MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Caramel Custard Pudding

Caramel Custard

Dessert Time!!! Caramel Custard it is, delicious and most easy to make. This classic pudding recipe has minimum ingredients and the cooking time is also quite less. It is loved by all for its mouthwatering taste. I am sharing the recipe of caramel custard cooked in pressure cooker.

Ingredients

Milk – Half Litre

Eggs – 3 nos

Sugar – ½ cup for the custard + 4 teaspoon for the caramel

Vanilla Essence – ½ teaspoon

Method

Heat milk and dissolve sugar and set aside to cool. Take the bowl in which you are making the caramel custard and add the 4 teaspoons of sugar in it. Now hold this utensil on medium gas flame and keep moving it till the sugar caramelizes and spreads evenly on the base of the bowl. Keep it aside. Now whisk eggs well and add to the milk and sugar mixture. Add vanilla essence and mix well. Pour this mixture into the bowl with caramelized sugar. Heat water in pressure cooker and place the bowl on a separator. Cover the lid of the cooker without the whistle and allow to cook for about 12-15 minutes. Turn off the gas, remove the bowl and allow to cool. Place it in the fridge and upturn it while serving. Enjoy this delicious dessert.

Note- You may use full cream or toned milk. You can increase the number of eggs if you wish. Vanilla pods can also be used to enhance the aroma.
Variation - I have flavoured caramel custard with cardamoms and saffron and it does taste good too.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Papdi Chaat

Papdi Chaat

Papdi chaat is one of my most favourite of all the Chaat preparations. It needs a bit of organizing and planning and would do well if you plan and prepare a day earlier.

I generally keep my tamarind chutney (homemade) ready in the fridge. Readymade papdi from the market has made it easier to make this dish nowadays. Earlier, I used to make the papdi also at home. I will share the recipe of papdi also sometime in the future. For now, I am using the readymade papdi.

Ingredients

Papdi – 1 packet of 200-250 gms

Potatoes – 3 large

Curds – 400 gms

Chickpeas (Chole) – 100 gms

Green Chutney – Mix of mint+coriander leaves+green chilllies+salt + water

Tamarind Chutney – Mixture of tamarind pulp boiled with jaggery and water

Chaat Masala – ½ teaspoon

Cumin Powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander Powder – 1 teaspoon

Red Chilly Powder – ½ teaspoon

Salt – To taste

Sugar – Aprrox 3 teaspoons

Plain Sev(Bhujia) – 100 gms

Method

Soak chickpeas overnight and pressure cook well along with water, salt, cumin and coriander powder. Boil potatoes, peel, cut into small cubes and sprinkle lightly with salt, cumin and coriander powders. Flavour the curds lightly with sugar and salt. For the green chutney, grind mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies and salt along with little water. While arranging the Papdi Chaat, place the papdi as lowermost layer, then on top add potatoes and chickpeas. On top of this pour curds and then add some green chutney as well as tamarind chutney. Sprinkle chaat masala, cumin, red chilly and coriander powders. Top the papdi chaat lightly with plain sev/bhujia and the lip smacking dish is ready to be served.

Note -  This quantity is enough for about 4- 5 people.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Masalewali Moong Daal Khichdi

Masalewali Moong Daal Khichdi

Masalewali Moong Daal Khichdi is a welcome change from the routine roti subji daal chawal menu. It is one of my favourite dishes and I like to relish it with ghee, lemon pickle, groundnut chutney and kadhi. I think it is the favourite of many of you who are redaing this recipe as well. Generally, it is said that people who are lazy, tend to cook this one dish meal, but, let me tell you that it is so flavourful that you feel like having it over and over again. It is a wholesome, nutritious recipe with a good mix of all-carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables and all. You can enjoy it when you are recuperating from a bout of flu and it helps tremendously to satiate your nauseated taste buds. The growing toddlers can also benefit from this tasty, nutritious khichdi minus the masala.

