PUDDINGS - MISCELLANEOUS
Amarkhand
Sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 can
Curd (yoghurt) 1 pound
Paneer ¾ cup
Mango essence 1 tsp.
Fresh mint, a sprig
Put the curd in a muslin cloth and allow to hang for 15 minutes. Press to remove excess water. Mash the paneer till smooth and creamy. Blend with condensed milk and mango essence in a blender to make it smooth. Fold in curd and chill till almost frozen, then offer with a sprig of mint.
Angoori Chaman
1-1/2 cups Angoori Pethas (juicy sugar syrup pethas)
1-1/4 cups sweetened Double Cream
1 Tsp Saffron
5 Tbsp Warm Milk
2 Drops Yellow Food Colour
10-12 Pcs each of Pistachio and Almonds
Silver Varak
Few Pieces of Pomegranate (Hindi Anaar)
Dissolve the saffron in warm milk and add food colouring. Soak the nuts in water, peel and mince. Take 8 small sweets containers. At the base of each container, put a few pieces of Angoori Pethas. Put a bit of saffron syrup on it and then top it with double cream. Garnish with pomegranate, pistachio, almonds, varak and kesar syrup. Chill thoroughly, and offer.
Petha is made from bottlegourd, sugar, and essence. The taste of the small grey-whitish opaque pieces will take your breath away. While Agra is famous for petha, the best petha is available in Delhi. The best of the lot of pethas is the juicy variety, known as the Angoori, or grape petha.
Aval Kesari #1
Aval (Rice Flakes) - 1-1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Cashews - 6
Cardamom - 2
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Heat up a little ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel and fry the aval in it. When all of the aval has fried, add 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. When the aval has been cooked, add the sugar and stir until it dissolves completely. Reduce the heat me to low. Fry the cashews in a little ghee and add to the kesari along with the remaining ghee and cardamom. Stir to mix uniformly until the kesari no longer sticks to the sides of the vessel. Remove from heat, and offer.
Avil Kesari #2
2 cups beaten rice (thick variety)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp orange colouring (mixed in 1 tbsp water)
1/2 cup ghee
10 cashewnuts
2 tsp raisins
1 tsp Cardamom powder
Heat ghee in a pan and fry raisins and cashewnuts till golden. Soak beaten rice in water and immediately drain and fry in the leftover ghee, till light yellow. Add 1 cup boiling water (to which the colouring has been added) and cook till done. Add sugar and cook till dry. Add cardamom powder, cashewnuts and raisins. Mix well and offer.
Baked Indian Pudding
1 quart milk, scalded
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
3 tblsp butter
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup jaggery
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
Mix sugar, cornmeal and seasonings. Add to scalded milk and molasses and cook slowly (stirring) about 5 minutes. Pour into a greased baking dish and dot with butter. Bake 1 hour at 325 F. Add remaining cup milk and continue to cook 2 hours longer. Serve with butter, cream or ice cream.
Banana Custard
Ripe Bananas 2
Apple 1
Custard Powder 3 tablespoons
Milk 2/3 cup
Sugar 1/4 cup
Cashew pieces 1 tsp
Almond pieces 1 tsp
Pista (pistachio) pieces 1 tsp
Raisins 1 tsp
Vanilla essence few drops
Mix sugar and custard powder with a little milk. Boil remaining milk and pour in the above mixture. Heat the mixture till it begins to boil. Add vanilla essence. Chop the bananas and apples into small pieces and add it to this mixture. Garnish with nuts.
Banana Yoghurt Pudding
2 medium bananas
1 cup yoghurt
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp carmel syrup
1/8 cup cashews
In a blender combine the cashews with the lemon juice and carmel syrup. Add the chopped bananas and the yoghurt and blend for a couple of minutes more till the mixture is smooth and aerated. Refrigerate for an hour or till set.
Carrot Tapioca Pudding
Grated tapioca 1 cup
Milk 2 cups
Sugar ½ cup
Grated carrot ½ cup
Condensed milk 1 can
China grass 10 gm
For Garnishing:
Cashewnuts
Carrots (grated)
Coconut (grated)
Soak china grass in ½ cup milk. Wash the tapioca and drain the water. Boil sugar and remaining milk. Add tapioca and carrot and cook till soft. Add the china grass and cook till dissolved. Continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add the condensed milk and stir well. When it becomes custard-like in consistency, remove from the heat. Pour in a shallow dish and keep aside. When half set, garnish with grated carrot, coconut and cashewnuts. Refrigerate till set. Cut into pieces and offer.
