Sweet Bread Pudding

Somehow I have escaped making puddings. Today I made pudding for the first time ever. A group that I am a part of, had mentioned pudding as the weekly target. So pudding struck me maybe there. Also when you have never made something and you are trying to avoid it, it keeps coming back to you. The more you try to avoid it, the more it will cross your paths. And why do you need to avoid something? I ask myself a lot of time. Shouldn't you be more excited and open towards the things you have not tried? Well, ideally yes. But I am not a perfect being. I never was. In fact, I feel that I am a highly imperfect one. So much more room to improve and do things in a better way. Cooking is one of the mediums which tells me the same. Everyday whenever I cook or I see what other people have made, I realize the importance of learning and to the extent I still have to learn. 

Be always open to learn new things from whom so ever. This is what is going to shape your present and future and will later become your past. 

Yeah, so the post is about bread pudding. Puddings have always sound inviting to me. I started with a simple sweet bread pudding. I modified the recipe as per my liking and the result was very nice.

Bread pudding is a good way to use up lying around stale bread. So if you have some, get going with this simple and delicious pudding. It is very easy to make it and you can enjoy it in breakfast, dessert or to calm down your midnight hunger pangs. You can also add dry fruits, fresh fruits, rum, lemon zest, orange zest, brown sugar etc for extra taste and flavor. 

Bread Pudding

Baking Equipment: 9X7 baking tin/pan

Recipe adapted from: Sweet Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

1. 9-10 pieces (6 cups) of whole wheat bread (You can use any kind of bread that you like. Sweet buns, cinnamon rolls etc would add some distinctive taste and flavor. I though cooked with normal bread as I did not have any saved up bread)

2. 2 tsp vanilla extract

3. 1 tsp cinnamon powder

4. 4 eggs

5. 250 g granulated sugar

6. pinch of salt

7. 2 tsp coffee powder

8. 500 ml milk

9. butter for greasing

Steps:

1. Grease a pan with butter

2. Cut or tore the bread pieces into bite sized chunks

3. Place/arrange the bread pieces in the pan

4. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, sugar, salt, coffee and milk together in a separate bowl

5. Pour over the milk mixture into the pan over the bread

6. Cover and refrigerate the pan for an hour or overnight so that the mixture is well absorbed by the bread

     (I kept it overnight)

7. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius

8. Bake the pudding pan in the oven for about 45-55 minutes

    (Toothpick inserted shall come out clean)

Keep aside for sometime so that it cools down a bit. Serve hot. 

Absolutely warm, delicious, homely and comforting pudding. You may reduce the amount of sugar if you take desserts a bit on the lower side of sugar. 

Have fun baking and eating guys :)

Pohe (Flattened Rice)

I am at a new place. I think its either my steps or just coincidence but something or the other keeps happening to the gas stove since the day I have come. We have multiple other options like induction plate and my otg. The induction plate though detects utensils as per its own liking and there is really nothing much you can do about it. I thought I would not act brave and cook something simple for breakfast. What could be more simpler and lighter than Pohe? :)

I want to start posting more frequently for the quick recipes section. I want to post like one recipe per day so that my readers and friends have more options if they want to make something quickly for them. Let me try and settle up the systems here at the new place and I would be more frequent, a lot more frequent.

Pohe is a breakfast or one such food item that is eaten through out India and people have their own versions of it. Do get down at train stations in Rajasthan or Gujarat to enjoy it. I do that when I travel and I enjoy the Rajasthani verison most. They have a steamed verison of Pohe and not the sauteed one and they garnish it with sev, onion and Chaat masala. The Maharashtrian and Gujarati version has some sugar also.

I have been making Pohe since my childhood. It has been the same recipe through out with minor changes as per the geographical region where I am at that moment. In up north, I make the simple mom version of Pohe and in down south or in Maharashtra, I add a few flavors and tantrums such as curry leaves and pea nuts. Both are beautiful additions I must say. I have to soon make rice flakes the Rajasthani way though.

People think it is hard to make pohe as sometimes they get too sticky. There are very simple tricks to make them and the simplicity keeps the deliciousness intact. Also it depends on the type or variety of Pohe. The sticky version of Pohe is also liked by some people. This time, I also used the not so perfect Pohe, so they got a little sticky but I enjoyed them. Try to buy a good variety and the one which has small rice flakes. The bigger rice flakes absorb more water and hence turn more sticky. So buy a good variety, cook with a few tips I give you and you should be good to go.

