Brownies

 

 

These simple brownies are quick, easy to prepare and extremely delicious. I have prepared it many number of times and every time they have turned out great. I tried it from here. I followed the recipe exactly, except that I halved it. I guarantee that you will never go wrong with this recipe!!

Ingredients

 

1. All purpose flour - 1 cup
2. Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup ( I used Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder)
3. White granulated sugar - 1 cup
4. Butter or margarine - 1/2 cup or 1 stick melted (You can melt it on stovetop( at low heat for about 1 - 1.5 minutes stirring continuously ) or microwave (takes less than 25 - 30 seconds) or double broiler method or at room temperature (takes at least 1 hour ). Allow it to cool slightly before using.
5. Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
6. Egg - 1
7. Nuts, raisins, chocolate chunks - Optional

 

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

 

2. Cream butter and sugar. You can either use a hand mixer or a spoon/fork. I used a hand mixer for this step.

 

 

 

3. Now switch to a spoon/spatula and add vanilla extract, egg and mix until smooth. Do not over mix.

 

4. Stir in the cocoa powder and all purpose flour and mix until smooth until there are no lumps. If you are planning to add chocolate chunks, nuts etc, add them now.

 

 

5. Spread in a greased 8 inch pan using a spatula or with your fingers. Bake for 18 - 20 mts at 350 F. Cool completely and cut to  16 squares. Enjoy!!

 

 

Caramel Custard - Two Versions and Our 150th Post!!

Wish you all a very happy and prosperous Diwali!!

 

We are extremely happy and excited to share our 150^th post today. Thank You dear friends for your support and encouragement!! To tell the truth, I didn’t even notice it until yesterday so I do not have anything really exciting to share with you all. But I do have these really simple and super yummy caramel custard recipes. The first one is the basic caramel custard recipe. The second version with a chocolatey-coffee twist is for all those people who are put off by the eggy flavor and smell of the basic custard. The addition of cocoa powder and coffee makes it much tastier and flavorful than the traditional recipe. It has already been tested by few of my friends who absolutely loved it. It’s really worth a try friends!!

 

1. CARAMEL CUSTARD

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1. Milk (whole milk or 2 % ) - 1.5 cup ( I used 2 %)
2. Eggs - 2
3. Sugar - 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp
4. Vanilla extract - 1.5 tsp

Method

1. Heat a saucepan at medium heat. Add 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp water. Shake the pan slightly, but do not stir, until all the sugar has melted, for about 8 - 10 minutes. Stir the sugar as it begins to bubble and  slowly  change color. Remove from heat when it turns to a golden brown color. Pour the caramel into 3 ramekins or in deep oven-safe bowls, tilt  to spread the caramel evenly over the bottom of the ramekins. The caramel will harden in a few seconds. Keep aside.

 

2. Whisk egg and sugar in a sauce pan or any bowl. Then add vanilla essence and milk. Whisk well. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and pour into ramekins, over the caramel syrup. Place the ramekins in a cake pan or any oven-proof pan which is partially filled with warm water.

3. Bake at 350 F for 40 - 45 minutes or until the center is firm but slightly wobbly. Cooking it too long will result in a tough rather than tender custard. Cool down to room temperature. Keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 hrs or until serving. To unmould, run a knife along the sides of the ramekins. Place a plate or any serving dish upside down over the ramekin. Now holding tightly, invert the dish and ramekin together. Now lift the ramekin slowly. If it does not come out, you can shake the ramekin gently to loosen the custard. Caramel syrup will run down on the sides of the custard, forming a yummy sauce. Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

2.  CHOCOLATE-COFFEE CUSTARD

 

Ingredients

1. Milk (whole milk or 2 % ) - 1.5 cup ( I used 2 % milk)
2. Eggs - 2
3. Sugar - 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp
4. Vanilla extract - 1.5 tsp
5. Strong Coffee - 2 tbsp (Mix 1.5 tbsp instant coffee powder with 2 tbsp hot water. Keep aside to cool.)
6. Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp

Method

 

1. Heat a saucepan at medium heat. Add 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp water. Shake the pan slightly, but do not stir, until all the sugar has melted, for about 8 - 10 minutes. Stir the sugar as it begins to bubble and  slowly turn to a golden brown color.  Remove from heat. Pour the caramel into 3 ramekins or in deep oven safe bowls, tilt  to spread the caramel evenly over the bottom of the ramekins. The caramel will harden in a few seconds. Keep aside.

