CHRISTMAS PUDDING: GUEST POST BY BRIDGET WHITE- KUMAR

 

CHRISTMAS PUDDING: GUEST POST BY BRIDGET WHITE- KUMAR 

We are in the festive season with Christmas being around the corner! ! I was delighted when my friend, Bridget, the famous Cookery Book Author and Food Consultant kindly accepted my invitation to contribute a Guest Post for my blog. She is no stranger to this blog having contributed a Guest Post for Chocolate Yule Log Cake some years ago. 

Please do check out her blog Anglo-Indian Recipes and Anglo-Indian Food. She also has an active and popular Facebook Page. 

She has graciously shared her recipe for Christmas Pudding which I present below. 

You can check out her YouTube too.  

Christmas is a mixture of both religious and secular traditions in India and more especially in my hometown Kolar Gold Fields or KGF in the olden days.  It’s a time of celebration, of family and friends, of feasting and socializing. Christmas is a fascinating mix of traditions that combines pre-Christian rituals with modern traditions. Every family has its own customs and traditions while celebrating Christmas. Some of these customs and traditions are universal in nature while others may be a result of inculcating local practices and customs. Christmas is therefore the season for traditions, preserving old ones and creating new ones. One such tradition was making the steamed Christmas Pudding or Plum Pudding every year. 

Each family had their own traditional recipe for making the Christmas Pudding, which was sometimes handed down from generation to generation. The dry fruits and nuts that went into it were chopped finely well in advance and soaked in Rum and were normally made 3 or 4 weeks earlier before Christmas.

For me, Christmas is always associated with the smells, sounds and sights of the season. All of them awaken nostalgia in me for my home town Kolar Gold Fields and I relive the magical memories of Christmas of my childhood -- The smell of the decorated Pine Christmas tree in the sitting room, the enticing aroma of Christmas Cakes and puddings being baked, the Kal Kals and Rose Cookies being fried, the sight of all the Christmas decorations and Buntings everywhere and the soothing sound of Christmas Carols being played and sung in every home are my favourite childhood memories and are all part of the wonder of Christmas.

The Christmas Pudding is invariably made on Stir-up Sunday i.e. the last Sunday before the start of Advent or 4 weeks before Christmas, to give it time to mature. The Pudding is served after dinner on Christmas Day. In the olden days making the Christmas Pudding was a family event where every member of the family would give the Christmas Pudding a stir and make a wish. A coin, a ring or a thimble were sometimes added to the pudding mixture and the person who got it in his/her piece of the pudding on Christmas day was supposed to be lucky. The finger ring would foretell a wedding to the person who got it.

I’m sharing a simple and easy family recipe for a steamed Christmas Pudding that anyone could easily make in a very little while.

Ingredients 

50 grams breadcrumbs (do not use panko crumbs)

50 grams flour

100 grams butter melted 

50 grams sugar (powdered in the mixie)

2 teaspoons Nescafe powder

2 tablespoons of either treacle syrup or caramel syrup or date syrup

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg beaten well

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

100 grams chopped black raisins, black currants, cherries etc.

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 or 3 tablespoons milk as required 

Method

Mix the dry ingredients together then add all the other ingredients and mix well

Grease a suitable bowl, that would fit in your steamer, with butter or oil then transfer the pudding mixture to it. Cover with foil.

Now place a perforated steamer plate or stand in a steamer or suitable pot.

Add one cup of water

Place the bowl with the pudding batter on the stand 

Cook on medium to Low heat for 45 minutes to one hour. 

Open and check if the pudding is cooked by inserting a toothpick. 

Remove the bowl from the Steamer and let it cool. 

Once cool, run a knife around the edge and turn over on a plate. 

Your steamed Christmas Pudding is ready. 

If desired, make a few small holes and pour a few tablespoons of rum over it

You could make the pudding in advance and leave it in the fridge. Just before serving microwave for a minute or two and serve warm

MALAIKA ARORA'S VIRAL PANEER THECHA

 MALAIKA ARORA'S VIRAL PANEER THECHA 

 Being so fond of paneer ( Indian cottage cheese) in my home, I frequently make dishes using this ingredient.  Not surprisingly, you will find in my blog,  many (46 actually) recipes for dishes made with paneer such as:-

• Shahi Paneer
• Paneer Khurchan
• Paneer Paratha
• Paneer Korma

Recently I happened to see an episode of Curly Tales featuring Malaika Arora, the celebrity actress, model, and former VJ. Here she talks about her Paneer Thecha with Kamiya Jani. As you may know, this recipe took the internet by storm. In his Celebrity Recipe Edition YouTube video  Chef Nehal Karkera shows us how to make this dish. I have adapted today's recipe from this, changing some of the measurements to suit our taste. 