Nonetheless they are always delicious, light, healthy, easy and super quick.

Pohe (Flattened Rice)
Preparation Time: 8-10 minutes
Makes for 1

Ingredients:
1. 1 tbsp olive oil
2. 1 tsp mustard seeds
3. 4-5 curry leaves
4. peanuts - as per taste
5. 1 red onion - finely chopped
6. 1 green chilly - chopped
7. a bowl full of Pohe/rice flakes (basically take a handful or heap up one of the bowls you use for pudding)
8. 1 large pinch red chilly powder (adjust as per taste or put one more green chilly)
9. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
10. salt as per taste
11. juice from quarter lemon ( I love lemon a lot more and hence I sometimes use half a lemon for just one portion of pohe)
12. coriander leaves to garnish


Steps:
1. Heat up a pan or wok
2. Add 1 tbsp olive oil (makes it even healthier)
3. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
4. Add peanuts and roast them (if you already have roasted peanuts you don't need to do this).
    This will take about 4-5 minutes (basically until the peanuts brown up a little).
5. Add onion & green chilly when peanuts are ready and saute them till onions turn translucent.
6.  Now while the onions are being sauteed, wash the rice flakes.
This is a very important step. Do not soak them in water. Just put in the water and take out or run through water for a few seconds. The longer you expose them to water, the more water they will absorb and the stickier they would get. That is why the larger rice flakes gets sticky as they have larger capacity to soak water.
7. Now add the rice flakes to the onion.
8. Sprinkle salt, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and  lime juice.
9. Mix well but with a light hand. If you apply too much strength, rice flakes will be mashed.
   So husbands and boyfriends or my fellow male readers please be nice & gentle. :)
10. Saute the rice flakes for a minute till they get warm. No need to keep frying them else they will turn crunchy.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve warm.

It is the fastest , lightest breakfast you could imagine and absolutely tasty too. Enjoy with hot tea or coffee. You can also sprinkle sev over Pohe and add some crunch to it. Some people also eat pohe with tomato ketchup. I used to do that too but not anymore. ;) You may try.

Well have fun cooking and eating Pohe. Now the weekend is here, it would also make a nice weekend breakfast if you are preparing for a heavy lunch.

Chicken Curry

It was time for some chicken for soul. I wanted something simple and it has been sometime that I had eaten chicken. There was lots of chicken kept at home and I had to finish it. I was travelling again and my sister is not comfortable cooking chicken.

I am in a train again and it's fun as always. The train journey gives you a lot of time. I watch movies, chat with friends, write, think and observe. Lately I have done so many journeys in train. They were all wonderful. :)

Back to the chicken curry.

This chicken curry is easy to make and taste wonderful. The chicken was well cooked, soft and juicy. The curry was delicious.

It is a quick fix and you don't need to marinate the chicken. It requires basic ingredients which everyone has (if you cook Indian curries). You can use this recipe (and replace chicken) for making other curries as well. Replace chicken with vegetables or prawns or whatever.

Here you go :)

Chicken Curry for Soul
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Makes for 2

Ingredients:
1. 3 tbsp oil
2. 1 tsp cumin seeds
3. 5-6 curry leaves
4. Whole spices - bayleaf, 1 -2 star anisse, 2-3 cloves, 2-3 black pepper corns
5. 1 tbsp  ginger garlic paste
6. 1 whole onion - chopped julienne
7. 2 chopped tomatoes
8. 2 whole chicken breasts - chop as per the size of your liking
9. 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
10. 1 tbsp coriander powder
11. 1 tsp turmeric powder
12. 1/4 tsp dry mango powder (or add yogurt to bring some sourness)
13. 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
14. salt to taste
15. coriander leaves to garnish
16. water

Steps:
1. Heat up a wok. Add the oil and let the oil warm up.
2. Add cumin seeds and whole spices. Let these roast.
3.  Add onion and fry for a few minutes (keep frying even after they turn translucent). Frying onion to a darker color brings in the color and flavor in the curry.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and mix well.
5. Now add all the spices. If using yogurt instead of dry mango powder, then don't add it yet. Fry the spices for a minute.
6. Add tomatoes and let them cook.
7. When tomatoes become squishy add the chicken.
8. Let the chicken cook for about 8 - 10 minutes. You can check if it is cooked by cutting a piece with knife.
9. Add yogurt and cook for a minute.
10. Add water as and when needed. Keep the curry as liquid as you want it.
11. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with chapati or rice.

