Caramel Pudding

In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth countries, pudding can be used to describe both sweet and savory dishes. Dessert puddings are rich, fairly homogeneous starch- or dairy-based desserts such as rice pudding, steamed cake mixtures such as Treacle sponge pudding with or without the addition of ingredients such as dried fruits as in a Christmas pudding.Savory dishes include Yorkshire pudding, black pudding, suet pudding and steak and kidney pudding.

In the United States and some parts of Canada, pudding characteristically denotes a sweet milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, instant custards or a mousse, often commercially set using gelatin. In Commonwealth countries these puddings are called custards (or curds) if they are egg-thickened, blancmange if starch-thickened, and jelly if gelatin based. Pudding may also refer to other dishes such as bread pudding and rice pudding, although typically these names derive from the origin as British dishes.

The second and newer type of pudding consists of sugar, milk, and a thickening agent such as cornstarch, gelatin, eggs, rice or tapioca to create a sweet, creamy dessert. These puddings are made either by simmering on top of the stove in a saucepan or double boiler or by baking in an oven, often in a bain-marie. Creamy puddings are typically served chilled, but a few, such as zabaglione and rice pudding, may be served warm. Instant puddings do not require boiling and can therefore be prepared more quickly.This pudding terminology is common in North America and some European countries such as the Netherlands, whilst in Britain egg-thickened puddings are considered custards and starch-thickened puddings called blancmange.

Now I am going to prepare a simple Chocolate Banana Pudding. Your kids will surely like it.

                                             Caramel Pudding recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Italian  |  Recipe Category: Dessert
Prep Time:10 mins    |  Cook time: 10 mins     |  Serves:2

Ingredients

Gelatin powder - 1tsp or agar agar -1tsp

Water - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 1 cup (250gms)

Water for sugar - 100ml

Whipping cream (Heavy) - 300ml

Milk - 100 ml

cardamon powder - 1 pinch (if using agar agar)

Vannila extract - 1tsp

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 Method:

• First dissolve gelatin powder into 1tbsp water. Heat well 1 tbsp water and when it boils well add to the gelatine mixture. Stir well until its fully dissolved. Set it for 10mins. If using Agar agar, soak 1tsp powder in 1tbsp hot water and mix well with a fork. 
  
• Take a bowl and heat the cream and milk together with vannila extract.
  
• Take a bowl heat it. Add the sugar and water and melt it in medium heat until it becomes dark amber colour. Do not stir just swirl the pan.
  
                                
• Now carefully add the warm cream mixture into the sugar pan by stirring it slowly.If using Agar Agar please add cardamon powder 1 pinch to remove the fishy smell of the algae. Keep it on the fire. Keep stirring.It should not solidify.Add the salt and mix well.
• Now add the gelatine mixture to this caramel and mix well until fully dissolved.
• Strain the mixture into moulds and refiregerate them for atleast 4hours.
  
• Now your pudding is ready!!! Top up with choco chips.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Suzhiyan

Suzhiyan is mostly prepared during festive occassions and i was inspired by this for the first time when i tasted it in my friends place.There is a small lane in T-Nagar where u can smell the aroma of suzhiyan, poli in a iyer shop. I have also seen people in the district of Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli preparing this every weekend.

                                     Suzhiyan recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time:15 mins    |  Cook time: 5 mins     |  Serves: 2

Ingredients for batter:

                                                      

Maida flour7 all purpose flour - 1 cup

Salt  - 1/4 tsp

Water - needed

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Ingredients for Pooran:

Jagerry - 3/4 cup

Channa dhall -1 cup

Coconut scrapped - 1/4 cup

Ghee - as needed

Cardamon powder - a pinch

Water - 1/2 cup

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 Method:

• First we need to prepare the batter for the suzhiyan and set aside. Add the flour in a cup and add salt and mix it well. Now add water slowly and whisk it into a dosa batter consistency.It should not be poury but it sholud drop when taken in a spoon.
  
