Easy yummy pudding the whole family will enjoy!! When i decided to make this i was sure my hubby would love this because he loves apples with cinnamon.. was unsure about my kids. They did ok with it i think with lots of nuts sprinkled on top they didn’t enjoy! They like pudding which melt in their mouth with out any disturbance!

Another yummy recipe from Smitten Kitchen

1 pound bakery white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 cup (6 ounces)

golden raisins, plumped in hot water for 15 minutes

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 6 minutes, until crisp. Transfer to a bowl and add the apple and raisins. Generously butter either a 9×13-inch deep baking dish or six 8-ounce ramekins. If using ramekins, set them on the baking sheet. In a medium bowl, using a handheld electric mixer or whisk, beat the eggs with the sugar. Beat in the ground spices, vanilla and salt. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk with the molasses until just warm to the touch. Gradually beat the warm milk into the egg mixture, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl. Spread bread mixture out in your large baking dish, or distribute it among ramekins. Pour the custard over the bread mixture, nudging the bread around a bit to make sure it soaks all of the pieces. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes, until puffed and set, with the tops lightly browned. Let the bread pudding(s) rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

* I think my pudding got baked before 40mts. Thats why it might have burned a little bit!

If anyone asks me what will i cook for myself the answer anytime would be cakes! or something baked. i reallly love the smell spreading in my kitchen. When i saw this first in Smitten Kitchen i wanted to make it right away. I love raspberries the sour taste mixed with the sweetness of the cake. But unfortunately all berries are very expensive in Singapore  I used frozen this time but i think next time i’ll try it with fresh. I made this cake only for me but rest of my family finished it! LOL! A real hit and i think i’ll make this more often.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup (146 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)

1 large (57 grams) egg

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk**

1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 oz) (i used frozen and thawed it to room temp.)

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter (see Note) raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

** Make your own buttermilk:  Add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

My post goes to Cooking for Yourself Event

My 3 yr old son waiting for the photo session to end!

October has been crazy for us. A very very busy month. 2 appointments with HDB in 2 weeks – for buying and selling of our new and old home, 2 birthdays – my son and my hubby celebrate their birthdays 4 days apart, and packing, recycling and discarding the unwanted things in our old home and finally- the most important thing – dreaming, redesigning, renovating, furnishing and lot of other projects in our my new home …

And on top of all this the Gulab Jamun Challenge. Before this perfect recipe i tried gulab jamuns from 4 other sites – all different recipes. All turned out hard small balls after frying… i waited and waited for it to be  soft in the sugar syrup but no.. all were the same, it didnt become soft in the syrup..

I finally gave up and was about to email Srivalli that im out of the challenge, then luckily i came across this site Show Me The Curry The quantity of the recipe was small so i thought why not give a last try. I followed thr recipe exactly. And it turned out perfect.. I’m jumping with joy now!!

I feel so sad for wasting a lot of things during my tril period but i think you should try try again for the perfect one!!

Here goes my perfect recipe for the Indian Cooking Challenge – this was a challenge for me Srivalli

Ingredients:

Instant Dry Milk (Milk Powder) – 1/2 cup (I used fernleaf full cream milk powder)

All Purpose Flour – 2 tbsp (i used Prima Plain Flour)

Yogurt – 2 tbsp (i used home made in room temparature)

Clarified Butter – 1 tbsp (i used QBB)

Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp

Water – 2 cups

Sugar – 2 cups

Rose Essence – few drops, optional

Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp or to taste

Saffron – few strands, optional

Oil – for deep frying

Method:

1. Make the syrup in a pan by adding Water, Sugar, Rose Syrup, Cardamom Powder and Saffron.

2. Put the pot on the flame and bring to boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer.

3. Meanwhile, get the oil for deep-frying ready. Heat up the oil on low-to-medium heat.

4. For the dumpling, in a mixing bowl , add in all dry ingredients i.e Instant Dry Milk , All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda.

5. Mix well and add in the Clarified Butter and after that slowly start mixing in the yogurt. Make into a dough.

6. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Make desired size balls, make sure they are smooth and do not have any creases.

