Caramel Pudding or Crème caramel

         Caramel pudding or Crème caramel is a delicious traditional dessert with a layer of creamy caramel over silky custard. The dish is eaten throughout the world. Caramel custard is my favorite pudding too. This dessert could be served warm or chilled, this caramel-glazed classic is both a comforting and elegant dessert.

All through my childhood, my Mom used to make caramel pudding as a Sunday special. My sisters and me we loved this pudding. This was a for sure dessert at home when we have guests coming over for Lunch/ dinner. My Mom is an expert in making this pudding. I would say this is her signature dish. Today I am gonna share my Mom’s recipe with you all and am sure you will love this dessert as I do.

Ingredients

½ cup sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups very warm milk

Ground nutmeg, a pinch

Method

Making Caramel :

Add sugar in a dry pan and leave it untouched until the sugar melts down completely and turns slightly brown. Add water and the sugar syrup will start bubbling up. Do not stir just swirl to heat up evenly. Once the mixture turns golden brown then pour the caramel into moulds or ramekins immediately so that spreads to fill the base. Take a large baking pan and pour water up to 1-inch height. Arrange the ramekins inside the pan with water.

Making custard / pudding:

Beat eggs until fluffy then add sugar and beat it well until the sugar dissolves completely (you could use a whisk). Heat milk and allow it to boil, once boiled, remove it from flame and allow it to cool down. Now add it to the eggs and sugar, beat/whisk it for few mins. Add the vanilla essence, give a quick stir. Now pour the milk egg mixture into the prepared moulds or ramekins. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. keep the pan with ramekins arranged on lower rack of the oven, cover it with aluminum foil and bake it for 35-45 mins. When a fork upon inserting comes out clean, your pudding is ready. Unmould each ramekin in the serving plate. Here you go Yummy and delicious Caramel Pudding/ Crème Pudding is ready!!!

Chocolate Raised Doughnuts

A doughnut or donut is a type of fried dough confectionery or dessert food. The doughnut is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased at specialty outlets

A chocolate-glazed doughnut and cup of coffee is a match made in heaven for many of us, but wait!  Something new is happening in the doughnut world: boutique bakeries are popping up everywhere, and "designer doughnuts" are all the rage. The best news of all is that they're actually easy to make at home. And really, is there anything more scrumptious than a fresh doughnut? Here’s a simple and easy recipe for Chocolate Raised doughnuts.

Ingredients:

Water, warm - 1/2 cup

Active dry yeast – 14 gms

Milk, lukewarm - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup + 1 tsp.

Salt - 1 tsp

All-purpose flour / Refined flour, sifted - 4 cup

Butter (unsalted) -  1/2 cup

Eggs - 2

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Milk, warm (may need more to thin, but thicker is better) - 1/4  cup

Coco powder - 1 Tbsp

Confectioners' sugar / Icing Sugar - 1 cup

Butter, room temperature – 1/4 cup

Nuts( Almonds / cashews / walnuts) for garnishing

Method:

1.     Soak yeast in 1/2 cup warm water - 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp. sugar in with this to quicken the yeast activation process.

2.     Heat the milk in a sauce pan and melt the butter along with it.

3.     Pour the milk into a bowl and add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Make sure this mixture is warm, not hot.

4.     Now add 1 cup of flour, eggs and yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. Then add the remaining flour to make a soft dough. When dough leaves sides of bowl, turn out onto lightly floured board.

5.  Knead until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Place in lightly greased bowl. Grease top of dough and cover with waxed paper. Allow to rise in warm place until doubled. This might take about 1-1/2 hours.

6.  Now you find your dough has doubled in size. Give it some punches to release the air that has built up in it. Then roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut-with a cookie cutter and also a small size cookie or doughnut cutter to make the center hole. Remove centers.

7.    Leave this on a baking tray to rise again for about 30 minutes. Heat oil for frying and fry the doughnuts till they are just barely brown. Turn once again when browned sufficiently.

8.     Drain the cooked doughnuts on an absorbent paper.

Chocolate glaze:

          Mix all the ingredients under the glaze into a creamy consistency. Now dip               the doughnuts into the glaze mixture or dust each doughnut with granulated            or confectioners' sugar. 

Kozhukkatta - Rice Flour Dumplings with Jaggery & Coconut filling

Ingredients:

Rice flour (roasted) - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 2 cup

Jaggery - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1 Tsp

Raisins – 15 nos

Boiling water - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Coconut oil - 1 Tsp

Method:

1. Mix salt and rice flour. Boil water and pour it into the flour little by little and mix it well with a wooden spoon. Cover and keep it aside for a few minutes.