• Now we need to prepare the Pooran, Take the channa dhall in a cup and place it in a cooker for maximum 3 whistles. Then mash it well.
• 
• Now take a heavy bottomed vessel and add the jaggery and add water till the jaggery gets immersed. Always break the jaggery into fine pieces and add so that it's easy to dissolve it. When the jaggery has dissolved completely take it off the stove and strain away the impurities and again heat it. 
• 
• The jaggery will leave froths on its upper surface add the cardamon powder and the scrapped coconut and allow it to boil for 2 mins. Now add the mashed dhall to it and mix it well. Add ghee/oil and mix it up on all sides well. It will now form into a non sticky dough, when all the water has disappeared remove it from the stove and place it in a cup. 
  
  
  
  
• Now make small balls out of the dough and out of the pooran and set it in  a plate. Lemon size is fine.
  
  
  
• Now drop the balls in the batter, heat a kadai with oil to fry, when the oil turns hot drop the balls coated with the maida batter into the oil.
  
• Fry until the are cooked well and outer layer turns crispy. Suzhiyan is ready to eat !!!
  

                                   

Chicken Clear Soup

Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.

Traditionally, soups are classified into two main groups: clear soups and thick soups. Thick soups are classified depending upon the type of thickening agent used: purées are vegetable soups thickened with starch; cream soups may be thickened with béchamel sauce; and veloutés are thickened with eggs, butter, and cream. Other ingredients commonly used to thicken soups and broths include egg, rice, lentils, flour, and grains; many popular soups also include carrots and potatoes.

Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two; however, soups generally have more liquid than stews.Evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 20,000 BC. Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers (which probably came in the form of clay vessels). Animal hides and watertight baskets of bark or reeds were used before this. To boil the water hot rocks were used. This method was also used to cook acorns and other plants.
The word soup comes from French soupe ("soup", "broth"), which comes through Vulgar Latin suppa ("bread soaked in broth") from a Germanic source, from which also comes the word "sop", a piece of bread used to soak up soup or a thick stew. Now we are going to prepare Chicken clear soup.

                                              Chicken Clear Soup recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian   |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time:10 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins     |  Serves:2

Ingredients

Onions small shallots - 5 to 6

Garlic chopped - 1 tsp

Pepper and Jeera coarsely ground - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chciken pieces - 4 to 5 small ones

Salt - needed

Coriander leaves - few

Oil - 2 tbsp

If Chinese flavour required Use

Ajinomotto - 1/4 tsp

Soya sauce - 1/4 tsp

Egg white - 1

Noodles - 1/2 cup

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 Method:

• First wash the chicken with turmeric powder and set aside.
  
• Now take a pan and add oil, when it turns hot, add the finely chopped garlic and onions and saute well.

• Next add the chciken pieces and saute well, flesh will turn colour.
  
•  At this time add 1.5 cups water and allow it to boil.  I f you require chinese flavour add Ajinomotto, soya sauce at this stage.Also break one egg white into the boiling soup.
  
• When its boiling well, add pepper an jeera coarsely ground. When the water turns yellow in colour and thick and oil starts to float on the top surface, switch of the flame.If chinese flavour required add cooked noodles to the soup at this stage. Garnish with cilantro leaves.Serve it Hot!!
• 
  
  

Bachelor Chicken Fry

Chickens farmed for meat are called broiler chickens. Chickens will naturally live for 6 or more years, but broiler chickens typically take less than 6 weeks to reach slaughter size. A free range or organic meat chicken will usually be slaughtered at about 14 weeks of age.

Chicken as a meat has been depicted in Babylonian carvings from around 600 BC. Chicken was one of the most common meats available in the Middle Ages. It was eaten over most of the Eastern hemisphere and a number of different kinds of chicken such as capons, pullets and hens were eaten. It was one of the basic ingredients in the so-called white dish, a stew usually consisting of chicken and fried onions cooked in milk and seasoned with spices and sugar.