 

2. Whisk egg and sugar in a sauce pan or bowl. Then add vanilla essence and milk. Whisk well. Add 2 tbsp strong coffee and 1 tbsp cocoa powder. Whisk well again. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and pour into ramekins, over the caramel syrup. Place the ramekins in a cake pan or any oven-proof pan partially filled with warm water.

 

3. Bake at 350 F for 40 - 45 minutes or until the center is firm but slightly wobbly. Cooking it too long will result in a tough rather than tender custard. Cool down to room temperature. Keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 hrs or until serving. To unmould, run a knife along the sides of the ramekins. Place a plate or any serving dish upside down over the ramekin. Now holding tightly, invert the dish and ramekin together. Now lift the ramekin slowly. If it does not come out, you can shake the ramekin gently to loosen the custard. Caramel syrup will run down on the sides of the custard, forming a yummy sauce. Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Parippu Pradhaman…..it’s time to Celebrate!

    There is a very happy news that I would love to share with you all. Lakshmi is blessed with a baby boy on Oct 22nd. Both the mother and the little one are doing fine. Lakshmi has decided to take some time off to devote herself to her baby boy.....and so you guys would have to wait a few months to get more of the naadan recipes.

    To celebrate this very happy occasion, I am sharing with you a parippu pradhaman recipe. This recipe belongs to one of my friend, Girija. It is soo easy to make and would turn  out to be a nice dessert to a naadan meal. Long back , parippu pradhaman used to be served in sadyas for weddings but now a days its mostly semiya, ada pradhaman, pal payasam, palada, pineapple payasam etc etc. Heres the recipe:

Ingredients

1. Split mung dal /  skinless split green gram /cherrupayar parippu - 3/4 cup
2. Jaggery - 1 - 1.5 cup or to taste
3. Coconut milk - 1/2 can or 1.5 - 2 cup thick coconut milk
4. Milk - 3/4 cup
5. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Cashew nuts - 10 - 15
8. Coconut bits (thenga kothu) -2 tbsp
9. Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Heat  ghee in a pressure cooker. Throw in some cashews and fry them until golden brown. Drain them on to a paper towel. Then add the coconut bits and fry until brown. Drain on to a paper towel. Now add the split mung dal and fry for 2-3 minutes until they turn a little golden brown. Now add 3 cups of water and pressure cook for one whistle.

2. Meanwhile melt the jaggery in 1 cup water, at medium heat. Stir until it reaches a light syrupy consistency. It would not take more than 10 - 15 mts. Open the pressure cooker when the pressure releases.  Mash the mung dal really well with the back of a spoon. Add 3/4 cup milk and the jaggery syrup to the pressure cooked mung dal. Mix well and bring to a boil at medium heat.

3. Add the coconut milk. Stir  well until it reaches a thick consistency at medium heat. Now add cumin powder and cardamom powder. Mix well. Finally add the fried cashews, coconut bits and 1/2 tsp ghee (optional). Serve warm or chilled.

Tips:

 

1)  You can add brown sugar instead of jaggery.

2)  Adding milk is completely optional. You can add thin coconut milk (second extraction) instead of milk in step 2.

3) If the payasam is very thick, add hot milk to dilute.

4)  I added chaokah (canned) coconut milk. Fresh coconut milk will taste best. For fresh coconut milk - Add around 1/4 - 1/2 cup warm water to grated coconut and squeeze to extract thick coconut milk(first extraction). Now add more water to the already squeezed coconut and squeeze again to get the second extraction or thin coconut milk. Finally strain the extractions through a fine sieve. You can make this process easier using a mixer. Grind the grated coconut with little warm water in a mixer. Then use a meshed strainer and press down on the coconut for the first extraction. Repeat the same for the second extraction.

 

 

Love

Maya

Pal Payasam / Kheer

 

 

 

Ingredients ( Makes about 6 - 8 servings)

1. Unnakkalari  / red rice - 1/2 cup
2. Sugar - 1 cup + 2 tbsp
3. Milk -  Around 5 cups (I used low fat milk (2%). If you are using whole milk - use 4 cups of milk and 1 cup water)
4. Cardamom powder - 2 pinches or 2 cardamom pods slightly crushed

Method

In a pressure cooker, add the washed unnakkalari, milk and sugar(You can also add  2 crushed cardamoms along with these ingredients). Close with the lid and cook at medium-low flame. When the steam starts coming out, put the pressure  cooker weight and cook for about 40 mts (without any whistles) at medium-low flame. Switch off. Keep it aside for a minimum  of 1.5 - 2 hrs, before opening. Open the pressure cooker, check the sugar and add 2 pinches cardamom powder (if you did not add crushed cardamoms before) and mix well. If the pal payasam is very thick, dilute it by adding milk. Serve warm or cold.

