CARAMEL BREAD PUDDING/ EGGLESS BREAD PUDDING

Today I am sharing an easiest and delicious dessert which can be prepared for any occasion. Also it is the best way to use leftover bread slices. It’s slightly firm but creamy and not too sweet. Needs very few ingredients which are available in your pantry. This pudding tastes same as the one with eggs. A perfect after meal custard flavoured dessert for a weekend. I had few bread slices sitting in my kitchen and was thinking what to do with it. Bread pudding is in my to do list from last few days. So thought of making it and so searched recipes on Google. Loved this simple recipe which also needs very few ingredients, so decided to give it a try and the best part is it is eggless recipe. Smooth, silky and very delicate bread pudding, coated with a delicious caramel sauce is simple and stunning dessert at the same time made with leftover bread slices. My daughter’s favourite dessert apart from cheese cakes. She loved it too much. It is one of the best dessert you can make with bread. Felt really happy with the outcome. So let’s learn how to prepare this delicious caramel custard bread pudding.   

 

INGREDIENTS:

6 Bread Slices

2 tablespoon Custard Powder

2 Cups Milk

½ Cup Sugar

½ Cup Water

For Caramel:

½ Cup Sugar

3 teaspoon Water

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Cut the edges from the bread. Tear them in small pieces. 

Add in mixer pot and blend it to make a powder like fresh bread crumbs. Keep them aside.

STEP 2 – Now add sugar and 3 teaspoon water in a vessel. Heat it on low flame. Do not mix it/ stir it.

STEP 3 – Cook further till it becomes caramelized. It will take 3-4 minutes.

STEP 4 – Pour it in a 6/7 inch cake tin/ pan. Spread it evenly and keep aside to set.

STEP 5 – In a sauce pan, add milk and sugar and mix it well.

STEP 6 – Heat it and cook for 1-2 minutes.

STEP 7 – In a small bowl, add custard powder and 2 tablespoon water and mix it well. Make a lump free mixture.

STEP 8 – Add custard mixture in milk and cook it with continuous stirring. There should be no lumps in the mixture.

STEP 9 – Cook it on low flame for 2 minutes.

STEP 10 – Then add bread crumbs in 2-3 batches and mix well using a spatula.

STEP 11 – Cook it 1-2 minutes and make sure there are no lumps in it.

STEP 12 – Now pour it over the caramel layer in the tin, level it and tap the pan once or twice.

STEP 13 – For steaming, heat a big pan/ kadai with some water and a stand in it.

STEP 14 – Place the pan with the mixture over the stand. Cover it with lid or you can cover it with an aluminium foil too.

STEP 15 – Cover the vessel with a lid and steam it for ½ an hour on medium heat.

  

STEP 16 – Remove from the vessel after cooling, keep it aside till it comes to room temperature.

STEP 17 – Now keep the pan in refrigerator and chill the pudding for 2-3 hours.

STEP 18 – Remove after 3 hours, gently loose the sides using a sharp knife.

STEP 19 – Demould carefully in a serving plate and cut into pieces and ready to serve.

Cut it in to desired size and serve it chilled and enjoy.  

HOMEMADE RASMALAI

Rasmalai is a lip-smacking Bengali delicacy that is very popular among the Indian sweet lovers. Some of my favourites are Rasgulla, Mishti Doi , Bhapa Doi, Sandesh and much more. Ras literally tarnslates to "Juice" and Malai to "Cream". Making rasmalai at home is similar to making rasgulla which I have shared on my blog earlier. Both these are very easy but quite tricky to make perfectly soft and juicy. Rasmalai has been most favourite sweet of my daughters since childhood. My family have a big sweet tooth and milk-based desserts are our weekness.....!!! So I really love it to make at home. For all those who have not tasted this and who can try something with milk and sugar once in while, I insists that you should give this a try. Soft and spongy flattened paneer balls [cottage cheese balls] are soaked in thickened cardamom-saffron flavoured milk and garnished with nuts. Together, it creates a luscious treat with an incredible melt-in-your-mouth texture that will only leaves you craving for more...!!! I am literally so excited to share this post for the best rasamalai recipe ever, with you all. This is the first time I have tried making Rasmalai and I was so happy to see the way they turned out. And it made me really happy to see a big smile on my daughters face after having their favourite chilled Rasmalai at home...!!

INGREDIENTS:

For Making Paneer:

1 litre Milk

2 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Water

For Sugar Syrup:

1 ½ Cup Sugar

4-5 Cups Water

Few Drops of Rose Syrup

Few Saffron Strands

For Making Rabdi/ Rabri:

1 litre full fat Buffalo Milk

¼ Cup Sugar [adjust as per your liking]

Pinch of Saffron

2 tablespoon Pistachios and Almonds, chopped

METHOD:

How to make Paneer:

STEP 1 – Heat milk in a thick bottom pan. Bring it to boil stirring occasionally.

STEP 2 – Add lemon juice and mix well. Milk will start curdling. When it curdles completely switch off the flame.

STEP 3 – Pour the curdled milk in a pan lined with cheese cloth and drain all the whey from it.

STEP 4 – Pour some fresh water and clean it as it has lemon juice in it.

STEP 5 – Bring it together and squeeze off the excess water from it.

STEP 6 – Hang it for 30 minutes. Paneer is ready.

STEP 7 – Now take paneer in a big plate and start kneading it. Knead it till it turns out smooth without any grains of milk.