7. Test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough, if it sits at the bottom of the pan for a minute before coming to the surface, the oil is ready.

8. Carefully drop 3-4 dumplings in the oil and keep rotating them for an even color.

9. Once the dumplings are a dark golden brown, take them out into a paper towel.

10. Bring the syrup to another quick boil and drop in the dumplings.

11. Turn off the flame and cover the Gulab Jamuns and let them soak in the syrup for 45 minutes to an hour.

12. Gulab jamuns can be served hot or cold. This recipe makes about 10-15 Gulab Jamuns.

Tips:

1. The one thing we cannot emphasis enough is the temperature of the oil for frying…it is the key to making good gulab jamuns. It has to be on low-to-medium heat.

2. The dough is a little on the crumbly side…so use a little oil on your hands and make the ball and flatten it out and then roll it to a ball…this will help smoothening out the cracks

This post also goes to First Cooked Food Event

When ever i make a light meal i always make something sweet to accompany it. It makes everyone happy especially my hubby who has a very very sweet tooth!

Basmati rice – 1/3 rd cup

Milk – 4-5 glasses

Sugar – 3/4cup add more as your taste

cardamom powder– 1/4 tsp

Finely sliced Pistachios, Almonds, cashew nuts – for garnish

water – 4 glasses

Pressure cook the rice with water until it is very soft. Mash the rice well and transfer it to a heavy bottom vessel or non stick vessel. Add milk and sugar and cardamom. Keep on stirring on ad off. Make sure there are no lumps and the should be cooked in a very low flame. If you want you can add more milk. Keep on stirring for at least 15 mts.  Turn off the stove and add the dry fruits. After the kheer comes to normal room temperature refridgerate it if you like cool desserts. My family like cooled ones so i cool almost al the sweets!

Im sending my Kheer for the Sweet series event.

Soups, salads, juices, and milk shakes comes to my rescue when im lazy to cook dinner or when we are having lazy weekends! Here is one of them!

I was really surprised when i had this form my friends place. I really couldnt believe that this is really beetroot! It doesnt have the beet taste at all.  Sometimes i put some whipped cream on top of it to make it attractive for the kids!!

one small beetroot – pressure cooked and blended without water into a fine paste

2 cups of chilled milk  - i use 0% fat

sugar to taste – can be substitued by honey

milkmaid (optional – use only if u have a sweet tooth)

nuts to garnish – cashew nuts, pista, badam, (Optional)

Blend together milk, 1 tbsp of beetroot paste and sugar.

You can freeze the rest of the beetroot paste and use only what you need.

This milk shake goes to Light Meal Event Sweet Series and Guilt free Snacks

This is my first entry for the Indian Cooking Challenge. I have been thinking to make this since Srivalli posted it but thanks to her last reminder! i just ran to my kitchen, grabbed all the ingredients and started making this after reading her mail.

I have tasted rava laddoo before but i can proudly say the ones i made today was the best LOL!  May be i was reluctant to make it because i thought it might not taste good or whatever.

Here is the recipe from Srivalli. I made minor changes to it and it really really came out yummy!

• Rava / Semolina – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1 cup (i added around 3/4th cup even that was too sweet for me!)
• Ghee – 25 gms
• Milk – 25 ml (i used around 30-40 ml)
• Cardamom powder – a pinch
• Cashew nuts – 10 whole nuts
• Raisins – 10 nos
• Grated fresh coconut – 25 gm
• I added a pinch of salt too.

Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a kadai. Once the ghee is hot enough, simmer the flame and roast cashew nuts and raisins. Once the raisins balloon up, remove. Then roast the grated coconut. Remove once done. Keep all these aside.

Add the remaining ghee and roast the Rava till its well roasted and aroma starts coming out.

In a bowl, take all the roasted Rava, Nuts, Coconut and add the Cardamom powder. Then add the sugar and salt . Mix well.

