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PERFECT CARAMEL CUSTARD ...for any occasion!

Ihave never ever come across anyone who doesn't like this delicious

soft,melt-in-the-mouth pudding. I hope I don't, ever! I love this pudding and this would be my comfort dessert,anytime of the day, warm or cold.This is that pudding Amma  makes when unannounced guests comes knocking on the door and I'm sure it's the same with many of you guys.Actually, do we need any excuse to make this deliciousness??

I've been thinking of making this pudding for sometime now because we both love it and therefore I don't need another reason to make it! I've seen many recipes which uses custard powder,cornstarch ,lots of eggs plus egg yolks but this one is just a basic recipe.I have added condensed milk in the custard which you can clearly substitute with white sugar,to taste.

The best part of making this pudding is when you turn it upside down which reminds of an incident which happened in Amma's twin ,Daisy mummy's house. Daisy mummy and Jose uncle runs a homestay in Kothamangalam and once I was there with them when they had about 150 guests for lunch.She made a variety of desserts and Caramel Custard Pudding was one amongst them. I was put in charge of turning the pudding upside down onto the serving platter and everything went fine except for the last one. No

matter what I did,it never turned upside down and this being a delicate dessert I was worried about tossing it back and forth. She was in a hurry fixing other stuff and attending her guests but I had to call her. She came in and I told her the problem and she tried her hand at it. Nothing changed, it still fell the other way round, the caramel was at the bottom.  Finally,we caught the culprit...the maid who was in charge of wiping the pudding moulds buttered that particular tin! So lesson learnt...never butter the mould for a Caramel Custard!

I was very careful to remember that,just in case ;-) The bowls you see in the photographs were sent to me by Wayfair for a product review. They are really good to bake with and it releases the baked goods very easily. They look pretty as is.

PERFECT CARAMEL CUSTARD My own recipe

Ingredients:2 c whole milk1/2 c sweetened condensed milk5 tbsp white sugar2 eggs1/2 c sugar

Method:Pre-heat the oven to 350 F/ 180C .In a saucepan,add milk, condensed milk and 5 tbsp sugar and bring to a boil.In a medium bowl, beat the eggs till well blended. Drizzle hot milk into it while beating all the time.Strain the mixture to avoid any egg white lumps in the custard.In a pan, on medium heat, caramelise 1/2 c sugar till golden brown and pour it into the pudding mould. Swirl to coat the sides. Pour the milk-egg mixture into the moulds.Place the moulds into a baking tin with tall sides and pour hot water just so that the bowl are immersed halfway. Bake for 40 mins or till the centres are

still jiggly and when a knife inserted comes out smooth.Let it cool for half an hour.Release from the sides and invert onto the serving platter.Serve warm or chilled.Enjoy!

Did I convince you enough, for you to make some of these? Go and bake away! If you want it a bit more firm, bake it a little more, about 5-8 mins.

MEDITERRANEAN LOVE AFFAIR - Pita Bread,Chicken Shawarma, Garlic Sauce,Tahini & Hummus (from scratch!)

" I am so excited!!! I made it at home! I made it at home!! YEaaaaYYY!! If I can, so can you! " was my status message on Facebook for the last 2 days, and I am still excited! For those of y'all who have been wondering what line meant... here is the answer :-) I very (?) successfully made a big fat Mediterranean dinner at home...and we both loved it to the last bite.

Shawarma and my brother are thick pals, which I have mentioned in one of my previous posts too...you could also call them as chuddy buddies ;-) And I gradually got into that line too...later all 4 of us were big time fans of Shawarma sold by Cita Pani, a small restaurant very close to our home in Kannur. And whenever we waited inside our car for the delivery boy to bring in our parcel, we used to think and think and talk about how that huge chunk of chicken is hanging there or what could be that secret ingredient to make it so yummy! Never found an answer but all guesses were made...yoghurt, turmeric,chicken breast etc...

Finally, I found a source for it's recipe and I didn't let it go away!

CHICKEN SHAWARMARecipe slightly modified from Dede's

Ingredients:2 boneless (skinless) chicken breasts,cut into strips1/4 cup lemon juice1/4 cup yoghurt1 tbsp minced garlic1 tsp salt1/4 tsp ground cardamom1/4 tsp 7 spices ( I used 'curry powder' from the local grocery store)1/4 tsp paprika1/4 tsp dried oregano1/8 tsp red chilli powder1/8 tsp cinnamon3 tbsp Olive oilMethod:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.  

