Warm Bread Pudding

This is an easy warm dessert. It was on a Friday morning when I returned from a BBQ night with friends and we decided to stay over until sunrise and I realize that I did not make anything for my cousins for the lunch dessert. I had to quickly find a dessert that I could prepare in less than an hour and which did not require to be kept in the fridge to set. Umm Ali is definitely the first thing that comes to mind but that needs 2 steps of baking and I had already made it for them couple of weeks ago. So, I had some left over bread, milk, egg and some milk mixture from tres leches. That was it and I made this pudding.

Pudding:
Ingredients
Bread slices cut into cubes 6 slices
Eggs 4
Tres Leches Milk (in the method) 3 cups
o Evaporated milk           1 tin
o Milk                         2 cups
o Condensed milk           ½ - 1 tin as per taste
Vanilla Essence         1 tsp
Nutmeg powder         ½ tsp
Cinnamon Powder         1 tsp
Method:
1. Preheat the oven for 10 – 15 mins at 180 C.
2. In a bowl, mix evaporated milk, milk, condensed milk, vanilla essence, nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder and mix well and keep aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and add in the milk mixture into it.
4. In a greased pan layer the bread cubes and pour the milk mixture over.
5. Bake it for 30 – 45 minutes or until done.
6. Let it cool for 1 hour before serving.

Salted Caramel:
Ingredients:
Soft brown sugar                            100 gms
KDD Thick Cream                         150 ml
Unsalted Butter                              25 gms
Salt                                                 1/4 tsp

Method
1. Heat a sauce pan and add all the ingredients and mix until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Boil this and keep mixing until thick.
3. Off the flame and cool for sometime.

Cut the pudding and serve with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream. Enjoy the warm pudding with some cold ice cream.

Lunch Combo 1 - Veg + Fish Fry

For me the this combination is a childhood memory! This curry is totally my mom's recipe. Not sure if this is being made in your houses too but I like to name it my mom's speciality. Every house has their own recipes I bet. Even the same curry might be made in different styles. I will be posting some Lunch combo ideas from my kitchen making it easy for you all. Here is one combo, rice, pumpkin n dry bean curry, lady's finger stir fry and fish fry to go with it.

Pumpkin and Dry Beans Curry: 
Ingredients:
Pumpkin                                                  500 gms
Unakkapayar/Dry Beans                         1 cup
Turmeric Powder                                    ¼ tsp
Red Chilly Powder                                  2 tsp
Coconut                                                   1 cup
Jeera                                                        1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                         1 tsp
Dried Red Chilly                                    1
Coconut Oil                                            1 tbsp
Curry Leaves
Salt
Water

Method:
1. Wash and cook the dry beans/unakkapayar. I normally keep this with enough water on pressure cooker for 2 whistles.
2. Once the pressure is gone, open the cooked and add chopped pumpkin, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt and boil until the pumpkins are soft and mushy.
3. Now, grind coconut and jeera with little water to a paste.
4. Add this to the cooked pumpkin and bean. Mix well and when it starts to boil, switch off the flame.
5. In a pan, heat coconut oil, sputter mustard seeds, add one dried red chilly and some curry leaves.
6. Pour this on top of the curry and serve hot with rice

Okra Stir Fry/Vendakka Mezhuku Piratti

Ingredients:

Lady's finger/okra                                   250 gms

Onion chopped                                       1

Green Chilly                                           2

Coconut Grated                                      1/4 cup

Coconut oil                                             1 tbsp

Mustard seeds                                        1 tsp

Dried Red Chilly

Curry Leaves

Salt

Method:

1. Cut the okra into small slices.

2. In a pan add 1 tbsp coconut oil, sputter mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chilly.

3. To this, add chopped onions and green chilly.

4. Saute this for 2 mins.

5. Now add the sliced okra and sauce until half done.

6. Add the grated coconut and saute until well done.

Fish Fry

Ingredients:

Any fish, I used mackerel

Red Chilly Powder                              2 tsp

Turmeric powder                                 1/4 tsp

Tamarind Pulp soaked in water           3 tbsp

Fennel Seeds                                       1 tsp

Curry Leaves

Salt

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients and marinate the fish for 15 mins.

