Recipe: Caramel Custard Pudding

A mixture of sugar, milk and egg, steamed together is a legendary light textured pudding with an appealing look.  This pudding has, perhaps, the most universal appeal.

To Make:  6 Servings

Ingredients:
1.  3 tbsp sugar for caramel
2.   5 cups milk
3.  1/2 cup sugar
4.  4 eggs, lightly beaten
5.  1/2 tsp vanilla essence
6.  4 to 5 inch dia baking tin

Procedure:
1.  Melt sugar in dry pan on low flame gently
2.  When brown, pour immediately into tin
3.  Coat the entire bottom, turning the sides round so that sugar spreads in bottom and sides of the tin
4.  Cool and set aside
5.  Boil milk till reduced to half, Strain and Cool.
6.  Combine sugar, egg and essence.  Add into reduced cold milk and beat lightly
7.  Pour milk mixture into prepared tin
8.  Cover the tin tightly with lid
9.  For steaming the pudding, place pressure cooker on fire and add water.
10.  Place pudding tin in pressure cooker
11.  Steam pudding for 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove and cool.
12.  Remove tin, open lid, cool and keep in refrigerator to chill.
13.  For serving, remove tin from refrigerator and slightly scrape the sides with knife.
14.  Place serving dish on top of the tin and turn the pudding upside down so that the caramel layer can be seen on top.  Serve chilled.

How to Make Crunchy and Delicious Brown Cookies At Home

These cookies with demerara sugar is quick to make and are crunch and delicious

To make:  40 Cookies

Ingredients:

1.  6 tbsp margarine

2.  2 cups demerara sugar

3.  1 egg, mixed with soda bicarbonate & beaten well

4.  ½ tsp soda bicarbonate

5.  3 cups flour, sifted

6.  1-1/2 cups walnuts, crushed

7.  1 tsp vanilla essence

8.  Pre-greased baking tray

Procedure:

1.  Mix margarine and demerara sugar in a bowl and lightly beat till creamy

2.  Add egg and flour; beat till well mixed

3.  Add walnuts and vanilla essence, mix and knead lightly to smooth cookie dough

4.  Dredge the dough with flour

5.  Divide the dough into 4 equal portions

6.  Make rope roll of each portion of dough in approximate size of 2” dia and 2-1/2” in length.  When done, put all the rolls in polythene bags and refrigerate for 4 hours

7.  Remove, cut each roll into 10 nos.  1/4” thick circular slices.

8.  Place the slices in pre-greased baking tray dusted with flour

9.  Preheated the oven for 5 minutes and bake for 30 to 35 minutes to 175 degree C or 350 degree F

10.  Remove, cook and store brown cookies in sterilised airtight container lined with wax paper

How to Make a Date Bar Cake

Khajur cake with icing

To make:  12 pieces

For cake:

1. 10 gm margarine preferably or butter

2.  ¾ cup caster sugar

3.  2 eggs, lightly beaten

4.  1-3/4 cups plain flour (maida), sifted with ½ tsp baking powder

5.  1 tsp vanilla essence

6.  400 gms seedless dates, finely chopped

7.  200 gms cups walnuts, coarsely ground

For butter icing:

1.  1 tbsp margarine preferably or butter

2.  100 gms icing sugar, sifted

3.  A few drops of yellow food grade colour

4.  12 sheet wax paper, 7” x 7 “ in size, for wrapping

5.  Square baking mould of size 12” x 8”, well greased and dusted with flour

Procedure:

1.  For making cake, mix margarine or butter and castor sugar in a bowl and beat lightly till creamy

2.  Gradually add eggs, a little at a time, beating after each addition till eggs are well incorporated

3.  Fold in flour with baking powder and vanilla essence and mix gently till well blended

4.  Mix in dates and walnuts

5.  Pour mixture into a well greased 12 x 8 inch cake tin, dusted with flour

6.  Bake in an oven preheated to 170 degree C or 340 degree F for 35 to 40 minutes

7.  To test if done, pierce a skewer into center of the cake.  It should come out clean.

8.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly

9.  Gently run a knife around the edges, flip over the cake tin to turn out the cake and set aside

10.  For butter icing, combine all ingredients for butter icing and beat till smooth and creamy

11.  For assembling cake, slit cake horizontally into half.

12.  Spread butter icing on both sides of cut parts and join

13.  Cut into 12 pieces

14.  Wrap in wax paper, to make it easier to handle, and to stay fresh for a longer period.

Indian Cuisine: Panch Phora

Panch Phora is a combination of fiver different aromatic spice seeds and these are used whole while cooking to add typical aroma, associated with the Indian Cuisine.