Heat 3 tbs olive oil, add chicken and let cook for 10 minutes until chicken browns, cook for an additional 2 minutes if necessary to brown.  

To make sandwich, use pita bread, spread garlic sauce on pita, add chicken, kabees and pickles (you can add tomatoes and lettuce if desired). Roll sandwich and press in the grill press to make sandwich crispy for 3 minutes.  Enjoy with fries or salad. 

HOMEMADE PITA BREADRecipe source: Dede

Ingredients:3 cups flour + 1 cup flour for kneading1 1/2 tsp salt1 cup warm water1 packet yeast (7 grams or 1/4 oz)1 tsp sugar1/2 cup warm waterOlive oil

Method:

In a small bowl mix yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup warm water and let sit for 10-15 minutes.  In a large bowl mix 3 cups flour with salt and make a well or whole in the middle.  Slowly stir in yeast mix and 1 cup warm water until well combined.

In a large bowl add 1 tbs olive oil and spread all over to keep dough from sticking, place dough in oiled bowl, cover with a blanket, and let sit for 3 hours in a warm place.  After 3 hours and dough has risen, add flour on to table surface and knead dough for 10 minutes, add flour to surface to keep it from sticking.  Form dough into small balls and let sit in a plate for 10 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll our balls to 1/8 inch thick and place on flat cookie sheet or pan, cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly brown and dough puffs up.

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The other topic of our discussion was...What could that 'white sauce' like garlic mayonnaise be? No clue! I used to think that they must have been diluting the garlic mayo or something like that...I even wanted to ask them for the recipe...but never did! I am glad I didn't , because, now I have the recipe to a much much better tasting garlic sauce too...trust me ...it is seriously addictive!

GARLIC SAUCERecipe source: Dede

Ingredients:4 cloves garlic minced with 1/4 tsp salt1 cup canola oil1/4 cup lemon juice ( I added less than half a 1/4 cup and found that perfect. So add to your taste.)1 egg white

Method:

In a food processor add garlic minced with salt, begin processor and slowly add oil and lemon juice alternating them until gone, scape down sides intermittently.  

Add one to two egg whites while the processor is blending until you reach mayonnaise consistency.  Serve with chicken or meat and cover and refrigerate remainder. 

Lasts about a week refrigerated. 

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It's very easy for me to find Tahini in stores here, but what's the fun in buying it when you can make it at home with just 2 ingredients? So, I decided to do it from scratch, just like all the other stuff that you just saw now :-)

HOMEMADE TAHINI     Recipe source: Dede

Ingredients: 2 cups sesame seeds1/4 cup vegetable oilMethod:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F) and spread out sesame seeds on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 4-5 mins, do not let them brown.

Pour seeds into a food processer and add the vegetable oil and blend the seeds to a nice smooth paste.

Store in an air tight container in refrigerator.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This is one of the best ways to use the Tahini...obviously everyone knows what that is! Hummus! This one is really a garlic-y one...my kinda stuff!

HOMEMADE HUMMUSRecipe source: Dede

Ingredients:1/4 Cup Yogurt 1 Can Garbanzo Beans "Chick Peas" 1/2 Cup Homemade Tahini1/2 Cup Lemon Juice2-3 Cloves of Garlic1/2 Tsp of Salt1/4 Tsp citric acid (if you need more lemon taste)

2 Tbs water (if too thick)3-4 Fresh Mint Leaves (optional)2 Tbs of Fresh Parsley1 Tsp of Cayenne Pepper or Paprika 1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

Method:

Mix first 9 ingredients and blend until smooth and to desired thickness. 

Garnish with parsley, cayenne pepper and olive oil.

 

Verdict: All we both can say is, it was just an AMAZING meal! We adore the Shawarma filling...it was just too perfect! The aroma when you cook the

chicken is something you really need to experience. Loved the pita bread and hummus! I have tried making Pita before, which was delicious, but this one is much easier and tension- free ;-) [The life of a food blogger! ] It was a perfect, complete, happy meal! It was a bit extraa happy for me because I solved a big puzzle of how to make 'Cita Pani' shawarma at home :-)

Now don't ask me what is the connection between my talks and this sweet. Absolutely nothing.This is how I am when I am in no mood to talk. I talk about things which has no connection between them. I get so bored talking about one thing at a time and Jobin gets so confused switching between topics at the same speed that I switch topics. 