2. Grate Jaggery and to it add cardamom powder, raisins and grated coconut. Combine it well

3.  Add 1 tsp of coconut oil into the flour mixture and knead it to a soft dough consistency

4. Make small balls out of the dough and flatten it slightly with your palm.

5. Now fill it with the coconut jaggery mixture and seal it well. Then, roll it into round balls or any other desired shapes and steam it well until it gets cooked.

6. Tastes better when serve little warm

Instant Gulab Jamun Recipe

        Gulab Jamun, is a deep fried sweet dumplings stewed in sugar syrup. This dish is popular in countries of the Indian subcontinent as India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh; Gulab Jamuns are popular all over India. Every region in India serves these khoya (milks solids) rounds deep fried in ghee and soaked in hot flavoured syrup.

These days, gulab jamun mix is also commercially available. Gulab Jamun is often served at weddings and birthday parties.

Today, I have illustrated how to make Gulab Jamuns with the readymade mix.

Ingredients:

Instant Gulab Jamun Mix (I have used MTR – 200 gm pack)

Milk - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Water - 1 1/2 cups

Cardamom  - 3-4 pods (finely powdered (remove the skin))

Oil for frying

Preparation

Add 1/4 cup of milk gradually to Gulab Jamun mix and kneed gently into smooth dough. Keep aside for 5 minutes.

Apply oil on both palms, and then shape the dough (above step) into balls.

Deep fry in oil over a low flame until golden brown.

Soak the fried gulab jamun in hot sugar syrup until they completely absorb the syrup and serve.

Sweet Kuzhi Paniyaram

Today's recipe is from the famous chettinad cuisine which is one of my favorites. Its called Kuzhi Paniyaram. Though my mom has never made this at home, I had the opportunity to have this at my friend’s place. Since that time I had been wanting to prepare this at home, but I was not having the mould or special pan that’s used to make these paniyaram. Some time back my parents had over come to visit us, and my mom got me this mould. I was so excited seeing that and wanted to make paniyaram’s immediately. But dint get the time though. Today I made up my mind to make the panniyaram.
        Kuzhi Paniyaram’s can be made either as sweet or savoury dish. Well today i gonna try the sweet version of it. I enjoyed making it and also having it, I hope my readers would also like it. Please try making this paniyaram’s and sharing your feedback. So lets get onto the recipe.
Ingredients:
Paniyaram pan
Idli/Dosa batter - 11/2 cup (I have included the recipe for Idli in my previous posts, please refer to that)
Coconut, grated - 3 tbsp
Jaggery / Pam sugar - 5 tbsp or as required
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Salt to taste(a pinch should suffice, as this is a sweet dish)
Ghee or cooking oil

Method:
Mix together Idli / Dosa batter, jaggery/Pam sugar, grated coconut, a pinch of salt and cardamom powder. The batter should be thick as once the jaggery dissolves; the batter tends to become slightly thin.
Now heat the paniyaram pan and then add 1/2 a tsp of oil in each hole of the pan. Then fill in the holes with the prepared batter. Ensure to fill only up to ¾ of the hole.
Cover and cook on slow to medium flame for about 5 to 6 minutes. Once the bottom starts browning, using a skewer flip it over gently to the other side. Now allow it cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it will turn brown very quickly.

Once it’s ready remove from the pan and serve hot. This can be had as it is. You could drizzle over some Honey / Dates Syrup / Maple Syrup for extra flavor.

Vermicelli Kheer / Semiya Payasam

Kheer is prepared in festivals and all special occasions. The term Kheer (mostly used in Northern parts of India) is derived from Sanskrit words “Ksheeram” (which means milk). Its known as Payasam in southern part of India. While the dish is most often made with rice, it can also be made with other ingredients such as vermicelli or with dhal. Vermicelli Kheer / Semiya Payasam is a popular dessert in India made throughout the year during special & festive occasions. Semiya Payasam is also a common accompaniment in Onam Sadya(Banquet).

My Husband is a greatest fan of desserts and this is one of his favourite. Today being a holiday he is at home, thought of suprising him with his favorite Semiya Payasam. 

Ingredients:

Vermicelli - 1 cup

Milk, - 5 cups

Ghee / Clarified Butter - 2 tablespoons

Cashewnuts - 10 to 12Nos

Raisins -  10 to 12Nos

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Saffron a pinch (optional)

Green cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Heat ghee in a pan, add vermicelli and cashewnuts and fry till a pleasant aroma is released. I fried it for around 4 to 5 minutes in low flame. Boil milk in a thick-bottomed pan, and add to the roasted vermicelli and cashewnuts. Mix well and simmer for five minutes. Add sugar and continue cooking, stirring continuously. Cook for three to four minutes or till it thickens to the right consistency. Sprinkle saffron (this optional) cardamom powder and stir well.

