Caramel Custard Pudding.

I was taken aback when so many people had asked me the recipe for this super simple, super delicious pudding. My first memory of this pudding is from my childhood. I was probably 10 and my mom made it for us. I still, very clearly, remember even the bowl it was set in. I must have opened the refrigerator at least 10 times to check if it was set. I know my custard pudding doesn't even come close to what that pudding tasted like. Well.. Its a well known fact that however hard you try you can never be even half as good as your mother, especially when it comes to cooking. I was home all day yesterday with one of the twins being sick.After spending the whole day cuddling and reading books, I was craving for something sweet, yummy and obviously something that would be easy to make. Caramel custard pudding is made from a very few basic ingredients which you will definitely have in your kitchen, takes about 15 minutes of prep time, 30-40 minutes of cook time and at least an hour of refrigeration before serving.


Ingredients:

Milk 2 cups
Eggs 2
Sugar 1cup
Vanilla essence 1/4th tsp
Nutmeg powder 1/4th tsp (optional)
Butter/ baking spray

Heat two cups of milk and keep aside. Do not boil the milk.

Caramelize sugar in a light colored pan. Using a light colored pan helps track the exact color of the caramelized sugar that you need. Caramelizing is a science and the sugar can turn very bitter if not watched closely. For caramelizing, heat 1/2 cup sugar in the pan and watch closely as the sugar melts. Heat it to a point where the sugar melts and changes it's color and state, which means it starts becoming brown and melts to a liquid state. This mixture is very hot, so be careful while handling this.If you think you have overheated the sugar you can put the pan in a cold water bath to stop the cooking process instantly. Prepare a pan or a container that fits well in the pressure cooker by buttering it or with a baking spray. Pour the caramelized sugar in the pan and swirl gently to coat the pan with this mixture and set aside.

Whisk two eggs and the remaining sugar in a bowl till all the sugar has melted. Add the milk after it has cooled down a bit. Add the vanilla essence and nutmeg powder and mix well. Pour the milk and eggs mixture in the caramel coated pan. Add some water to the pressure cooker and place this pan . The pan will need to sit on a ring or an elevated plate. Steam cook for 30-40 minutes or till done. Let the pudding cool before you put it in the refrigerator. To serve, place a plate over the pan and turn the pan very carefully. The caramelized sugar will have turned into a runny rich sauce, so you have to be careful when you turn it over . Drizzle some extra sauce when you serve it.
Enjoy the treat!
-Sheetal

Cheese & Veggie Quesadillas - Kids Special

I love the challenges of being a mom. It’s like reliving your childhood; it's great that you can do it at this age, because if you have missed out on anything then this is the best time to make up for it. I love reading my kids’ books – to them and for myself too! I always loved books and my mom got us the best books that we could ever ask for. Now when I see both my kids sharing the same love for books I understand what my mother must be feeling then and why she would save money and go out of her way to exhibitions and book shops to buy us books.

Talking about the challenges of being a mom, the biggest thing in my entire day is to make sure my kids eat well, at least at dinner. They love fruits, bread, curries and anything else that I make. The hardest thing in the entire world is to have them eat some vegetables. Every single day I have to sneak in at least one portion of veggies in their diet. I have started experimenting with various recipes that include veggies but still manage to taste yummy!

Cheese & Vegetable Quesadillas:

Ingredients:

Corn Quesadillas
Shredded cheese (any variety that you have handy)
Finely chopped spinach
Finely grated carrots
Tomato ketchup
Olive oil or butter
Salt
Pepper
Crushed peanuts

Heat a griddle, add a few drops of olive oil or butter and start cooking a tortilla. Cook for about a minute on each side and set aside. Cook another tortilla in a similar way and place the well-cooked Side looking at you. Add cheese, veggies, ketchup, peanuts, salt and pepper. Place the first tortilla on the top of this and press with a flat wide spatula. Let one side cook well, and then flip to the other side. Let it cook till subtly crunchy. Make small sections and serve. Trust me, kids love this stuff. It’s a wholesome meal - grains, veggies, protein. Be creative - add sliced grapes or pomegranate, cooked shredded chicken, grated broccoli, finely chopped hardboiled eggs are just a few examples. Try your hand at this; you will be surprised how creative you can really get when it comes to having your kids eat a really healthy hearty meal!
Remember to eat your veggies today!
-Sheetal

Chicken Lettuce wraps

My husband and I have been big fans of these wraps available at two of our favorite restaurants. I always wondered what went into these to make them so perfectly pleasing for the taste buds. I decided to give it a shot, I had to try and make in a very short time (as always) to make it a quick recipe, without compromising on the yummy factor. So this is what I came up with and I think it worked pretty well!