Falooda
For Falooda:
Corn flour - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt - a pinch
A bowl of ice cold water with ice cubes in it
For Jelly:
Agar Agar - 4 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Tonovin (grape) essence - 1/4 tsp
For Sugar Syrup:
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 3/4 cup
Rose essence - few drops
Rose colour - little
For Sago Payasam:
Sago - 1/8 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/8 cup
For Custard:
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Custard powder - 1 tbsp (any flavour)
Other Ingredients:
Milk - 1 1/2 cups
Subja (basil) seeds - 1 tbsp
Water - 1 cup
Vanilla ice cream
For Falooda: Mix cornflour in one cup of water without forming lumps. Heat it in a heavy vessel, stirring constantly till it becomes a thick dough. Add a pinch of salt when the dough is still hot, put it in greased idiyappam press and press, then place directly in ice water bowl. Keep falooda sev in ice water, in refrigerator till required.
For Jelly: Prepare agar agar in the usual way. Add along with sugar, lime juice, and ½ cup water. Stir till sugar is dissolved. Remove from fire and add tonovin essence. Keep in refrigerator till jelly is set.
For Sugar syrup: Mix sugar and water together. Heat till sugar is dissolved completely. Remove from fire and mix essence and colour.
For Sago payasam: Fry sago in a teaspoon of ghee for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and cook till it becomes transparent. Mix milk and sugar. Cook in reduced flame and stir for few minutes till sugar is dissolved. Remove from fire and add essence.
For Custard: Mix custard powder in little cold milk, without forming lumps. Heat rest of the milk with sugar. When it starts boiling, add custard paste and stir till it becomes thick. Remove from fire and chill in refrigerator.
Soak the subja seeds in one cup of water and set aside for one or two hours till it swells up. To serve, take a tall glass and arrange the following layers just before offering: One tablespoon of falooda sev. One teaspoon of soaked subja seeds. 2 tablespoons of sago payasam. 2 tablespoons of sugar syrup. 3 tablespoons of cold milk. 1 tablespoon of jelly. 1-1/2 tablespoons of custard. One scoop of ice cream or kulfi on top.
Guse Paisa
Poppy seeds (Khus or Gus-Guse) -- 1/2 cup
Grated coconut -- 1/2 cup
Rice -- 1 tbsp
Jaggery -- 1/2 cup
Cardomon powder -- 1/4 tsp
Fry poppy seeds and rice without oil (dry roast) till rice becomes more whitish. Soak in little water for half an hour. Grind coconut, cardomon powder, poppy seeds and rice until fine. Drain off the liquid and set liquid aside. Now, heat jaggery with a little water and skim off any impurities. Mix the jaggery and poppy seed liquid and allow it to boil. Finally add a little milk to attain required consistency.
Hyderbadi Qubani Ka Meetha
1 cup Apricots (whole/dried)
1/3 cup Sugar
¼ cup Fresh cream
1 cup Water
Wash and soak the apricots in hot water for 15 minutes. Mash and stone the apricots. Break open the stone and remove the nuts. Heat the mixture of apricot and nuts until it starts thickening. Add sugar and cook for another 2 minutes. Allow the mixture to chill. Traditionally served with fresh cream or plain custard, and offered at weddings.
Kaju Curd Delight
1 tbsp. cornflour
1 pound beaten curds (yoghurt)
1 can condensed milk
1/4 tsp. saffron (heated & powdered)
2 tbsp. hot water
1/4 tsp. yellow food colour
¼ cup finely chopped cashewnuts
Mix cornflour to a smooth paste in 1/4 cup water. Mix heated saffron powder and colour in hot water. Beat curds and mix with condensed milk and cook till it starts boiling. Remove from the fire, add cornflour and return to heat. stir and cook till thick. Mix in saffron, pour into a bowl and chill. Sprinkle cashewnuts on top.
Kubani
1 pound apricot fruits
3 cups sugar
15 cashewnuts
1 tsp. cardomom powder
1 tsp. ghee
whipped cream
Soak apricots over night in cold water. Remove the seeds and boil them in pressure cooker. Nuts inside the seeds can be added to Kubani along with cashewnuts. On cooling, grind all the pulp into a fine paste. Sugar syrup: add 1 cup of water to sugar and boil for 5-10 minutes. Add the above pulp to sugar syrup and stir constantly until it thickens. Fry cashewnuts in ghee and add to the above mix. Add cardomom powder. This should be served cold with whipped cream.
Maharashtrian Basoondi
Milk 2 ltrs.
Sugar 1 cup
Charoli seeds 1/8 cup
Crushed cardamoms ½ tsp.
Heat milk in a thick bottomed pan. Bring it to a boil. Simmer and reduce it to get a thick consistency. Stir continuously to avoid milk sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add charoli seeds and sugar. Cook on a slow for 10 minutes. Add green cardamom powder. Pour into a serving dish, and offer.