Then slowly add the warm milk into the bowl. Check if you are able to gather as balls. When you find that milk added is enough to get you laddos, transfer it back to the kadai and cook in sim for 2mins. Mix well and then cover it and let it rest for 2 mins. Then immediately make balls or laddoos.

It came out perfectly but sadly my kiddos were not impressed! They wanted the ‘orange’ laddoo! But my Dh was very happy with the surprise sweet!

This post goes to FIL – GHEE EVENT and SWEET SERIES

2 Kerala banana cut into thin slices

1 cup maida -plain flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp kalongi – karinjeerakam

1/4 tsp salt

water for mixing

oil for frying

Cut the banana into thin slices. Mix the rest of the ingredients into a thick paste. Dip the banana slices into the maida mixture and deep fry.

Another post which goes for the Ramadan Event.

Ramadan Day 4

Have i ever mentioned that i cant pass a day in Ramadan without Tarikanhi?? It really gives me the strength to move on to the next day! It is nutritious as well as it has semolina and milk in it.

We usually have it after our Tarawih namas when we were in Calicut.  I remember i used to drink 2-3 glasses of it right after the prayers!

This recipe is dedicated to my grandma. Because she tried her best to make me drink it when i was little. But i was a stubborn child and would never drink it. But she proved to be really my “Naani” LOL! One day during Ramadan she put lots of nuts and ghee in this and told me its Payasam! the greedy me grabbed the glass and finished it off in a gulp! From that day onwards i and Tarikanhi have been inseperable during Ramadan!

The moral of the story : You never know how it tastes until you try!

1 glass milk

1 tbsp semolina

2 elaichi or 1/4 tsp elaichi or cardamom pwdr

a pinch of salt

sugar to taste

cashews and raisins for garnishing

1/2 tsp ghee

Boil milk, semolina, elaichi together. Keep on stirring while its boiling or else it will get burned.  Turn of the stove as soon as soon it boils. And add sugar and salt to it.

Heat ghee and add the cashews and raisins fry for some time and add to the milk.

Serve Hot!

** If you want a porridge drink let the milk boil for some more time.

Ths entry goes to Lubna’s Ramadan Event and Sanghi’s FIL Milk Event.

Ramadan Day 2

Day 1 was very eventful as our daughter fasted for the first time. masha allah! She had her lunch at 1pm played for some time and then took a nap. After waking up form her nap straight away went to the kitchen to drink some juice!! But then when she was reminded that shes fasting she just played for some time watched some TV and hubby kept her engaged till magrib. Masha allah im so proud that she kept away from food and all the sweet temptations!

Unnakaya or Vayakkada is one of the very famous snack in Malabar. My hubby and daughter loves this so i make this atleast once a month. Today when i asked my daughter what she wants for Iftaar she said samosa and vayakkada again!

For Vayakkada youll need kerala banana not so ripe and not so raw just in between. It should not be soft or hard when you press it. Boil it in a closed pan till the skin comes apart.

After its cooked run it in a food processor to mash and make it like a roti dough. Alternatively you can also mash it when its hot with a heavy spoon.

Make lemon sized balls and set aside.

For the filling scramble 2 eggs and add sugar to taste and some crushed cashew nuts and raisins.

Flatten the banana balls, fill in 1/2 a tsp of the egg mixture in it and close it and make it in to ball again.

Smoothen the top and bottom of the ball in to a cone with ur palm.

Deep fry the vayakkada. This snack can be served any time breakfast or after lunch or teatime!

Vayakkada goes to Lubna’s Ramadan Event!

Ramadan Day 1

Badaam Milk is very refreshing during Iftaar. Those who have gastric problems and heart burn due to fasting can try this to reduce it. Its very easy to prepare and you can make the mix in large amounts  and refrigerate it and use it when ever you need.

A handful for badaam or Almond socked in water and peel the skin.

3-4 elaichi or cardamom seeds

Grind both in a dry mixer. Sieve it till its clear and no grains and refrigerate.

Blend 2 cups of milk, sugar to taste and the badaam mix. Chill and serve.

This post goes to Lubna’s Ramadan Event.