The taste of the curry is amazing. It is a simple style curry which is the base for other vegetables as well. Whole spices and the ginger garlic paste add a different aroma to the curry. Cook the chicken well and rest all will turn out to be amazing automatically.

Happy cooking and eating guys :)

Eggless Pancakes

Believe it or not! This recipe was part of an exercise book of my niece. Maybe there were trying to teach them how to cook. Fascinating!

Its a simple, clean and quick recipe thus this one goes in the quick recipes section. I made the pancakes with my niece. They turned out to be light, fluffy and yummy. She said her mouth is watering at the sight of the pancakes. :)

You can make them for breakfast, sunday brunch or for satisfying the mid night hunger pang. They will surely rock you ;)

Eggless Pancakes

Makes 2

Level: Easy

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2. 1 tsp baking powder heaped

3. 1/2 tsp sugar

4. 1/2 tbsp melted butter

5. 1 pinch ground cinnamon

6. 1 tbsp olive oil + extra to grease the pan

7. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

8. 1 cup milk (adjust to keep the consistency of the batter flowing, purpose is that it should be easily pourable)

Steps:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients

2. Add the vanilla extract, butter and olive oil

3. Slowly add the milk and keep mixing to avoid formation of lumps

4. Keep the batter aside for five minutes

5. Heat a non stick pan. Grease with olive oil.

6. Pour about half of the batter in the pan. Do not spread and let the pancake take its shape and thickness naturally.

7.  Flip the pancake when it turns golden brown (approximately in two minutes)

8. Cook the other side till it turns golden brown.

9. Serve hot with honey/chocolate sauce/maple syrup.

So no excuses now to skip the breakfast while you are late for office. Also do not toss in the bed at night thinking of all the amazing food. It ain't gonna put you to sleep. Believe me I know what does (see the picture above ;))

Have fun cooking and eating guys. Cheers.

Vegetable Pulao (Tahri)

This is the first post in the quick recipes section. This is my mum's recipe :)

Vegetable Pulao (Tahri) is something I have been eating since I am a child. We preferred pulao whenever it was a holiday so that we could enjoy it hot. I think there was a time when we had it every friday as that was a day off for my paternal uncle.

Pulao is a simpler version of biryani. You can make it for dinner after coming back from office and eat it hot with some curd, pickle or papad. You can reduce the number or quantities of vegetables put as per your liking/time available/exhaustion level.

A good tip to cook faster is to chop the vegetables while you cook. Like while frying onions you can chop the other vegetables. It's faster that way.

So let's start with the recipe.

I will post for two hungry people who have come home after working for the whole day in the office.

Vegetable Pulao
Serves 2
Level: Easy
Preparation & Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (you will need the ingredients in the order mentioned):
1. 2 tbsp oil/olive oil
2. 1 tsp cumin seeds
3. Whole Spices (1-2 clove, 1-2 black pepper corn, some bayleaf, 1 star anisse) - Optional

You can skip a few veggies or add more e.g. carrot etc. Even if I miss all, I don't miss the onions and tomatoes.
4. 1 red onion - chopped lengthwise
5. few cauliflower florets - broken/chopped into smaller florets
6. 1 chopped potato
7. 1-2 chopped tomatoes
8. 1 bowl green peas
9. 1 chopped green chili + chopped ginger

10. 1 tsp red chilli powder - As per taste, 1 tsp keeps it spicy
11. 1 tsp turmeric powder
12. 1 tbsp coriander powder
13. 1/2 tsp garam masala
14. 2-3 tsp salt - As per taste
15. 150 grams washed up/soaked up rice - fill up a small bowl, say a pudding bowl
16. water - Use the same utensil used for measuring rice and double the volume of rice is the volume of water you need
17. Chopped coriander - To garnish

Steps:
1. Heat up a pressure cooker. Add oil to it.
2. Add cumin seeds and the whole spices.
3. Add onions when the cumin seeds brown up. Fry till translucent.
4. Add the rest of the vegetables. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add spices and mix well.
6. Add water & rice. Close the lid.
7. Switch off the gas after two whistles.
8. Let the steam settle in and then open the lid when there is no more steam inside. This will ensure that the pulao is cooked properly.
9. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

We had it with pickle and curd. It was an absolutely homely, filling and mouth watering meal.

