CARAMEL BREAD PUDDING

This is a simply delicious Pudding that can be made easily. Just when you crave for something special. This Pudding is one of the best ones you can make with Bread.

CARAMEL BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients:

• Bread slices - 2 no.s (white bread) 
• Eggs - 2 no.s 
• Milk - 1 cup 
• Sugar - 4 tbsp 
• Condensed milk - 1/4 cup 
• Vanilla essence - 2 tsp 
• Ghee/butter 
• Sugar - 5 tsp for caramelising

Method of preparation:

1. In a blender, put the bread slices, sugar, condensed milk and eggs and blend till a smooth mixture is made. Drizzle in the vanilla essence. 
2. Place a few spoons of sugar in a pan and heat it till you get thick caramel, without burning the sugar. Pour this to the ramekin or Pudding mould and leave it to cool. Grease the mould/ ramekin with ghée/butter.
3. Pour the bread mixture, into the mould or ramekin. Cover this with aluminium foil, place it in a steamer and cook. It may take upto half an hour depending on the thickness. 
4. Once cooked, let it cool and then place it in the fridge to chill. 
5. Serve cold, pour some leftover caramel syrup around.

EGG PAKODAS (NO FRY) / EGG FRITTERS

Pakodas are savoury team time snack from a India. Usually Pakodas are made with vegetables and are deep fried in oil. This is a pakoda recipe where deep frying is not involved. Here the Pakodas or Fritters are cooked in minimal oil in Appe/Unniyappam pan. 

It is simple to make and a protein rich snack. A perfect after-school snack for active, young children and a healthy option. 

EGG PAKODAS (NO FRY) / EGG FRITTERS

Ingredients:

• Boiled eggs - 4 to 5 no.s 🐣🐣
• Besan/ Chickpea flour - 2 cups 
• Chilly powder - 2 tsp (tweak as per your taste) 
• Turmeric powder - a pinch 
• Ajwain seeds/Carom - 1/2 tsp 
• Onion 1/2, Green chilly a small piece & Coriander leaves - all finely chopped
• Water - as required to make a paste
• Salt - for taste

Method of preparation:

1. Boil the eggs and cut into half. 
2. In a bowl, prepare a smooth batter of chickpeas flour by adding water and salt. To this add the powders, ajwain, chopped onion, chilly and coriander leaves. 
3. Keep the appe pan on the stove and add a few drops of oil in the cavities. 
4. When the oil gets hot, dip the egg pieces in the prepared batter and gently drop in each cavity. 
5. Cook each side for a few minutes on medium heat. 
6. When done, remove from the pan and serve with your favourite sauce. 

Enjoy friends.

(Optional - immediately after removing from the pan, you can sprinkle some chat masala.
Note - avoid green chilly and reduce the quantity of chilly powder, if you are serving young kids). 

FRUIT KESARI

This is a variety of Kesari, in which fresh fruits are added which gives this sweet a fresh, fruity flavour. Kesari is an Indian dessert made with fine semolina, sugar and ghee. 

Since fruits are naturally sweet, only lesser sugar is used than the usual Kesari. 

Fruit Kesari

Ingredients:

• Sooji/ Fine semolina (Rava) 1/2 cup 
• Ghee - 4 to 5 spoons 
• Fresh fruits (chopped) 1.5 cups 

(I have used apple, pear, pineapple, banana, mango, strawberry & little pomegranate arils) 

• Raisins & cashew nuts - 1 tsp each 
• Saffron threads - a pinch 
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Sugar - 1/4 cup 
• Water - 1.5 cups 
• (Food colour is optional)

Method of preparation: 

1. In a pan, add little ghee and roast the semolina till fragrant and crisp. Set this aside. Now fry the raisins and nuts and keep it aside. 
2. Now add the fresh fruits pieces to the pan and sauté for a few minutes. To this add saffron strands and powdered cardamom and stir well. 
3. Add sugar according to your taste followed by water. Stir very well. 
4. Once this mixture starts boiling, lower the flame and add the ghee roasted semolina little by little. Stir and mix well to avoid white lumps. Add the fried nuts and raisins, leave it on low flame till the water is completely absorbed. Add little ghee to the mix in between. 
5. Once the mix is thickened, remove from flame. Garnish with nuts, raisins and pomegranate arils. 

This can be served warm or cold. I prefer it cold as the fruity flavours settle on cooling. 

FRUITS KORMA

This is a rich curry with creamy fruit flavours. It is simple to make and goes well with chappathis/ rotis, when you want to try something different from the usual spicy ones. 

Fruits Korma

Ingredients: 

• Fruits - apple, mango, pineapple - diced in cube shape - 2 cups
• Pomegranate - a handful
• Cashew nuts and raisins - around 20 no.s each
• Onion 1 no. - sliced & sautéed
• Green chilly, Curry leaves
• Bay leaf 1 no., Cinnamon - 1 small piece
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp, White pepper powder 1/4 tsp, Cumin powdered 1/4 tsp
• Fresh cream - 3 tbsp
• Salt & oil

Method of preparation: 

1. Soak around half quantity of the cashew nuts in water. Sauté the sliced onion and when it cools down, add the soaked cashews and grind to a smooth paste.
2. Add turmeric powder, salt and sliced green chilly to the fruit pieces and cook with little water.
3. In a pan, make oil hot and add the cinnamon and bay leaf. Now add the rest of the cashew nuts followed by the raisins. When sautéed, add the ground paste of onion & cashews. To this add the curry leaves, cumin and pepper powders. Mix well and leave it to simmer for sometime. When the gravy thickens, add the cooked fruit pieces. Add salt if required.
4. Now slowly add the cream, stir and switch off the flame when about to boil. Add pomegranate & cover the pan.
5. After sometime, garnish with nuts, raisins and pomegranate seeds and serve. 

Yummy Korma is ready.