The basic ingredients for the masalewali moong daal khichdi are the same as that of the plain moong daal khichdi and that is rice and moong daal, in addition to a variety of vegetables and spices. The vegetables that generally go well are green peas, potato, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, French beans, brinjals. You may add other vegetables of your choice too.

Ingredients

Rice – 1 and ½ cup

Moong Daal – ½ cup

Onion – 1 medium

Tomato – 1 medium

Potato – 1 medium

Cauliflower – 50 gms

French Beans – 50 gms

Green Peas – 50 gms

Carrots – 50 gms

Ginger garlic coriander paste – 1 and ½ teaspoon

Curry leaves – 10-12 nos

Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

Cumin Seeds – ½ teaspoon

Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon

Garam Masala Powder – ½ teaspoon

Red Chilly Powder – ½ teaspoon

Ghee/ Oil – 3-4 tablespoons

Water – 6-7 cups

Salt – To taste

Method

Wash rice and daal and strain water and set aside. Chop all vegetables. Heat oil or ghee in a thick bottomed pan and add tempering of curry leaves, mustard and cumin seeds. Add onions and sauté for a minute and add rest of the vegetables and stir for 2 minutes. Add washed rice and daal and stir for a minute and add ginger garlic coriander paste and stir well. Add turmeric, red chilly and garam masala powders and salt and stir well for a minute and then add hot water to the mixture and bring to a boil. Cover with lid and let it cook well for about 20 minutes. In pressure cooker, it may take about 10-12 minutes or 3-4 whistles. Masalewali Moong Daal Khichdi is ready to be served and enjoyed.

Note

In the accompanying photographs you may not see the vegetables I have mentioned in the recipe. There are no hard and fast rules in my kitchen, I generally make do with ingredients that are readily available at that moment within the house. Khichdi is one such dish that accommodates anything and everything.

You can add a mix of different daals like arhar, masoor, urad as well in addition to moong daal. For spice, I add Kanda Lasun Masala or Sambhar Masala in place of garam masala and red chilly powder.

Khichdi has to live up to its name, meaning a mix of many things and you can vary the ingredients as per your tastes, likes and availability of ingredients.

Mostly people enjoy khichdi with Urad papad. I am not much fan of papad so you may not see it here in my pictures. Go ahead and enjoy the khichdi with accompaniments of your liking. Don’t forget to watch the fun filled movie Khichdi while eating your khichdi.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Prawns Masala

Prawns Masala

Actually prawns (shrimps) taste best with least masala(spices). Prawns can be made in so many ways- fried, sautéed, baked, curried, pickled and so on. The prawns masala recipe that I am sharing tastes good with roti, chapattis and rice as well.

Ingredients

Prawns – 200 gms

Onions- 2 medium sized

Tomatoes – 2 medium sized

Garlic- 8-10 cloves

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Corinader – 4-5 sprigs

Fresh grated coconut – 2 tablespoons

Oil- 2-3 tablespoons

Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

Red chilly Powder – 1 teaspoon

Cumin Powder – ½ teaspoon

Coriander Powder – ½ teaspoon

 Water – 2 cups

Salt – To Taste

Method

Clean prawns by removing shells and deveining. Wash and set aside. Cut onions and tomatoes and grind them with garlic, ginger, coriander and fresh coconut to form a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and add the masala paste and fry well till oil nearly separates. Now add cleaned prawns, turmeric powder, salt, red chilly powder, cumin and coriander powder and stir well for about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water and allow the prawns to cook for about 8-10 minutes. Prawns Masala is done and ready to be served.

Note

Prawns are cooked very fast. Take care not to overcook prawns.

Also some individuals have severe shellfish allergies, so please be aware.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Prawn Pulao(Jhinga Bhaat)

Prawn Pulao

I share this recipe on a special request by my dear friend. She remembers the delicious prawn pulao made by my mother. My Mom made pulaos of many types – green peas pulao, mutton pulao, prawn pulao n so on. Pulaos were my mother’s speciality recipes.

