowed from the Turkish  Pilav which in turn comes from Persian Polow, Hindi Pulao, from Sanskrit Pulaka which is Dravidian in origin.  The ancient Hindu Epic, Mahabharata mentions rice and meat cooked together and the word pulao or pallao is used to refer to this dish.

Pilaf was known to have been served to Alexander the Great at a royal banquet after his victory over Markanda, modern Samarkand.  It is believed that soldiers from Alexander's army brought the preparation of pilaf back to Macedonia after which it spread throughout Ancient Greece.

Over the period, Pilaf or Pilau became a standard fare in the Middle East with some variations and innovations by Persians, Arabs, Turks and Armenians.  It was introduced to Israel by Persian Jews.

In modern times, Pilaf has become part of cuisine of the world. Let us start our preparation of Greek Lemon Pilaf here.

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice(either long grain or basmati), 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 medium size garlic cloves peeled and crushed, 1 large onion finely chopped, 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon zest,  1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, 4 tbsp mixture of dry basil, dill, chives, mint powder and oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan. 

Add garlic and onion.  Cook for five minutes on low flame.

Add washed rice and stir until rice turns translucent with oil.

Add broth and water.  Place lid on.

Once it reaches boiling point, lower the flame and let it simmer for 12 minutes.

Turn off flame and let it stay for 4 to 5 minutes.

Now mix lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh and dry spices, salt and pepper into this cooked rice.  Mix it well. Serve warm or on room temperature.

NOTE:  You may add lemon juice with broth and water at the time of cooking.  If you prefer fresh lemony flavour you may add lemon juice once rice is cooked. It is all up to you.

IMRATI: LIP SMACKING SWEET

I have been wanting to make Imrati for quite sometime. This used to be my mother's favourite sweet dish. So every time I miss my Mom I tell myself to make this sweet dish. Other day i with my sister's help made Imrati. Experiment was a success as you can see in the picture

But before we start collecting the ingredients for the Imrati, let us look into the origin of this popular sweet.   Imrati or Jahangiri is a popular sweet of sub continent of India.  There is a saying the Imrati originated in the Mughal kitchen. Prince Salim,  Jahangir was very fond of sweets. Once he got bored with all the usual sweets and demanded to eat something new.  Royal kitchen cooks were in a fix. Finally one cook remembered a sweet similar to Imrati in Persia, known as Zulbiya.  The cook gave it an Indian twist and added the urad dal (lentil) and deep fried and soaked in sugar syrup for a short while.  Thus originated the Imrati.

Another theory is that Jalebi originated in ancient India where it was called Kundalika or Jal-vallika. It is said this name was given because the sweet was full oh watery syrup.  Actually Jalebi is the mother of Imrati. Only difference is jalebi is made of white flour or maida while Imrati is made of Urad dal (black gram split)paste. Rest of the process is the same.

Here is the recipe for Imrati which will come handy during Diwali preparations.

Ingredients:

2 cups urad dal(black gram split), 3 cups sugar,  1 1/2 cups of water, 4 drops of orange food colour,  1/2 tsp of cardamom powder, 500 grams ghee for frying, 1 tbsp of crushed pistachio.

Method:

Wash and soak dal for at least five six hours. Drain water and grind dal with very little water so that the batter turns out to be thick.  Mix the food colour and beat the ground dal till fluffy and light.  To test if it is done, put a droplet of this batter in a glass of water. If it floats up, the batter is done.  

Cook sugar and water over low heat till sugar is dissolved.  Cook it for seven minutes or when one thread consistency is formed. Test this between your thumb and finger by putting one droplet and pulling it apart. If it turns into a thin thread, it is done.

Add cardamom powder to the syrup and mix it well.  Heat the ghee in a pan.  Fill the cake Icing tube or empty plastic bottle with a nozzle.  Fill it with batter.  Lower the flame.  Make two circles and then flowery pattern around the circles direct in the ghee. Once Imrati is crispy, take it out and drop it in the sugary syrup for 3 - 4 minutes.  Repeat the process till batter is finished.

Take out the Imrati in a plate and sprinkle with crushed pistachio before serving.

SWEET AND SOUR PUNJABI VEGETABLE PICKLE

Cauliflower. Carrot and turnip pickle is a spicy North India pickle with sweet and sour taste.  This pickle is eaten in small amounts to add flavour and to accent a meal.

Most Indian pickles are prepared using oil and some souring agent like vinegar, lemon or tamarind.  The spices and ingredients vary from one region to another which is a speciality found only in Indian pickles.  One thing is common with pickling process in india, almost all pickles are made with salt, spices, vegetables, oils and are set to mature in sunlight.

Pickling began 4000 years ago although its origin is unknown.  But in India pickles were known in the Vedic period as well.  The Vedic scriptures indicate quite relevant knowledge of the pickles.  Those days pickling was probably done to preserve food for out of season use and for long journeys.

When I was young, I recall making cauliflower, carrot and turnip pickle with my mother and my aunts. It used to be a big production, a ritual and a reason to be together one afternoon.  One aunt will chop the vegetables, second aunt will blanch them and the third one will spread them on a white sheet on the rooftop in the blazing sun. I often helped my mother in grinding the spices and telling jokes to keep everyone's spirits high.

With those memories I ventured out to make this pickle all by myself.  I made these one month ago but that big jar finished in one week.  That encouraged me to make second batch. In the second batch I made a few changes in the process.  Instead of blanching the vegetables, I started steaming them and then drying them in the afternoon sun. This way vegetables dried faster and better.  Any water content in the vegetables can spoil the pickle.  The jar has to be sterilised well.

Here is my recipe of that famous punjabi cauliflower, carrot and turnip sweet and sour pickle which I learnt from my mother and aunts

Ingredients:

1/2  kg cauliflower, 1/2 kg carrots, 1/2 kg turnips, 1 cup white vinegar. 2 cups grated jaggery. 1 cup mustard oil, 1/4 cup grated ginger, 24 medium size cloves of garlic, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp Garam Masala. 1 tsp turmeric. 1/4 tsp asafoetida. 2 tbsp anise, 2 tbsp brown mustard seeds, 2 tbsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp fenugreek seeds, 4 tsp table salt, 3 tsp black salt.

Method:

Wash and peel carrots and turnips.  Chop them into small pieces.
Keep cauliflower in warm water for 15 - 20 minutes and chop into small florets and  drain water. Dry them in the sun or in the shade. If you want you may dry them in the oven with minimum temperature.
Steam chopped carrots and turnips for a few minutes and let them dry just like cauliflower.
Make a ginger and garlic smooth paste in the grinder.
Ground anise, mustard seeds, cumin and fenugreek seeds.
Heat oil in a big pan, add asafoetida and ginger garlic paste. Let it cook well.
Add salts, spices, red pepper, Garam masala and turn off the stove.
In the meanwhile cook white vinegar and jaggery on a medium flame till jaggery dissolves.
Add this to oil mix. Now add all dried vegetables and simmer for two or three minutes.
When it turns completely cool, spoon the pickle in a big jar.
Tie a muslin cloth with a string on the lid of the jar.
Let it sit in the room temperature for next 24 hours.
If you want you can put the jar in the sun for a couple of hours for next two three days.  It helps pickle with the marination process.
Although this pickle can be eaten immediately but it tastes better after two days when spices get into the vegetables.
Enjoy with rice or paranthas.