Let me let you in on a big secret. I speak Malayalam way way way too better than Jobin. He will never agree to this, though. If he happens to read this post ( I am sure he will) , he will ask me to speak in Hindi (Uh-oh!).Anyway, let's get back to the ladoos. This is a 3 ingredients, ghee-less, guilt - free ladoo than most of the ladoo's around. Try it and you won't be disappointed.

GUILT FREE PEANUT LADOORecipe source: Anushruti RK

Ingredients:Roasted unsalted Peanuts without skin- 2cJaggery-3/4 c, powdered (You can find it in Indian grocery stores ]Cardamom-4,seeds powdered and pods discarded.

Method:For all those who have only raw peanuts with you, like me:

Heat a flat bottomed pan.Add in the peanuts (skin on) and roast for 5-6 mins or till you get a nice aroma . Is still in doubt, bite into one and if you get the roasted taste, switch of the flame.

Take the pan off the fire and transfer the peanuts onto a kitchen towel.

While it is still warm, rub the peanuts together using the help of the towel. The skin will come off easily. 

Use these peanuts for making ladoo's.

For making these round beauties you need to:

Powder the roasted peanuts in your mixie/magic bullet (small jar & 4 blade bottom) stopping every once in a while to ensure that it doesn't turn pasty.Nuts release oil when they are ground, so be careful.

Transfer this to a bowl and add the powdered jaggery and cardamom seeds to it.

Mix very well, if you have lumps in the jaggery, mash the mixture with a potato masher. I skipped it because I love biting into jaggery pieces.

Form the mixture into ladoos. You will need to use little bit of strength here to form them into balls as you don't any wet ingredient. But trust me, it's easy.

The peanuts must be warm while grinding so that the mixture remains warm when you form the balls, or else it will be slightly difficult. Just in case your mixture turns cold, like mine, microwave it for 10 secs and proceed to form the ladoos.

Verdict: For all those who love the ultimate combination of peanut and jaggery, go for it. I thought it would taste like 'kadala muttai' or 'peanut chikki' . Not exactly. It has it's own magic of lending a different flavour altogether.

A very appealing, easy to put-together recipe for all occasions. Jobin & I loved it and I had a tough time keeping some aside so that I could take pictures of it.

 I am sending this post as an entry to Sugar High Fridays : Bite sized desserts hosted by the lovely Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen.

If you ask me what these 'stories' are, I wouldn't have known you read them as 'stories' until you all wrote to me. Funnily enough, I still don't consider them to be like that because I just write the association I have with that dish, from my real life :-)

When I got lazy in between, you all asked me to get back to this blog and

start blogging again. I did and now I'm reaping the joys of it when this little space of mine has 10,00,000 hits as of today! It is a big achievement for me as I never even dreamt of this day when I started this space.

Now getting back to the ladoos, these are mine and Jobin's favourites! I've made them succesfully before, photographed them but it never made to my blog...I still wonder why! Maybe these ladoos had another destiny...to be here, on this special day :-) I dedicate these little yellow balls of pure joy to ALL OF YOU, dear readers! I wish I could share these with you in person...maybe someday it might happen! :-)

HOMEMADE BOONDI LADOOSRecipe source: Manjula aunty

Ingredients:1c besan/chickpea flour1/2 c plus 1 tbsp water11/2 c sugar1 c waterSeeds from 6 green cardamom pods,crushed8 pcs of cashewnuts,brokenOil for frying

Method:Make a batter using besan and 1/2 c plus 1 tbsp water. Pass it through a perforated/slotted spoon and see if you can get them to fall back into the bowl. If it doesn't, add a little more water to the batter and mix well.Bring the 1 1/2 c of sugar and 1 c water to a rolling boil and boil till it reaches 220F on a candy thermometer. Keep it off the flame. Meanwhile,heat 2 inches of oil on medium high and drop some chickepea batter into it and if it sizzles up right away, you are good to proceed. Hold the perforated spoon 2 inches above the oil and pour the batter through it.The batter will fall as round balls into the oil, which is what we want. Fry them till they stop sizzling and golden brown in colour.Repeat and make sure your wipe your perforated spoon in between all the batches.Add these fried boondi's to the sugar syrup and let them soak for 10 mins. Transfer the soaked boondi's to a plate to cool a little until they are still warm to touch. Form balls/ladoos by squeezing them in between your palms, it might test your patience but it's worth every squeeze!