Ingredients

Rice (Basmati or AmbaMohar) – 1 cup

Prawns (medium sized, cleaned and deviened) – 1 cup

Onions – 4 nos, medium sized

Ginger, garlic, fresh coriander paste – 1½ teaspoon

Green chillies – 2 nos

Garam Masala powder– 1 teaspoon

Whole Garam Masala(2 big cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, 3-4 black peppercorns, 2 bayleaves, 1-2 pieces cinnamon)

Ghee - 2 tablespoons

Oil – 50 gms

Salt - As per taste

Water – 2-2½ cups

For garnish – 2 tablespoons fresh grated coconut + 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Method

Wash rice, drain water and keep aside. Slice onions lengthwise and fry half of the onions in oil till they are a lovely golden brown and set aside for garnish. Now heat ghee in a pan and add the whole garam masala. Then fry the remaining onions till they turn light brown. Add slit green chillies and fry for a minute. Now add the rice and ginger garlic coriander paste along with prawns and stir well for about 2 – 3 minutes. After this add garam masala powder and salt and stir well. Add hot water to this and cover with lid for about 8 -10 minutes till rice is cooked. While serving, garnish with fried onions, fresh grated coconut and finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Groundnut/Shengdana/Moongphali Chutney

Groundnut/Shengdana/Moongphali Chutney

Shengdana(Groundnut, Moongphali) Chutney is the ultimate accompaniment and you are sure to find it in nearly all Maharashtrian kitchens. It goes well with all menus. All the wada-paav lovers must be surely familiar with this chutney. It is most easy to make shengdana chutney and can be used in many ways too. It is a dry chutney that can be stored well for about 2-3 weeks. My mother always took the pains to make shengdana chutney with her hands by pounding it in her favourite heavy duty iron pounder. This way the chutney gets unique texture and taste.The slow rhythmic pounding extracts oil from the groundnuts and the chutney  becomes more flavourful. 

Ingredients

Groundnuts – 1 cup

Garlic – 10-12 cloves

Salt - 1/4^th teaspoon

Red Chilly Powder – 1/4^th teaspoon

Cumin Powder – A Pinch

Method

Roast groundnuts lightly and once they cool down, remove the peels. Mix all the ingredients together and grind in the chutney jar of the mixer. The chutney needs to be of coarse texture. Store the chutney in an air tight jar, preferably stainless steel.

Note

You may add more chilly powder if you like more spice. The chutney can be used along with white butter or pure ghee with chapati or bread. If you want the chutney to be more crunchy, then you can roast it lightly on low flame.

Variations - You can make variety of dips from the shengdana chutney. Add little curds and a dash of sugar and a tasty dip is ready. You can make a salad(koshimbir) of tomato with curd and shengdana chutney. 

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Moong Daal Khichdi

Mugachya Daalichi Khichdi(Moong Daal Khichdi)

Moong Daal Khichdi is one soul comforting food and transports you to good times. All Maharashtrian households are familiar with this yummy recipe. It is of thick porridgy consistency and forms part of baby’s first weaning meals. Mothers will always dish out this highly nutritious, easily digestible soul food when anybody in the family is ill or recovering after a bout of flu or stomach upset. I love moong daal khichdi and I make it when I am in need of some soul food. Here, I am posting the pheeka(bland) version of moong daal khichdi which has very few ingredients. There is also a masala(spicy) version of moong daal khichdi and you can make it with vegetables of your choice. The must haves with moong daal khichdi are pure ghee, papad, chutney and pickle.

Ingredients

Rice – 1 cup

Moong Daal(Green Gram Lentil) – 1/4^th cup

Turmeric Powder – 1/4^th teaspoon

Cumin Seeds – 1/4^th teaspoon

Salt – As per taste

Water – Approx 750 ml

Method

Wash rice and moong daal. Mix turmeric powder, salt, cumin seeds, water with rice and moong daal and pressure cook for about 15 minutes. Keep the cooker on low to medium flame. Serve the moong daal khichdi with ghee, chutney and other accompaniments.