The meat of the chicken, also called "chicken", is a type of poultry meat. Because of its relatively low cost, chicken is one of the most used meats in the world. Nearly all parts of the bird can be used for food, and the meat can be cooked in many different ways. Popular chicken dishes include roasted chicken, fried chicken, chicken soup, Buffalo wings, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and chicken rice. Chicken is also a staple of many fast food restaurants.

Main edible parts:

Chicken meat contains about two to three times as much polyunsaturated fat than most types of red meat when measured as weight percentage.Chicken generally includes low fat in the meat itself (castrated roosters excluded). The fat is highly concentrated on the skin.

Now I am going to cook a very quick and easy receipe for Bachelors..I am using store bought masala for this.

                               Bachelor Chicken Fry recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time:10 mins    |  Cook time: 20 mins     |  Serves:2

Ingredients

Onions - 1 medium sized

Tomato -1 big size

Ginger Garlic paste or grated - 1 tbsp

Chicken - 1kg

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chicken Masala - 1tbsp

Salt - needed

Coriander leaves - few

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mint leaves - few

Green chilly - 1 no


`* Generally I dont prefer store bought masalas, but in case I use I prefer Trichy Janakiraman Masala, It tastes good and also authentic.

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                                                To Temper:

Star anise - 1/2 no

Cinnamon - 1 small piece

Cloves - 3 nos

Curry leaves - 1 strand
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 Method:

• First clean and wash the chicken. Mix turmeric powder and give it one final wash and set aside. Now marinate it with ginger garlic paste and set aside.
  
• Now take a pan, add oil, add the tempering ingredients and finely chopped onions and saute well, add green chillies and curry leaves, mint leaves and saute well.
  
• Now when the raw smell goes off add grinded tomato pulp and saute well. Add salt, turmeric powder. Now add the chicken masala and mix well. Keep sauteing. When oil separates on the top surface add the chicken and mix well.The water will start leaving from the chicken.
• 
• Now after water comes out, flesh turns colour,add half cup water an close the lid. It will get cooked slowly.
  
• When the chicken is cooked well open the lid. Now a thick gravy will be formed, keep stirring in a medium flame until it becomes a thick paste like gravy. Now switch of the flame, Garnish with coriander leaves. 
  
• Serve hot with Rice.!! You can either take it as a gravy or keep frying further untill thick roast forms out. This goes well with Ghee Rice.
  

Ragi Adai

Eleusine coracana is an annual plant widely grown as a cereal in the arid areas of Africa and Asia. Earliest records of its cultivation in India show that it was cultivated in the Hallur region of Karnataka in the later Iron Age. It remains one of the main ingredients of the staple diet in Karnataka.

It is commonly known as finger millet,  African finger millet, red millet,caracan millet, koracan, and ragi. It is native to the Ethiopian Highlands. It is very adaptable to higher elevations and is grown in the Himalaya up to 2,300 metres in elevation.

Finger millet have been cultivated in India from as far back as 4000 years ago. Now the Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and a few others produce ragi. Karnataka is the top producer of Ragi and has 58% share in India's export of this crop.

Finger millet is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, which is lacking in the diets of hundreds of millions of the poor who live on starchy staples such as cassava, plantain, polished rice, or maize meal. Finger millet can be ground and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge. The grain is made into a fermented drink (or beer) in Nepal and in many parts of Africa. The straw from finger millet is used as animal fodder. It is also used for a flavored drink in festivals.

Now lets prepare an Adai with Ragi flour. Its a simple,easy and healthy breakfast.

                                     Ragi Adai recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Breakfast/Dinner
Prep Time:20 mins    |  Cook time: 10 mins     |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Ragi flour - 1 cup

Salt - as needed

Onion - 1 no

Tomato - 1 no

Green chilly - 1 no

Coriander leaves - few

Oil - 1tbsp
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Method:

• First chop the onions, tomatoes, chillies. Take flour in a cup and add salt and mix well.
  