 

 

Tips : You can replace the red rice with basmati rice or sona masoori rice.

Ada Pradhaman

Ingredients

1. Rice ada / rice flakes - 200 - 250 gm
2. Jaggery - 400 - 500 gm or to taste
3. Coconut milk (thin, randam pal) - 2 - 21/2 cup (You need 3 coconuts for this recipe. Shred the coconuts and extract the thin and thick coconut milk)
4. Coconut milk (thick), onnam pal) - 1 cup
5. Cashews, raisins, fried coconut slices(thenga kothu) - 2 tbsp each or as desired
6. Dry ginger powder(chukku podi) - 1 tsp
7. Cardamom powder - 1tsp
8. Cumin powder -1 tsp
9. Ghee - 1 tbsp or as required

Method

1. Boil water in a pan. Wash ada and cook it in boiling water for around 20 mts or until it becomes soft. Strain and rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking. Meanwhile melt the jaggery in around 2 cups of water and strain it.

2. Heat ghee in an uruli or a deep pan. Fry the raisins, cashews and coconut slices one by one and drain on to a paper towel. Now add the ada and saute in ghee for 3-4 mts adding more ghee if required at medium heat. Add the melted jaggery, cook at medium heat stirring in between. When it thickens, add the thin coconut milk. Bring down the heat to medium-low and cook until it thickens, stirring in between. Now add the thick coconut milk. Mix well and add the dry ginger powder, cardamom and cumin powder. Mix well, cook for 1-2 mts at low heat and switch off. Garnish with the fried cashews, coconut slices and raisins. Close with a lid for at least 15 mts to lock the flavors. Serve hot or cold.

Chocolate Walnut Bars

  I would love to share the recipe for chocolate walnut bars today. These chewy bars are made with a walnut crust and a rich chocolate layer for topping. They were yummy right from the oven. You wont believe how easy this bar recipe is until you try it!! I am sure you will fall in love with this delicious, chocolatey dessert Enjoy!!

Ingredients (Makes 24)

From The Cookie and Biscuit Bible  Pg 353

 

1. Walnuts - 1/2 cup /  2 oz / 50 g
2. Granulated Sugar - 1/3 cup / 3 oz / 75 g
3. Plain ( all purpose ) flour, sifted  - 2/3 cup / 3 oz / 75 g
4. Cold unsalted (sweet) butter, diced - 6 tbsp / 3 oz / 75 g ( I used plain, unsalted butter)
5. Icing sugar (Confectioners’) - For dusting

For the topping

1. Unsalted (Sweet) butter - 2 tbsp / 1 oz / 25 g
2. Water - 5 tbsp / 75 ml
3. Cocoa powder (unsweetened) - 1/3 cup / 1 1/2 oz / 40 g
4. Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup / 4 oz / 115 g
5. Vanilla essence - 1 tsp / 5 ml
6. Salt - A pinch
7. Eggs - 2

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F / Gas 4. Grease a 8 inch square cake pan.

2. Grind the walnuts with a few tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor, blender or nut grinder.

3. Mix the ground walnuts, the remaining sugar and the flour in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, process all the ingredients (that is the already ground walnuts, remaining flour, sugar and diced butter) in a food processor.

4. Pat the walnut mixture into the base of the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 25 mts.

5. Meanwhile, to make the topping, melt the butter with the water in a small pan over a  low heat. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla essence and salt and leave to cool for 5 mts. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly blended.

6. Remove the cake pan from the oven ( after  25 mts) and pour the chocolate topping evenly over the cooked walnut mixture.

8. Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 mts, until set. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, cut into bars and dust with sifted icing sugar. Store the bars in the refrigerator.

