Cooking

Caramel Custard (Using cooker)

Ingredients:

1 cup milkmaid
2 cups milk
2 Eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp sugar for caramelizing.

Method:

Beat eggs in a bowl. Add milkmaid and mix well. Once it is mixed, add milk and vanilla essence. Mix the contents well with a beater.
In a saucepan, put sugar and heat on a low flame till it gets caramelized into light brown color.Stir constantly. Pour the mixture into this bowl
Take a pressure cooker. Fill it with water and put a ring. Keep the bowl over this and close the lid without whistle(weight). Put on high flame for 20 minutes.Make sure you fill the base of cooker with enough water.
Open after 20 mins and once it is cool, keep it in fridge.
To unmold, run a knife around rim of bowl and invert onto flat plate so that the caramelized part comes above as shown below.Cut it into pie and serve.

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Kela Podi (Banana fritters)

Kele in Konkani is banana and Podi is fritters.

Ingredients:

2 big ripe Kerala banana(nendra bale)
1 cup besan
2 tbsp rice flour
1/2 tsp chilli powder
A pinch haldi
salt to taste
Water
Oil for frying

Method:

Mix besan, rice flour, chilli powder, haldi, salt and water to make smooth batter( not watery, but not too thick).
Peel the banana.Slantly cut banana into pieces with 1/2 inch think. Dip each piece into batter and deep fry in hot oil till it is done. Serve hot as evening snacks or with pova chutney.

PS: Do not put more chilli powder. This is not a spicy snack. Banana should be ripe and sweet enough.

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Easy Tomato Fry

Ingredients:

1 big onion cut length wise
1 and half medium tomato cut lengthwise
2 tbsp ginger chopped
2 tbsp garlic chopped
2 tbsp green chillies chopped
1 handful curry leaves
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coarse pepper powder
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
half cup water

Method:

Heat oil , allow mustard to splutter. Fry green chillies, ginger and garlic for a minute. Add onion and required salt and fry till it turns pink.Add curry leaves at this stage and fry for another minute. Add tomato and add turmeric powder, chilli powder and pepper powder and fry till tomato is done and till oil seperates. Add half cup water(if gravy is required) and boil.Serve with hot rotis or dosa.

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Baked Bell Pepper sauce Pasta

Ingredients:

1 cup pasta (any shape)
Chilli flakes and Oregano as required
Grated cheese

To make sauce:

1 cup each bell peppers or capsicum (Red, Yellow, Orange and Green) chopped in big pieces removing seeds
1 medium onion chopped
10 garlic pods chopped
1 small tomato chopped
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp pepper corn
Salt to taste

Method:

For sauce, first take a pan and heat oil. Fry capsicums ,garlic, onion and tomatoes adding salt for 2-3 minutes. Once cooled, grind it into paste adding pepper. This can be stored in fridge in a tight container.
To boil pasta, fill a large vessel with water. Make sure you have enough water level as pasta sticks when cooked in too little water. Allow to boil. Once water starts boiling add pasta and keep on stirring. Depending on pasta the packet instruction, time can be adjusted. Once it is 75 percent boiled, drain the pasta in colander and remove as hot water.
In a baking dish add boiled pasta and toss it with chilli flake and oregano. Add required bell pepper sauce depending on taste and finally add grated cheese.Microwave it for 2-3 minutes till cheese melts. Mix and serve hot.