2. In a pan heat coconut oil and fry the fish until well done.

Enjoy the best lunch :) 

Pistachio Tres Leches/Milk Cake

Milk cakes have been trending a while for now. I have tried quite a good number of flavors. Out of all, this is the best of the best. My friends and family loves this and gobbles every time I made this. One tip is not to use pistachio essence at all. Here you go!

 Ingredients:
Cake:
Eggs                                        4
Flour                                       1 cup
Corn Flour                              2 tbsp
Sugar                                      3/4 cup
Baking Powder                       ½ tsp
Pistachio                                 1 cup
Water                                      3 tbsp
Green color (optional)            1 drop

Milk:
Evaporated milk                    1 tin of 410 ml
Milk                                       1 cups
Condensed Milk                    3/4 tin

Topping:
Whipping Powder                  2 sachets
Milk                                       1/2 cup

Method:
1. Soak the pistachios for 10 mins.
2. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 160 degree C.
3. In a mixer or bowl beat the eggs with 3/4 cup of sugar until fluffy. This must be the consistency of eggs for sponge cake which is if you take out the beater with little batter and right an 8 on the rest of the batter, the number will stay for few seconds. This is how I understand its ready.
4. Sift the flour, corn flour and baking powder.
5. Add this into the egg mixture and fold until whole batter is mixed well.
6. Prepare the pistachio paste and add 3 tbsp of paste to the mixture.
7. Add 1 drop of green color as well and mix.
8. Bake this for about 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
9. Once the cake is baked, cool it for sometime.
10. Meanwhile, prepare the milk mixture. Add the evaporated milk, condensed milk and milk in a bowl. Mix this well and add 3 tbsp pistachio paste and 1 drop of green color. Mix well and keep refrigerated.
11. Once the cake is cooled, prick it all over with a fork.
12. Keep around 2 cups of milk aside and pour rest of it on the cake.
13. Keep for 5 mins and beat whipping cream and spread it over as you wish.
14. Keep this closed and cool for at least 4 hours before serving. I kept it overnight and came out well.
Enjoy the yummiest Pistachio Tres Leches :)

Unniyappam

Unniyappam is a Kerala speciality sweet snack. Different people make it different ways. Some uses wheat flour. In my recipe, I have used only rice powder. If you wish, you can add 1/2 cup wheat flour. Also, I have added grated coconut as I couldn't get chopped coconut pieces. Also, for banana I used normal banana since there was no small banana available here. If you can get small banana, thats the best to use.

In fact, I don't like eating hot unniyappams, I know this might sound weird but since born and bought up as an NRI, we used to get unniyappam refrigerated from India. My memories of unniyappam is so cold ones hehe. So my favorite is the one kept in fridge :D

Ingredients:
Rice Flour                     2 cups
Jaggery melted             1 cup
Ripe Banana                 2 large                 
Black seeds                   1 tsp
Cardamom powder       1 tsp
Baking Soda                 1/4 tsp
Salt                                a pinch

Method:
1. In a bowl, heat jaggery with 1/2 cup water. Melt, sieve and keep aside.
2. Grind the bananas into a paste and keep aside.
3. In a pan dry roast rice powder for 2 mins.
4. Now in a bowl, add rice powder, melted jaggery and banana paste.
5. The batter will be very thick, so little by little add some water to get the right consistency.
6. I added around 1 cup of water. The batter must be just pourable consistency, it shouldn't be too thick or too thin.
7. Keep this for 20 mins to rest.
8. After 20 mins add cardamom powder, baking soda, salt and black seeds and mix well.
9. In the unniyappam pan, heat coconut oil, the oil must be 3/4 of each cups.
10. When the oil is heated, pour the batter and cook for the sides well.
11. Insert a tooth pick to see if its cooked. The toothpick inserted must come out clean.
12. When done, move the appams on to tissue paper to drain excess oil. Serve hot with black tea :)

Baked Chicken Pasta

Pasta is one of the easiest and safest choice. Its rare to go wrong with Pasta! Here is an easy recipe of Baked Pasta. I cooked the chicken and pasta the day before I made it and kept in ref. You could prepare the whole thing and keep in ref except the cheese topping as well.