• Now heat a non-stick pan and add little oil. Now saute the finely chopped onions, tomatoes and green chillies, coriander and add it to the flour.
  
• Add little water and form it into a smooth dough and set it aside for 5 mins. Then take a small portion out of it and pat it on a greased sheet using ur hands or a flat plate. Pat it equally into a round shape.It should not be very thin like paper but like chappati.
• 
• Now reheat the same pan with 1 tbsp oil and when its hot, transfer the adai to the pan. You can transfer it from the sheet directly into the pan or into ur hands. Take care while transferring coz there should not be any broken parts.
  
• Similarly, turn the adai to the other side when its cooked on 1 side slowly. Cook it with lid closed. Serve it hot !!!
  

Ambur Chicken Biriyani

Chicken Biryani:

Biryani  is a mixed rice dish from the Indian Subcontinent. It is made with spices, rice and meat or vegetables.The origin of biryani is uncertain. In North India, it is traditionally associated with the Mughlai cuisine of Delhi and the Awadhi cuisine of Lucknow; in South India, it is traditionally associated with the Hyderabadi cuisine.The word "biryani" is derived from Persian language. One theory is that it originates from "birinj", the Persian word for rice. Another theory is that it derives from "biryan" or "beriyan" (to fry or roast).

According to Pratibha Karan, the biryani is of South Indian origin, derived from pilaf varieties brought to India by the Muslim traders and rulers. She speculates that the pulao was an army dish in medieval India: the armies, unable to cook elaborate meals, would prepare a one-pot dish where they cooked rice with whichever meat was available.The only diffrence between Pulao and Biryani is the amount of spices added.

There are two basic types of biryani: pakki ("cooked") and kacchi ("raw"). In pakki biryani, the cooked meat and cooked rice are layered. In the kacchi biryani, raw marinated meat is layered with raw rice before being cooked together.

Now I am going to cook chicken Biryani, one of my fav dish in Ambur style. The Nawabs who lived there followed this style of cooking. But indeed without the cooker .This is nothing but forming the gravy and adding cooked rice to it and giving a dhum.

                             Ambur Chicken Biryani recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time:15 mins    |  Cook time: 30mins     |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

Rice(Basmati or seeraga samba) - 3 cups

Chicken -1 kg

Onions- 2 chopped

Tomato - 2 nos chopped

Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsp

Chilly Powder (Dhaniya powder mixed) - 2 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Green chilly - 3 nos

Salt - needed

Mint leaves - 1 handfull

Coriander leaves - 1 handfull

Curd - 1 cup

Ghee or oil -- 1 tbsp

Kesari colour powder/ saffron strands - needed

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                                               To Temper :

Cinnamon stick - 1 no

Star anise - 1 no

Elaichi - 3 nos

Cloves - 5 nos

Bay leaf - 2 nos

Javithri - 1 no

Black cardamon - 1 no

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 Method:

• First wash the rice well and soak  in water and keep it aside.
  

• Cut the chicken pieces and wash them well with turmeric powder an keep it aside. Marinate it with curd. Chop the onions vertically and also the tomatoes. Slit the green chillies and chop the mint- coriander leaves.
  
• Take a cooker and add oil/ ghee and when its hot add the tempering spices . Now add the chopped coriander -mint leaves and onions and saute well. Sprinkle little salt and add ginger garlic paste and mix well.
  
• When the onions turn transluscent and cooked,  add the chopped tomatoes and slit green chillies and saute well.
  
• Add the powders and mix well for 3 minutes, now add the chicken and saute well in the gravy. Add 1/2 cup water and allow it to get cooked. The chciken will release water and thats enough to cook it. Now check for the salt. The rice and chicken should be in 1:2 ratio , then water from the chicken will be enough to cook the biriyani.
  