I must say it was delicious. No wonder her original recipe became viral! 

Confession: Although Malaika says the thecha should be made using the traditional mortar and pestle for pounding the ingredients, I have used my faithful Panasonic mixer- grinder. I find using this on PULSE MODE gives you a coarse paste which still retains its chunky texture. 

To add more excitement to our meal, I paired the Paneer Thecha - which is usually served as a starter- with Fiery Jalapeno and Sichuan Peppercorn, distinct signature sauces from the famous restaurant chain: Foo Asian Tapas.

The combination was truly awesome! 

Ingredients: -

• Paneer, (Indian Cottage Cheese) , 200 gms
• Green Chillies, 5
• Garlic Cloves, 10
• Peanuts, (deskinned), 1/4 cup
• Juice, from 1/2 a lemon
• Fresh Coriander, Leaves, a bunch with stems 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2-3 tsp for pan frying 

Method:-

Cut the paneer into even sized cubes and keep aside

In a pan, dry roast the green chillies, garlic cloves, and peanuts on medium heat for a few minutes till they become aromatic

Transfer to a mixer jar

Add coriander leaves with their stems, salt to taste and lime juice

Grind on PULSE mode 

Add very little water

Grind till you get a coarse paste with a chunky texture - this is your thecha.

Coat each of the paneer cubes with the thecha. Coat them as evenly as you can. Allow them to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Heat 2 to 3 tsp of oil in a pan, spread the oil evenly

Add the coated paneer cubes and pan fry on medium heat till they become golden on the outside

Flip and pan fry the other side. Remove to a serving plate.

Serve this with a dip or chutney of your choice. 

To add more excitement to our meal, I paired the Paneer Thecha - which is usually served as a starter- with Fiery Jalapeno and Sichuan Peppercorn, distinct signature sauces from the famous restaurant chain: Foo Asian Tapas.

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE- ITC WINDSOR

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE- ITC WINDSOR

The imposing ITC Windsor with it colonial style architecture has been a landmark in Bengaluru ever since it was inaugurated back in 1982 as the ITC Windsor Manor. Over the decades it has maintained its reputation for being an excellent luxury hotel.

Earlier this week we celebrated Prem's birthday. Over the years, we have been going out to lunch to celebrate his special day. This time around, we decided to break with tradition and do something different. We decided to stay at home and yet enjoy the delicious offerings from ITC Windsor. We did this by using their much spoken off Gourmet Couch Food Delivery service. This is one of the perquisites we enjoy by virtue of being members of Club ITC  We earn Green Points through our spends on rooms or dining and can utilise these points at any of the 145 + hotels, award winning restaurants and wellness retreats. 

Having studied the menus with so many different options, we made the first decision! We opted for the Table For Two service instead of going a la carte. The Table For Two comes in 4 combinations of food . We selected one of the non-vegetarian variants.

As usual the food was well packed with detailed instructions in the Gourmet Couch Heating Manual on how different items should be re-heated- if required. 

Everything about the ITC Hotels is classy. They had thoughtfully added a chocolate truffle cake knowing the occasion. We appreciated this simple yet elegant gesture very much. Needless to say, the cake was delicious and Prem became more 7 than 74 in attacking the cake before we began our meal. 

Before we got down to enjoying the food, the picture below shows what our lunch order looked like! 

* Seekh Gilafi Dum Pukht & Mint Chutney 

* Warqi Paratha

* Dal Bukhara

* Murg Makhani

* Murg Yakhni Pulao & Raita

* Phirni 

From the options given , we had opted for the Warqi Paratha, which was a multi-layered Indian bread baked in clay tandoor with a delicate touch of ajwain (carom seeds). These came superbly packed in heat retaining covers.

For starters, we enjoyed the Seekh Gilafi Dum Pukht: these were minced chicken kebabs which tasted great with the accompanying green Mint Chutney .

The Dal Bukhara -which we had with the Warqi Parathas was made of black lentils, tomatoes, ginger and garlic. The speciality of this dish was that it was allowed to simmer overnight on slow charcoal fire, and was finished with cream and a dollop of butter.

Along with the Murg Yakhni Pulao, we enjoyed the Murgh Makhani  which had tender pieces of chicken flavoured with whole spices and cooked in rich tomato gravy.

The main course was Murgh Yakhni Pulao made with spring chicken  and long grained basmati rice flavoured with aromatic spices. This was served in a ceramic bowl with the characteristic dough that goes into sealing of Dum Pukht dishes in our Indian cuisine. 

