Cake Custard Pudding

Cake Custard is one of the most simple desserts to make in no time.
I tried this for the first time and it came out really well.
Even my husband who's not a great fan of desserts liked it very much.
Here's the simple recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 Litre Milk

1/4 cup Sugar

2 to 3 tbsp Custard Powder (Depending upon thickness of consistency needed)

5 Cake slices

1 cup Fruits chopped (Use any combination of fruits you like - I used pears, grapes, pomegranate)

2 tsp Honey mixed in 1/4 cup water (You can use sugar dissolved in water or milk with sugar)

Method:

Arrange a layer of cake slices in a dish you want to set the custard.

Drizzle honey water mixture on top of cake slices to make them moist.

Mix custard powder in 4 tbsp cold milk and boil remaining milk with sugar.

Stir and add the custard to boiling milk and keep stirring till it thickens.

Remove from heat and allow to cool a little.

Spread evenly on top of cake slices as a second layer.

Arrange fruits on top of custard as third layer.

You can repeat the process to form more layers if you wish. I had only three layers.

Cover with a plate or aluminium foil and keep in fridge for 1 or 2 hours before you serve.

Cut into any shape - square or wedges and serve as it is or with your choice of ice cream.

Masala Tea

I got this reciep for masala tea from a cookery site.
I wanted to make masala tea for a long time but somehow never tried it.
My husband had cold last week due to lot of travelling and a bad weather and now for the past few days he got this cough which he's not able to get rid of. So I thought this is the best time I can make masala tea. We both really enjoyed every sip of it. Its so refreshing that you will definitely try it again and again like me.

Ingredients:

1 cup Water

1 cup Milk

6 Cardamoms

1 inch piece Cinnamon

2 Cloves

1/2 tsp Pepper

2 inch piece ginger

1 small piece Star Anise

2 tsp Tea ( I used Kannan Devan Strong  - Dust from kerala as I don't get it here in Riyadh)

Method:

Boil water with tea and all the spices crushed together in a mortar and pestle. I crush ginger separately.

Boil this mixture in low flame for 5 to 8 minutes.

Strain this and add boiled milk to this and mix well.

Serve hot on a cold winter.

Gobi Paratha / Cauliflower Stuffed Paratha

Stuffed parathas  have always been my favourite, may be because I was brought up in north india.
And the good thing is now my hubby dear has also started liking it.
I have tried my hands at every kind of stuffing I could possibly think of but today I'm sharing the recipe of Gobi paratha.

Ingredients:

2 cup Atta

1 Onion, finely chopped

4 Green chillies, finely chopped

1 cup Cauliflower, finely chopped

1 piece Ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp Corriander powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Corriander leaves

Water to make Chapathi Dough

4 tsp Oil

Method:

Add Salt and water to atta and make chapathi dough. Cover with a mosit cloth and keep for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan. Add Ginger, green chillies, onion and fry well.

When onions turn brown add all the masala powders and salt. Fry well. Sprinkle 2 tsp water for masalas to combine well.

Add finely chopped cauliflower and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add finely chopped corriander leaves and remove from heat. Allow to cool.

Make balls from chapathi dough and roll into th size of puri.

Keep 2 to 3 tsp of cauliflower masala in the middle of rolled puri and fold all the sides to make a round.

Dust with atta and roll again to the shape of chapathi.

Heat tawa, add chapathi and cook in low flame for 15 seconds.

Turn and cook other side for 40 seconds.

Turn again and add oil or ghee to the sides on both sides.

Serve hot with raitha and pickle.

 

Ada Dosa

Ada dosa is one of my favourite for breakfast or dinner. Its easy to make, very filling and nutritious too. You just need to plan a little ahead for the soaking part otherwise its done in just minutes.
Here's how my mom makes it:

Ingredients:

1 cup Raw Rice

1 cup (Urad Dal, Chana Dal, Moong Dal, Moong, Toor Dal) All together

6 Red Chillies

1 Onion

1 inch piece Ginger

Few Curry Leaves

Salt to taste

Sesame oil to make dosa

Method:

Wash rice and dal and soak together for 3 to 4 hours along with Red Chillies.
Coarsely grind. Add finely chopped ginger in the last round of grinding.
Add chopped onion, curry leaves, salt and mix well.
Make into a thick batter. Add little water if needed but the batter should be of thick consistency.
Heat pan and spread the batter into thick round dosas.
Drizzle sesame oil around the sides and in the middle. Keep stove in high flame.
After 1 minute turn and cook other side in low flame till both sides are done.
Serve hot with a dollop of butter on top and Idly powder or Ulli chammanthi

Masala Dosa

Masala Dosa is an all time favourite at our house.
Once I was starting to make Poori Bhaji, and as  I was cutting onion and green chillies my husband entered the kitchen and asked me what was I upto. I said I'm going to make Poori bhaji - he said make it masala dosa - so now u know how much favourite it is.

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes, peeled, washed and cut into cubes

1 Onion thinly sliced

4-5 Green chillies, chopped

1 piece Ginger

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

Few Curry leaves

1 tsp Mustard

1 tsp Urad dal

2 tsp Cashew nuts (Optional)

2 tsp Oil

1 cup water

Salt As per Taste

Dosa Batter - to make Dosas

Method:

Heat oil in a cooker. Add mustard and allow it to splutter well. Add urad dal and cashew nuts.
Add chopped Ginger, Green Chillies, curry leaves. Add onions and fry till they turn glassy.
Add potatoes and fry. Add turmeric powder and mix well. Add water and salt and mix well.
Cover with the lid with the whistle on.
Lower the flame after first whistle and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes.
Allow the pressure to drop and mash the potatoes well with a ladle.
Check the water consistency as required.

Prepare Dosa. Cook both sides. Add masala in the center of the Dosa and fold.
Serve with coconut chutney or Sambar.

 

Thenga Chammanthi / Coconut Chutney

This is our favourite chutney for Kanyi. Yes, my husband loves kanyi - especially during rainy season or winter or for dinner after a heavy lunch. So this is the chutney or chammanthi I usually make for Kanyi. Its very simple and the tamrind gives a tangy edge to it.

Ingredients:

1 cup Grated Coconut

2 tsp Chana Dal

4 Red Chilli

1 garlic

1 piece tamrind

1/2 tsp Asafoetida

2 small onions

Few Curry leaves

Salt As per taste

Method:

Heat oil. Add chana dal, red chilli, garlic, asafoetida, small onions, curry leaves and fry.
Add coconut and fry till brown. Add salt.
Allow to cool and grind in mixie without adding water or using as little water as possible to grind.
 

Kozhukattai / Uppu Kozhukattai

Uppu kozhukattai is one of  my favourite snacks which I love for breakfast and dinner.
Its very simple to make and very good for health too because it is steamed and not much oil also.
I usually make it with raw rice soaked for few hours but you can make it with rice flour also.

Ingredients:

2 cup Raw Rice soaked for 4 hours

1 cup Grated Coconut

5 Red chilli

Curry Leaves

1 tsp Mustard

1 tsp Urad Dal

Salt to taste

2 tsp Oil for tadka

Method:

Grind soaked rice coarsely.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves.
Add ground rice, coconut and salt and mix well.
Keep stirring till the batter becomes a thick paste.
Remove from heat and make small balls.
Steam cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve hot with Ulli chammanthi.