Garnish it with raisins fried in ghee.

This can be served either hot, warm or chilled.

[Recipe courtesy – Sanjeev Kapoor]

Coconut Burfi

Coconut burfi is a very popular homemade Indian sweet. During any festival or occasions, these are prepared at most of the household’s in south India. This requires only very few ingredients and can be prepared quite easily.

Coconut is my hubby’s weakness; when we make this at home, he finishes it in a jiffy. My younger sister makes this quite often at home. This time when she came to visit us, she made these delicious burfi’s. They came out in good shape and texture.

I am sharing her recipe for coconut recipe, I am sure you will find it quite easy and simple to make.

Ingredients

Coconut, scraped - 2 cups

Sugar - 1 cup

Milk - ½ cup

Cardamom powder – ¼ tsp

Sugar, powdered – 2 tbsps.

Ghee(clarified butter) – 1 tbsps.

Almonds, crushed – ½ tbsp.

Method

Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Add the coconut, sugar, milk and cardamom powder and mix well. Keep stirring continuously for 15 minutes in low flame or till the mixtures starts turning to golden brown. Now add the powdered sugar and ghee, mix well for 3 to 4 minutes. Grease a plate with ghee and pour in the coconut mixture and spread evenly. Garnish with almonds and press slightly. When it cools, cover the plate with foil and leave it in the freezer for an hour. Cut into diamonds or squares and serve.

Note:- This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.

Cherupayar / Yellow Moong Dal Payasam

Things you need:

1. 1 Cup - Cherupayar parippu (yellow moong dal)
2. 1 1/4 to 1 1 /2 cup - Melted Jaggery 
3. 1/2 cup - Coconut milk ( I used store bought readymade coconut milk)
4. 1/2 Cup - Milk 
5. 1 to 2 pinch - Cardamom powder 
6. 1 to 2 pinch - Cumin powder roasted 
7. 1 pinch - Chukku podi (dry ginger)
8. 1 to 2 tbsp - Coconut pieces 
9. Cashew nuts few
10. Raisin few
11. Ghee/clarified butter as required
12. Water (1 cup or as required)
13. Salt a pinch.

Procedure:

1. Roast the yellow moong dal in a kadai/pan for 5 to 8 mins(without changing its colour). After cooling it well, wash it and pressure cook it with a pinch of salt. 
2. In another vessel melt jaggery and filter it. Keep it aside. Roast the cumin seeds and powder it.
3. Heat ghee in any thick bottomed vessel and add the above cooked dal and stir it well. Now pour the melted jaggery into the dal and mix till it combines well. Make it into a thick form without letting it stick to the bottom.
4. To the dal, add water and boil it well. Then add milk and again boil it in low flame.
5. Finally add the coconut milk  along with cardamom powder, roasted cumin powder and chukku podi (dry ginger). Mix well and when it starts to boil remove it from the stove. 
6. Fry the splitted cashews and raisins in 1 tbsp of ghee and pour it into the payasam. 
7. Serve hot/cold

Sakkarai Pongal / Sweet Pongal

Sakkarai Pongal or Sweet Pongal is a sweet that is made in south Indian cuisine. It is a preparation made with rice and Jaggery, flavored with cardamom and garnished with cashew nuts.

Things you need:

1. 1/2 cup - Rice 
2. 1/4 cup - Moong dal 
3. 1 cup - Jaggery
4. 10 - Cashew nuts
5. 10 to 12 - raisins 
6. 1/4 teaspoon - Cardamom 
7. 1/4 cup - Ghee/clarified butter

Method:

1. In a heavy bottom pan, dry roast rice and dal separately till it becomes slightly hot. (Ensure the color doesn't change, else it would taste bitter)
2. Then cook rice and dal with 2 1/2 cups of water. Mash it well and keep it aside
3. In another pan heat 1/2 cup of water and add Jaggery / brown sugar to it. When it melts, filter it to remove impurities if any
4. Pour the melted Jaggery back into the pan and allow it to boil for 10 minutes
5. Now add the cooked rice with the melted Jaggery and mix well
6. Cook for sometime after adding rice till everything gets mixed well and starts to leave the sides of the pan
7. Now add cardamom powder and mix well
8. In another small pan, heat 1/4 cup of ghee to fry raisins and cashew nuts and add it to the rice along with ghee
9. Cook for another 5 mins till everything gets blended well
10. Serve hot