Mango Dessert
1 can of Mango Pulp
32 oz. plain Yogurt
16 oz. sour cream
32 oz. Fresh (preferably) or canned fruit cocktail
1 small scoop of raisins
1 small scoop of almonds or pistachios, minced
Sugar to taste
Whip together mango pulp, sour cream and yogurt using a beater or blender till the mixture reaches a smooth consistency. Add sugar to taste. Next, drain out all the juices from the fruit cocktail. Add the fruits to the pulp. Garnish with raisins and nuts. Put it in the refrigerator to cool. Chill and offer.
Mango Rasayan With Beaten Rice
Rasthal mangoes (known as juice mangoes) 4
Coconut 1 large
Jaggery powder 3/4 cup or to taste
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
Beaten rice (Aval, Poha) of medium thickness 1 cup
Squeeze the juice from rasthal mangoes and strain through a soup strainer to remove the fibres (Do not add water). Extract 1 to 1-1/2 cups milk from coconut. Dissolve jaggery in it. Add the mango juice and cardamom powder. Just before serving, soak beaten rice in water for 2 minutes. Squeeze gently and add to the rasayan. Mix and serve immediately. (If Rasthal is not available, any good mango can be liquidised in a mixie and used.)
Paal Aval
Aval (rice flakes) - 1-1/2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
Wash and clean the aval in water. Decant and set aside. Boil the milk until it is reduced to 2/3 it's actual quantity. Disslove the sugar in it completely. When the milk starts to boil once again, add the aval and cardamom powder. Stir to mix uniformly and remove from the heat. Cover the vessel and set aside to cool. Let the aval soak in the milk for a least 1/2 hour before offering.
Paramannamu
Rice: 1-1/4 cups
Milk: 1/4 cup
Jaggery: 2 lemon size chunks
cashew nuts: 1/2 cup
Elaichi: 2
Cook the rice as usual. When the rice is beginning to be finished then add milk and jaggery and cook in very low flame. Take a pan and fry the cashew nuts till light brown. Powder elaichi. Once the jaggery gets melted and the rice is done, add cashews and powdered elaichi and mix well.
Rasbari (Cheese Balls in Cream Syrup)
4 cups ricotta cheese
2 cup cream cheese
1 can sweet condensed milk
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour, sifted
6 cups half-and-half milk
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 tablespoon rose water
1 teaspoon saffron
1/2 cup almonds, sliced into thin slivers
In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, cream cheese, flour, condensed milk, and 1 cup of sugar. Mix thoroughly to a smooth, stiff mixture. Make 1 inch balls and line them up on the bottom of a well-buttered baking pan. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes at 325oF, or until the cheese balls are lightly browned. Transfer cooked cheese balls into a container. In a sauce pan, pour milk, add cardamom and saffron. Allow to slow simmer, constantly stirring, until the milk has thickened into a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat. Pour cream syrup over the baked cheese balls. Add rose water and almonds slivers. Refrigerate overnight. Serve cheese balls with chilled cream syrup.
Rava Kesari
1 cup Semolina
1/4 cup Ghee
1-1/4 cups Sugar
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
1 tbspn Raisins
2 tbsp Ghee
20 Cashew nuts
2-3 strands Saffron
Heat ghee in a deep bottomed pan and fry the semolina till almost golden in colour. Remove from the stove and set aside. Heat water in a thick bottom vessal and bring water to a boil. When it is boiling, reduce the heat and add semolina. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the sugar, cardamom powder and saffron and cook till everything blends. In another pan heat 2 tablespoons ghee and fry the cashewnuts and raisins and add to the pudding. Offer hot.
Rice Flour Pudding
4 1/2 cups Milk
3/4 cups Sugar
2 oz. Rice flour
6-8 drops Rose water
1 oz. Almonds
1/2 oz. Pistachio nuts
Blanch and shred nuts. Mix rice flour into the milk and mix until smooth. Cook over medium heat until a creamy consistency is achieved (20-30 minutes). Simmer and add sugar and stir for 2-3 minutes more. Cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes, then add the rose water, almonds and pistachios. Pour into individual dishes and offer.
Sheera (Sticky Pudding)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup condensed milk
4 tbs ghee
4 tbs sooji (rawa)
cardamom powder to taste
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup almonds, sliced fine
Mix the milk and the condensed milk in a pan and set aside. Melt the ghee in a non-stick pan. Add the rawa and fry until the rawa turns golden brown. Add the milk mixture and cardamom powder. Stir well. Cook until dry and the ghee separates from the rawa. Add the raisins and stir well. Remove from heat. Garnish with almonds.