Ingredients;
Pasta (any, I used fussili)            4 cups
Chicken breast                            400 gms
Onions small                               2
Tomato                                        3
Green Bell Pepper                      1
Garlic                                          2 cloves
Pasta Sauce                                 3 table spoon
Thick Cream                               1 cup
Cream Cheese                             2 tbsp
Dried Oregano                            2 tsp
Dired Thyme                              1 tsp
Ground Black Pepper                 1 tbsp
Mozzarella Cheese                     100 gms
Parmesan Cheese                        1 tbsp
Cheddar Cheese                          50 gms
Olive Oil
Salt

Method:
1. Cook the pasta with salt and keep aside.
2. Cook the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Cut into small cubes and keep aside.
3. Preheat the oven at 180C for 10 mins.
4. Meanwhile, in a pan heat olive oil and add chopped onions, salt and garlic. While adding salt, make sure to add to taste as chicken and pasta both are cooked with salt.
5. When this turns transparent, add chopped tomatoes, chopped bell pepper and saute until tomatoes are soft and mushy.
6. Add 3 tbsp of pasta sauce and mix well.
7. To this, add dried oregano, thyme and ground black pepper.
8. Now, add the thick cream, parmesan cheese, cream cheese and bring to boil.
9. When it starts to boil, add chicken and pasta, mix for 2 mins and switch off the flame.
10. Transfer this to a baking tray and top with shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
11. Bake this for 30-35 mins until the cheese well melted and top is golden brown.
12. Yummy baked pasta ready to serve!!

Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a combination of eggs, tomatoes, spices and is a famous Middle Eastern dish. 

Ingredients:

Eggs                                   6
Onion                                 1
Garlic                                 2 cloves
Capsicum                           1 big
Tomato                               3
Cumin powder                   1/2 tsp                           
Ground Coriander              1/2 tsp
Ground Black Pepper        1 tsp
Ketchup                             1/4 cup
Salt

Method:
1. In a pan heat olive oil and add chopped onions, garlic, chopped capsicum, ground coriander, cumin powder, ground black pepper and salt.
2. Saute until the onion is soft.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and 1/4 ketchup.
4. Keep this on sim for 10 mins.
5. Make small gaps in between and add the eggs.
6. Close and cook until eggs are done.
7. Add chopped corianders or parsley on top. Done! :)

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

One of the easy and tasty chicken recipe! Since its baked, this much healthier version.

Ingredients:
For Chicken:
Chicken breast                         500 gms
Bread Crumbs                          1 cup
Parmesan Cheese                     1/4 cup
Dried Parsley                           1/2 tbsp
Dried Oregano                         1 tsp
Dried Thyme                           1 tsp
Ground Black Pepper              1 tsp
Garlic                                       2 cloves
Olive oil                                   3 tbsp

Sauce:
Garlic                                       1 clove
Olive Oil                                  1 tbsp
Thick Cream                            1 cup
Cream Cheese Spread              2 tbsp
Salt

Mashed Potatoes:
Potato                                      3
Butter                                      25 gms
Thick Cream                           2 tbsp
Cream Cheese Spread             1 tbsp

Method: 
1. Preheat over at 180C for 10 mins.
2. In a bowl mix olive oil and chopped garlic.
3. In another bowl mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried thyme and ground black pepper.
4. Split each chicken breast into equal halves.
5. Dip each piece in oil and garlic.
6. Then cover it with Bread crumbs mix.
7. Layer aluminium foil in a pan and keep the chicken.
8. Bake for 30-35 mins until the chicken in done and the coating is golden brown.
9. Meanwhile, in a sauce pan add 1 tbsp olive oil and add chopped garlic.
10. When the garlic turns brown, add thick cream, salt and cream cheese. Switch off the flame when it boils.

Mashed Potatoes:
1. Cook the potatoes until well done.
2. Mash the potatoes and add melted butter, thick cream, salt to taste and cream cheese.
3. Mix well.

Now plate according to your taste and pour the sauce over the chicken and mash and enjoy :)