The combination is as below:
1.  1 tbsp mustard (raai) seeds
2.  1 tbsp cumin (jeera) seeds
3.  1 tbsp onion seeds (kalonji) or black cumin (shahjeera) seeds
4.  1 tbsp fenugreek (sukhi methi) seeds
5.  1 tbsp fennel seeds or anniseeds (saunf)

Mix all the above five aromatic seeds together and store in an airtight glass jar.  Shake well before use to ensure the even distribution.

Recipe: Hakka Noodles With Vegetables

Noodles with mixed vegetables is alight filling meal on lazy days, isn't it?  So, here's how we make it.

To Make:  6 Portions


Ingredients:
1.  3 tbsp oil
2.  4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
3.  3 spring onions (hara pyaz) bulbs, finely shredded
4.  1/2 cup finely chopped spring onion stalk
5.  3/4 cup chopped French beans, parboiled
6.  100 gm carrots (gajar), cut into strips and parboiled
7.  1/2 cup cored and chopped capsicum (simla mirch), parboiled
8.  3/4 cup finely chopped cabbage (patta gobi)
9.   3 tsp ginger juice
10.  3 tsp garlic juice
11.  6 cups boiled noodles
12.  3/4 tsp salt
13.  1/2 tsp MSG (mono sodium glutamate or Ajinomoto)
14.  3/4 tsp white pepper (safed mirch) powder

Procedure:
1.  Heat oil in pan
2.  Add chillies and onions, stir for few seconds.
3.  Add onions stalks, beans, carrots, capsicum, cabbage, ginger juice and garlic juice, saute for 1 to 2 minutes
4.  Add boiled noodles, salt, MSG and pepper, stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes
5.  Remove and serve hot in serving dish.

Recipe: Easiest Way to Make Vegetable Stock

To Make:  3 cups

Ingredients:
1.  1 Big Size potato, unpeeled and cubed.
2.  1 carrot, scrapped and cubed
3.  1 small turnip cubed
4.  15 French beans broken
5.  10 cabbage leaves, broken
6.  1 onion, peeled and chopped in big pieces
7.  1/4 tsp salt
8.  6 cups water

Procedure:
1.  Heat the sauce pan.  Add water, salt and all the vegetables
2.  Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes till vegetables are very tender
3.  Strain the vegetable stock.  Discard the residue
4.  Use vegetable stock for soups and as required

Important Note:  Other vegetables such as cauliflower, broad beans etc. can also be used.  Stems, pea pods, thick peels can also be used after mashing.

How to Make Mein Chow Soup

This versatile soup with additional vegetable stock flavors looks tempting with topped chilli oil.

To Make:  6 Portions.

Ingredients:

1.  2 Tsp oil
2.  2 Tsp ginger juice
3.  2 tsp garlic juice
4.  1/2 cup finely chopped carrots (gajar)
5.  1/2 cup finely chopped French beans
6.  1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage (patta gobi)
7.  1/2 cup finely chopped capsicum (simla mirch)
8.  1/2 cup finely chopped cauliflower (phool gobi)
9.  10 mushrooms, sliced
10.  8 cups vegetable stock
11.  3 tbsp corn flour, blended in 2 cups water
12.  1/2 tsp vinegar
13.  1/2 tsp salt
14.  1/2 tsp MSG (mono sodium glutamate or ajinomoto)
15.  1/2 tsp white pepper (safed mirch) powder
16.   2 tbsp soya sauce

For Topping:
1.  2 tsp red chilli sauce
2.  2 tsp oil

Procedure:
1.  Heat oil in pan
2.  Add ginger juice, garlic juice, carrots, beans, cabbage, capsicum, cauliflower and mushrooms, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes
3.  Add vegetable stock, stir boil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes
4.  Gradually add well mixed cornflour, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes
5.  Add vinegar, salt MSG, pepper and soya sauce, stir and boil for 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove and set aside
6.  For preparing chilli oil for topping mein chow soup, heat oil slightly in pan.
7.  Add red chilli sauce, stir and cook for few seconds and remove.
8.  Top the mein chow soup with chilli oil and serve hot, with chillies in vinegar and soya sauce.