Sheera
1 cup of Semolina (Sooji,Rava)
1 cup of Sugar
1 cup of Milk
1/2 cup of condensed milk
1-1/2 cups of Water
1 tsp. Cardamom powder
1 tbsp. each of Dry fruits (Almonds, Cashewnuts, Raisins)
A pinch of Saffron
4 tbsp. Ghee (clarified butter) to fry the rava
Place ghee in a non-stick pan and add semolina to it. Roast it until semolina turns golden brown. Don’t burn the sooji. Continue doing it for 2-3 minutes on a low flame. The roasted rava can now be removed and set aside in a dish. Take sugar, milk and condensed milk in a vessel. Add cardamom powder to it. Slowly add Rava to this milk mixture, stir the mixture very well and avoid any lump formation. Add dry fruits and saffron to this mixture and cook it until dry and the ghee separates from the rava. Offer it hot or chilled.
Steamed Banana Leaf Cake
(A)
200g Gula Melaka (palm sugar) or jaggery
100g castor sugar
250ml water
4 pandan leaves, tied in a knot
(B)
200g glutinous flour, sifted
100g tung min flour, sifted
300ml concentrated coconut milk
1 tbsp oil
Banana leaves, for lining moulds
Oil for greasing
Bring a pan of water to boil. Immerse banana leaves into boiling water and continue to boil for a while until banana leaves soften. (Boiled water removes wax on the leaves and softens them.) Drain the boiled water. Grease molds with oil and line molds with banana leaves. Set aside. Combine gula melaka, castor sugar, water and pandan leaves in a pan. (If leaves aren’t available, you can substitute pandan extract.) Heat on low fire until sugars dissolve. Stir at all times. Cook until syrup is golden in colour. Discard pandan leaves and set syrup aside to cool. Combine (B) ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir well. Add syrup in into flour mixture. Mix well. Pour mixture into lined molds. Steam over rapid boiling water for 2 hours. Avoid water condensate from steamer's lid dropping onto the cakes, or water boiling up into the cakes. Dry the lid with a cloth every time you uncover the steamer. Let them completely cool, then offer. It is easier to cut/slice when you just take it out from fridge. It is not too sticky. To make cutting easier, wet your knife with some water before slicing.
Sweet Aval
Aval - 1-1/2 cups
Grated Coconut - 2 tbs
Powdered Jaggery - 1 cup
Cardamom - 2
Cashewnuts - 1/8 cup, broken small
Ghee - 3 tbs
Wash and clean the aval in water and soak it in clean water for 1/2 hour. Dissolve the jaggery in 1/4 cup water and add the cardamom and heat up to form a thick syrup. Decant the water from the aval and keep it ready. As the syrup thickens, add the aval and stir until it mixes thoroughly and separates out as individual flakes (cooked). Add the ghee, grated coconut and cashew pieces fried in ghee, and mix thoroughly.
Tamil Avil Kesari
2 cups beaten rice (thick variety)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp orange colouring (mixed in 1 tbsp water)
1/2 cup ghee
10 cashewnuts
2 tsp raisins
1 tsp cardamom powder
Heat ghee in a pan and fry raisins and cashewnuts till golden. Soak beaten rice in water and immediately drain and fry in the leftover ghee, till light yellow. Add 1 cup boiling water (to which the colouring has been added) and cook till done. Add sugar and cook till dry. Add cardamom powder, cashewnuts and raisins. Mix well and serve.
Trifle Pudding
Sponge cake (eggless) 1
Strawberrry jelly 1 cup
Milk 2 cups
Cream 1 cup
Chopped fresh fruit 1 cup
Sugar 12 tbsps
Custard powder 2 tbsps
Powdered sugar 2 tbsps
Strawberry jam 2 tbsps
Vanilla essence 1/2 tsp.
Mix custard powder with a little milk and 8 tbsps of sugar. Add the remaining milk and stir well. Cook over moderate heat, stirring all the time till thick and cool. Heat the remaining 4 tbsps of sugar with half a cup of water, till the sugar dissolves. This is called soaking syrup to which may be added any essence you prefer. Allow it to cool. Make jelly and chill till it sets. Beat cream with powdered sugar and essence. (If apple or bananas are used, add a few drops of lime juice to avoid discolouration.
To make the pudding, cut half the cake into medium-sized cubes and arrange in a bowl. Sprinkle half the soaking syrup over the cubes. Dilute the jam with one tbsp of hot water and sprinkle over the cake. Stir the set jelly with a spoon and spread half over the cake and top it with fruits. Cut the remaining cake into cubes and place over the fruit and sprinkle the remaining syrup. Pour custard on to and make the surface even. Spread whipped cream on top. Use the remaining jelly, to make a border on the inside rim of the pudding. Chill well, and offer.