It's all about the freshness of ingredients, how much you add and where you add it  makes all the difference. Again, this is my personal opinion .Now what does all this have to do with a simple Tandoori Masala, you may ask! I just shared what was in my mind, that's all :-) I made the BEST EVER Butter Chicken for dinner last night with this homemade masala and that is for another post. So till then , find some time to make this masala and keep it

ready! When I post the butter chicken recipe, if you feel like it, you can make it for dinner that night or else you can use it for other recipes :-)

HOMEMADE TANDOORI MASALARecipe source : My very good friend Sadhana Ginde

Ingredients:2 tbsp garam masala2 tbsp ground cumin1 tbsp coriander powder4 tsp paprika (you can use Kashmiri Mirch)2 tsp Kasuri Methi /Dried Fenugreek Leaves1 tsp turmeric1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Method:Combine all the ingredients above using a whisk/spoon/coffee grinder and store it in an airtight container. It stays fresh for 4-6 weeks.

I had been planning to try out Jalebi for sometime now and it just happened to be today and so I thought I'd rather kill 2 birds with one stone :-) This is not the first time I am making Jalebi's. When I was in India, I had tried it out once and it did come out pretty nice.So this time around I thought I'd use a different recipe so that I can compare the results between the previous recipe. I would say, this recipe had a better outcome. Or maybe I have become a better cook now :-)

Anyhow, this recipe is a keeper and you all should try this sometime. You may have to be a bit patient, though. I tried squiggling with the batter and the batter wouldn't come out. It let out air into hot oil and I was seriously loosing my patience.My friend, Reeta, who was with me when I tried it out last afternoon , suggested that I keep the squeeze bottle nozzle - side down so that the batter will flow down...and it did! :-) Then we both had a great

time making Jalebi's :-) Oh by the way, try to have it as hot as possible, there's nothing like it!

JALEBIRecipe source: Hetal & AnujaPlease note that I made only half the quantity and it yielded me about 20-22 jalebi's.

Ingredients:All purpose flour/Maida- 2 cCardamom powder-1/8 tspYeast-1 tspWarm water-1/4 cCornflour/Cornstarch-2 tspOil-1 tspYoghurt-1 tbspWarm water- 3/4 c

For the syrup:Sugar-1 1/4 cWater-1cupLime juice-1 tspRed food colour- a pinchCardamom powder-1/4 tsp

Method:

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 c warm water and keep it aside for 10 mins until frothy.

Mix rest of the ingredients together and add in the yeast mixture. Place this bowl in another bowl filled with some warm water. Cover

the bowl with the mix with a lid. Leave this in a warm place and let the mix rise for 45 mins. Once it's risen, stir with a spoon , just to mix everything together. Pour into a mustard/sauce bottle and keep aside.

During the last 5 mins of the dough rising, make the syrup for the jalebi and also heat the oil for frying.

For the syrup:

Heat everything together on high for 2 mins. Reduce the flame to a simmer.

Making the Jalebi:

When the oil is hot, squeeze out some batter from the bottle and move your hand in a circular motion till you form one jalebi. You might have to go round and round 5-6 times. Make sure you don't leave any loose ends because the jalebi will be open, otherwise.

Fry till golden on one side, the flip it over. When the bubbles subside, they are done.

Transfer the hot jalebi's into the simmering sugar syrup.  Do not leave it for more than 30 seconds in it.Turn them and make

sure the sugar syrup is coated on either side. Transfer them to a plate and serve them hot!

Verdict:It was perfectly sweet, juicy and crunchy.We really enjoyed this treat! I don't think it can get any simpler or easier to make at home. If you are having guests coming for lunch or dinner, you can surely make this ahead and serve it to them. Jalebi's have a very high 'oomph' factor attached to it :-)

So here I am, wishing all my readers a very happy & safe Diwali! ~*Enjoy your day*~