• Meanwhile take another vessel and add water and allow it to boil Add kesari powder  / saffron strands to it and 1 handfull mint- coriander leaves and allow it to boil. Drain all the water from the soaked rice and keep it ready.
  
• Now the chicken will get cooked well and start to boil forming a kozhambu consistency. It will be thick.
  
• 
  
• When it boils well, add the rice slowly to it and allow it to get cooked in open boil. When the rice is cooked fully (check it by pressing the rice between ur fingers) , Drain the rice using a strainer and add it to the Chicken kozhambu. 

• Now mix it well, the consistency will be like Rasam saatham. Add 2 tsp ghee on top. Now close the lid and keep it least flame for 20mins. Dont put the whistle. Switch of the flame and allow it to rest for 5 minutes then open the lid and trasfer the biriyani into a serving vessel. Serve it with Raitha or any Gravy!!!

Choco - Chip Vannila Muffin (Eggless / Egg)

A muffin is an individual sized quick bread product. Muffins in America are similar to a cupcakes in size and cooking methods. These can come in both savory varieties, such as corn or cheese muffins, or sweet varieties such as blueberry or banana.
Recipes for quick bread muffins are common in 19th-century American cookbooks. Recipes for yeast-based muffins, which were sometimes called "common muffins" or "wheat muffins" in 19th-century American cookbooks, can be found in much older cookbooks. 
The name is first found in print in 1703, spelled moofin; it is of uncertain origin but possibly derived from the Low German Muffen, the plural of Muffe meaning a small cake, or possibly with some connection to the Old French moufflet meaning soft as said of bread.
Muffin cups or cases are usually round sheets of paper, foil, or silicone with scallop-pressed edges, giving the muffin a round cup shape. They are used in the baking of muffins to line the bottoms of muffin tins, to facilitate the easy removal of the finished muffin from the tin.The advantage to cooks is easier removal and cleanup, more precise form, and moister muffins; however, using them will prevent a crust from forming.
A variety of sizes for muffin cases are available. Slightly different sizes are considered "standard" in different countries. Australian and Swedish bakers are accustomed to taller paper cases with a larger diameter at the top than American and British bakers.
Now lets prepare a choco-chip vannila muffin. I am showing u both eggless and egg muffins.

                         Choco-Chip Vannila Muffin recipe

Recipe Cuisine: German  |  Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time:15 mins    |  Cook time: 30 mins     |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

All purpose flour / Maida - 2.5 cups

Baking powder - 1 tbsp

Baking soda - 1tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup (or) Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Egg - 2 nos (for egg muffins)

Chia seeds - 2tsp (for eggless muffins)

Milk - 1 cup

Vannila essence - 1 tsp

Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup

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Method:

• Preheat oven to 200 degree and grease muffin tray with oil or ghee or cooking spray.
• In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set aside. If u want to avoid eggs, powder finely the chia seeds in a mixer and add this to the bowl ingredients.
  
• In a medium bowl whisk eggs, melted butter (or) oil,sugar , milk and vannila essence. Now slowly add this to the large bowl and using a hand mixer or whisker,  mix it well for maximum 3 minutes or until it gets folded. I generally dont like the smell of yolk so I have added only egg whites and half of 1 egg yolk.
  
• If u have added chia seeds powder, rest the mixture for 15 minutes. Now using a scooping laddle pour the contents into muffin trays and top up with choco chips.
  
• Place it in the oven for maximum 20 - 30 minutes. Chcek if its cooked using a fork or knife, the muffin should not stick to it.
• Now gently scoop out the muffin from the tray and serve it. I have poured the batter into paper cups placed in the tray.
  
• Serve it!!! It will remain good when stored in an airtight box for 5 days.
  
• 
  
• If U have used chia seeds, the muffins will appear a little light brown colour due to the seeds. But it gives same fluffiness as eggs.