Let me know how it goes for you. Happy cooking :)

Quick Recipes

I have been meaning to post recipes which could be made by people who have lesser time and are not so enthusiastic about cooking. Some of my working friends have been asking for the same as well. After working for the whole day in the office they want a quick fix meal which is filling, easy to make and homely. When you are working and are not a big cooking fan, you ought to either skip dinner, eat out, hire a cook/ get bored/fire the cook. I don't like any of the above options and I want to give better choices to people. There is a simpler choice. Cook yourself. I will help you cook faster, healthier and intelligently.

It is a part of my effort to encourage people to eat good healthy homely food, whenever and where ever. Never compromise with food. If you can cook you don't need to depend on anyone. It is more economical and while you look for a restaurant/open the menu/decide what to eat/order/wait for the delivery boy/pay, you will be done cooking and eating, both.

If you have any special request about anything in specific do let me know.

This is just a beginning. We have a long way to go my friends. This is for anyone who can light on a fire in their kitchen or someone else's. Light it on and get cooking :)

Breakfast/Snacks

Eggless Pancakes

Pohe (flattened rice)

Curries

Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Mash)

Dinner

Chicken Curry

Vegetable Pulao (Tahri)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

When you live with a five year old you need to make cookies. I am making it sound like a punishment but it was so much fun. I made two different types of cookies and my niece helped me. I put a chair for her in the kitchen and she was standing on it through out. We had lots of fun. When you are doing something that the kids like they become very generous with kisses, hugs and what not. Do remember to take out time from all the cooking to take full advantage of the situation. ;)

I had made these cookies even before Christmas but getting a chance to post them now. These cookies fall into the category of soft, chewy and thick cookies. I don't know about you but I am the one who likes soft and chewy cookies. No other kind of cookies can please me. Maybe that's the reason the other chocolate filled cookies couldn't win my heart. They were not chewy, less softer than these and one could easily break them. I would put up the recipe for the chocolate filled cookies as well very soon.

I shaped the cookies differently this time. I made the cookies jagged head. The cookies had a rough and cranky surface which added to the texture and the looks. The softness and the texture of the cookie was enhanced by the melted butter, extra egg yolk and the brown sugar. I absolutely love the brown sugar texture in all the dessert. Be precise with the measurement and the shaping steps and these cookies will surely rock your world.

Lets hear out the recipe for these cookies and let them be their own judge.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 24 large cookies

Recipe Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

1. 300 grams all purpose flour

2. 1/2 tsp baking Soda

3. 1 1/2 stick butter or 170 grams butter

4. 200 grams dark brown sugar

5. 100 grams granulated white sugar

6. 1 egg + 1 egg yolk

7. 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8. 150 grams semi sweet chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Mix in the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, baking soda) together and keep aside.

2. Melt the butter and beat in the brown and the white sugar in it either by hand or an electric beater.

   I do it by hand and that's why I powder the white granulated sugar before putting it in the butter. 

   It takes much less time to blend in the powdered sugar in the butter.

3. Now add in the eggs and vanilla extract and blend well.

4. Add the dry ingredients to this mixture. Also add the chocolate chips.

5. Make a dough out of this mixture.

6. Pre heat oven to 165 degree celsius. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper.

7. Take about 50 grams of dough in your hand. Make a ball out of it and break the dough ball into half from the center. 

   Rotate both the halves by 90 degrees to bring the rough surface upwards. Join both the halves at the bottom by sticking them together

   and make them into a single ball. Make sure that you don't even out the surface while doing this.

8. Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes until they start to crisp out on the edges. They will be 

   golden brown in color, edges would have started to harden out and the centers would still feel soft.

9. Take the baking parchment out of the oven. Let them cool. If you try to take the cookies off the parchment paper

   when hot, the cookies would break. Take them off once cooled.

10. Serve with milk or just like that.

These are my most favorite cookies. I still remember their taste in my mouth. Make them and keep them in an air tight container. 

Have fun baking and eating :)