 

Fried Ice Cream

 

 

     Does anyone want the easiest recipe for the tastiest dessert??? Have you tried fried ice cream? Well, I had this tasty fried ice cream prepared by my dear friend Manju Jyotish and I decided to keep this recipe forever. It was simply yummy, yummy and a lot yummier!
    Last week, our apartment especially my kitchen was a total mess. Our neighbors had a fire in their kitchen and their sprinkler got activated. Our carpets and floor got drenched. We were forced to move out as they had these huge blow dryers and heaters on. They even drilled some holes on the wall and roof to take out the moisture. We had been told to move to a hotel but we moved to our friends’ Manju and Jyothish’s home, who live with their sweet little gal, devootty and we had a fun time together. I was so happy to be with Manju, so for a while I forgot all about the state of our apartment. Since we were there for a few days, we decided to make her special dessert, fried ice cream. We made the bread balls on tuesday and chilled them for 2 days. On thursday , another friend Reshmi came to visit us, so Manju finally fried the ice cream for us. We all finished ours in no time, and Manju had a tough time to save a few  ice cream balls, so that our husbands could have it too…
   Summer is finally here and we all would have loads of ice cream in our freezers, so try something new with the same old ice cream! Try it!

 

Ingredients

White Bread

Ice cream - Vanilla ice cream would taste best

Oil - For deep frying

Method

1. Trim off the bread crusts. Place a scoop of ice cream on a bread slice.  Now lay another bread slice over it in a diamond shape. Both the slices should be at angles to each other.

 

2. Now fold the sides of both the slices and use your fingers to press them together and form a ball. Freeze the balls overnight and deep fry in oil until golden brown (one at a time). It will take only 20 - 30 seconds to fry them so be very careful. The outside will be crispy,hot and inside will be still frozen. Drizzle with strawberry syrup, chocolate sauce, honey, whipped cream as desired, and serve immediately.  You can also sprinkle some cinnamon or powdered sugar on it. Repeat the same with the remaining frozen ice cream balls. Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sending this recipe to Spicy Tasty’s Sizzling Summer Contest.

 

 

Gulab Jamun

   Gulab Jamun, soft sweet balls with a nice aroma  and  a pleasant taste are  liked by almost every one. Diwali without gulab jamun seems imperfect. These lip-smacking balls are easy to prepare from easily available ingredients like milk powder, all purpose flour and milk. You can serve warm gulab jamuns with ice cream.

Ingredients

1. Milk powder – 1 cup
2. All purpose flour – 1/2 cup
3. Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
4. Unsalted Butter melted/ghee – 3tsp
5. Sugar – 1 cup
6. Water – 2 cup
7. Whole milk - As required, to make the dough
8. Cardamom  – 1 tsp  crushed
9. Rose water – 1tsp, or 1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
10. Lime juice – 1 tsp
11. Oil – to fry the balls

Method

To make the sugar syrup

1. To make the syrup mix sugar and water in a wide vessel and keep in a low flame.
2. Once the sugar is completely melted add the cardamom powder, rose water,  lime juice and keep in very low flame.
3. Stir the syrup in between. Care must be taken so that the sugar may not caramelize, keep the syrup warm.

 

To make the Balls

 

1. Mix milk powder, all purpose flour and baking soda.  Make a dough by gradually adding milk(whole milk). Knead properly to get a smooth dough.

 

 

 

2. Cover it with a damp cloth and keep for 15 mts.

 

3. Grease your hands with little ghee and make small lemon sized balls from the dough. The ball must be small since it will double in size while frying.  Avoid any cracks on the balls.

 

 

   4. Heat oil in a pan first at high heat and then reduce to medium. Fry the balls in the oil, the balls will sink to the bottom and then will start floating. Move the pan gently or stir the oil continuously so that the balls will get brown evenly. Never fry the balls in high heat,  since they will not get cooked inside. At right temperature, the ball will rest in the bottom for 5 mts and slowly will rise up. This way, the balls will be completely cooked from inside and outside.

  

 

 

 

5.  When the balls turn brown, transfer them directly into the warm sugar syrup. Close it with a lid.

 

6.  Remove the  sugar syrup from the heat and leave the gulab jamun balls in the sugar syrup overnight for better results.

 

 

Tips:

1. Instead of all purpose flour you can use any pancake mix.
2. Adding saffron to the sugar syrup will give additional color and flavor to the jamuns.
3. Never fry the balls in high heat.
4. You can also use 1/4 cup soaked sooji rava ( Soak it in warm water for about 5 - 10 minutes. Remember to drain the water completely before mixing it with milk powder.) and 1/4 cup all purpose flour instead of 1/2 cup all purpose flour.