For preparing the Lettuce:
1 Head lettuce
1/4 cup Vinegar
1 bowl water

Separate leaves from the core and clean with water. Add vinegar to a large bowl of water. Immerse the leaves in this bowl and swish in the mixture. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pat dry the leaves and refrigerate in an airtight container. If you have time, an hour in the refrigerator makes the lettuce cold and crisp and perfectly ready to go with the hot chicken. 15 minutes does wonders too!

For the Chicken:
2 Tsp. Oil
1 Tsp. minced garlic
1 Tsp. minced or grated ginger
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup finely chopped medium onion
1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup Chicken broth
1 Tsp. Vinegar
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. Teriyaki Sauce
2 Tbs. Peanut Sauce (or 1Tbs.Peanut Butter)
1 Tbs. Chili sauce (I use the Sriracha brand - you can add more or less per your preference of spice)
Salt
Pepper


Heat oil in a pan on a medium flame. Add ginger, garlic and onions. Cook for a few minutes or till the onions turn pale. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally. While this is cooking, mix all other ingredients in a bowl, whisk well and keep aside. Add the ground chicken to the onions and mushrooms and mix well. Add the sauce mixture to the chicken and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered on medium flame, stirring occasionally, till chicken is well cooked.

For garnish:
Crushed roasted peanuts.

Tip: I always keep some roasted crushed peanuts handy. It’s a great way to add a yummy protein rich garnish to the food. It goes with any preparation of chicken, tofu or even stir fry veggies. Kids love it! (Please confirm for peanut allergies before adding it so someone’s meal) I also add this in a variety of salads I make. I will share those with you very soon.

Cook well! Eat well!
Sheetal

Ginger Garlic Chicken - Healthy High Protein/ No Carb

After the kids went to bed last night I had about an hour dish out a protein rich, healthy dinner for my husband before he got back from school. Earlier in the day he had mentioned that if possible, he would like to follow a strict protein rich, no carb diet all week. So it had to be either chicken, fish or eggs. I decided to go ahead with my quick Ginger -garlic chicken recipe with a side of steamed asparagus and peanut sauce.

Ginger Garlic chicken:

For the marinade:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tsp. ginger garlic paste
¼ Tsp. Turmeric powder
¼ Tsp. Red chili powder or paprika
2 Tsp. Plain Yoghurt
½ Tsp. Tandoori Masala (optional)
¼ Tsp. Butter
Salt
Pepper

For cooking:
½” finely chopped ginger
4 peeled, crushed garlic cloves
Olive oil

Take the chicken breasts in a mixing bowl. Mix all ingredients for the marinade and coat the chicken with it. Use a fork to pierce the chicken several times. This is a good old way for marinade to get absorbed quickly into the chicken. Set aside for at least 15 minutes, about an hour would be great. In a non-stick pan heat 1 Tsp. of olive oil, add the chopped ginger and crushed garlic cloves. Sauté for two minutes or till the garlic turns slightly brown. Gently add the marinated chicken and any remaining marinade from the bowl. Cook on each side for 10 minutes or till completely cooked. Add a few drops of olive oil as needed while cooking.

Peanut Sauce:
For a quick peanut sauce, in a bowl mix together the following ingredients and a yummy sauce is ready in 5 minutes.
2-3 Tbs. unsweetened peanut butter,
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
½ Tsp Hot Chili Sauce
1 Tsp. sugar
1 Tsp. garlic paste
2-3 Tbs. water
Salt

Steamed Asparagus:
Steam asparagus for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper and its ready to go! If you want to make it yummier heat 1 Tsp of butter in a pan and sauté the steamed asparagus on high flame for 2 minutes, then add salt and pepper.

Plate it well – I think plating food in a creative manner does justice to the food, the cook and also the lucky person who gets to relish it! I will be sharing a few quick plating tips in my future posts.

Remember to eat well!
-Sheetal