STEP 8 – Divide into equal lemon size portions.

STEP 9 – Take 1 portion and roll it to from a ball. Gently press it and flatten the ball.

Keep aside.

Making Sugar Syrup and cooking paneer discs: 

STEP 1 – In a deep and wide vok, add sugar and water and mix it.

STEP 2 – Boil it for 8-10 minutes on medium flame.

STEP 3 – Now drop the paneer discs in the sugar syrup.

STEP 4 – Cover it and let it boil for 10-15 minutes.

STEP 5 – Here you can see the discs will have doubled in size.

STEP 6 – Keep aside till it cools completely and then refrigerate them for 1-2 hours.

For Making Rabdi/ Rabri:

STEP 1 – Pour milk in a heavy bottom pan and heat it.

STEP 2 – Let it come to boil.

STEP 3 – Add sugar and mix well. Let it boil for more time.

STEP 4 – Scrape off the collected cream from sides and give a good stir.

STEP 5 – Do this for 3-4 times till milk reduced.

STEP 6 – Add cardamom powder and mix well. Add few drops of rose syrup, saffron and mix well. [I don't have saffron strands so used saffron syrup.]

STEP 7 – Add chopped nuts and mix it well. 

STEP 8 - Transfer the milk to another bowl and let it come to room temperature.

STEP 9 – Further, refrigerate for 3-4 hours before adding to rasmalai.

How to assemble Rasmalai:

STEP 1 – Take the paneer discs out from refrigerator.

STEP 2 – Squeeze them gently with a spoon to remove sugar syrup from it.

STEP 3 – Now place them into a serving bowl and pour chilled rabdi over it.

STEP 4 – Garnish with some more almonds and pistachios slivers and again refrigerate for 1 hour.

STEP 5 – Remove from fridge and rasamalai ready is ready to serve.

Serve chilled and enjoy.

NOTES: * I have shared making " Homemade Paneer", " Rasgulla", so I have not shared the pictures of making paneer. You can follow that procedure if you want to make homemade paneer or you can use store brought paneer for this recipe.   

   

KADAI MUSHROOM

Kadai Mushroom recipe is an easy to make recipe and is perfect combo of a cozy+ festive dish. The curry is spicy but sweet and rich with a creamy texture. This is one of those recipes that is most loved at home for its unique aroma. Mushroom being our family favourite, I pick them fresh whenever I see fresh ones. It is very flavourful and delicious mushroom dish made with fresh ground masala. The spice powder or masala can be ground ahead and stored in an airtight container. Kadai Sabzis are very famous in India and you can find one or couple of them featured in the menus of most Indian restaurants all over the world. In this case, we have used a combination of mushrooms, onions and capsicums which are sautéed and then cooked with the tongue-tickling gravy to make a really flavour-packed kadai mushroom sabzi. Whenever served accompanied with butter naan/ paratha, rice and dal it gives you the satisfaction of having had a wholesome and tasty meal. Do give a try to this recipe and share your feedbacks and suggestions. I am sure this mushroom recipe will be your new favourite.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Mushroom, chopped

2 Capsicum, chopped into big chunks

2 Big Onions, cut into big chunks

2 Tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste

1 tablespoon Garam Masala Powder

3 tablespoon Fresh Cream / Cashew paste

½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

½ teaspoon roasted and crushed Kasuri Methi

1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds

3-4 Dry Red Chillies [Kashmiri]

1 ½ teaspoon Corinader Seeds

Salt as needed

Fresh Coriander, chopped for garnishing

2-3 tablespoon Oil

METHOD:

STEP 1 – In a pan, roast red chillies and coriander seeds. Transfer on a plate and let it cool down to room temperature.

STEP 2 - Put it in mixer pot and grind them to make a fine powder and keep aside.

STEP 3 – Take a pan, heat 2 teaspoon oil, add fennel seeds, chopped onion and sauté well until onions turns brown.

STEP 4 – Add finely chopped tomatoes until they turn slightly mushy and smooth.

STEP 5 – Add ginger and garlic paste, sauté till raw smell goes off.

STEP 6 – Cool everything to room temperature

and then make a fine paste with it. Keep this aside.

STEP 7 – Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan, Add sliced mushrooms and roast them on high flame for 4-5 minutes. Remove and keep them aside.

STEP 8 – In the same pan, add big chunks of onion and capsicum and roast them for 3-4 minutes.

Remove and keep them with roasted mushrooms.

STEP 9 – Now add the rest of the oil in the same pan, heat it and then add freshly ground red chilli-coriander powder and mix well.

STEP 10 – Then add tomato and onion paste in it and mix it well. Roast for 3-4 minutes.

STEP 11 – Pour 1 cup water, add salt, mix and make a gravy.

STEP 12 – If you need then add some more water to adjust the consistency of the curry.

STEP 13 – Cover the pan, cook until the gravy thickens and you will see oil floating over the gravy.

STEP 14 – Check and add salt if needed.

STEP 15 – Add roasted veggies and give a nice stir.

Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes.

STEP 16 – Add fresh cream, crushed kasoori methi and give a nice stir. Cook for another 1 minute.

STEP 17 - Turn off the stove and garnish with chopped coriander. Cover and rest it for 5-10 minutes before serving.

STEP 18 - Kadai Mushroom is ready to serve.

 Serve Kadai Mushroom with roti/ paratha or palin rice and enjoy as a side dish.