The meal was made more enjoyable with the superb garlic-flavoured Raita- a small but important item in the whole meal.  

For dessert, we had Phirni served in earthen moulds. This dish is made with milk and ground basmati rice flavoured with cardamom, and topped with pistachio and almond slivers.

Overall, we loved the food. A shout out to Nihal of the Take Away Dept for his attention to detail and for arranging the swift and efficient packaging and delivery of our Gourmet Couch lunch! 

EGG CURRY

EGG CURRY 

My husband has loved eggs since his childhood. He insists on having some egg dish or the other from time to time. We therefore have eggs for breakfast often and also make curries with boiled eggs. 

This article in Web MD speaks of the numerous health benefits of boiled eggs. 

Egg curries are very versatile dishes. They go well with Indian breads- such as naan, rotis, chapati as well as with hot steamed rice, jeera rice and the like.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for different types of Egg Curries, such as:-

• South Indian Egg Curry 
• Egg Curry/Motte Curry 
• Chettinad Egg Curry 
• Mangalorean Egg Curry 

I have adapted today's recipe from  Egg Curry  by Angela Steffi. Especially when it comes to gravies/curries, one is advised to cook keeping in mind your tolerance for spices. Some like very spicy food, others less so. In this recipe, I suggest you add ingredients to suit your preference for spices.

We tried this out recently and it tasted great with hot rotis! 

Ingredients:-

For Seasoning The Eggs 

• Boiled Eggs, 6
• Turmeric Powder, 1/8 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1/2  tsp
• Pepper Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste 
• Oil, 1 tsp

For  The Curry 

• Cinnamon, 1 " stick 
• Cloves, 2
• Cardamom, 2
• Bay Leaf, 1 
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Medium -sized Onions, 2
• Large-sized Tomato, 1
• Green Chillies, 2 
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 1 tsp
• Chilli Powder,  1 and 1/2 tsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tbsp
• Coriander Leaves, 2 tbsp, for garnish 

Method: 

Finely chop the onions, tomato, and coriander leaves

Slit the green chilli

In a mixer, grind the fresh coconut gratings along with some water and extract the coconut milk. Keep this aside. 

Place the eggs in a pan, add water till they are immersed and boil them for about 10 minutes to get hard boiled eggs. Transfer them to a bowl of cold water, let them cool for about 5 minutes. Then, shell the eggs and keep aside. Next, make slits in the boiled eggs with a knife so that they can better absorb the spice masala. 

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a thick-bottomed kadai, add the chilli powder, pepper powder, and salt. Mix well and place the boiled eggs in the kadhai. Saute on medium heat for a couple of minutes till the eggs are blistered/ lightly roasted. Remove and keep aside.

In the same kadhai, heat 2 tbsp of oil, add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf. Saute till they become aromatic. Add the cumin seed and when they sizzle add the finely chopped onions, a little salt and saute till the onions turn golden brown 

To this, add the ginger garlic paste, slit green chillies and the spice powders (turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chilli powder) and mix well. Add a little water to prevent the spice powders from getting burnt.

Now add the finely chopped tomato and cook on medium heat until the tomato becomes soft and mushy  and the tomato-spices get well blended 

Add the freshly extracted coconut milk, mix well and bring to a boil

Now add the seasoned boiled eggs and cook for a couple of minutes on medium heat 

Check for salt and add if required

Switch off the gas and transfer to a serving bowl

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves 

Serve the Egg Curry with chapatis, rotis, or with jeera rice/fried rice.

 

DOSAS - TAKE YOUR PICK!

 DOSA 

If you check the popularity of breakfast items in South India, you will probably find our Dosa to be in the highest rank. It is now, of course, common all across India, if not the world ! They can be described as a breakfast crepe usually made with a batter of rice and black gram dal. Typically, dosas are served with sambar and chutney or chutney alone. 

Dosas come in many types and the large variety of dosas we make is truly amazing. Knowing to make different types of dosas comes in handy for the lady of the house! She is required to provide variety in the breakfasts she makes for the family. 

Today, I thought I would share the recipes of 5 types of dosas which my family and friends have enjoyed whenever I make them .

1. Dosa

For those who may not much about Dosas, let's start with the traditional way of making the Dosa starting from making the batter. I have always maintained that the quality of the dosa really depends on the quality of the batter that goes into its making! 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2013/04/dosa.html

2.  Masoor Dal Dosa: 

Masoor Dal Dosa is really delicious and good for health as it is made with Masoor Dal (Red Lentil). You can make them thin and crisp as in the above picture! 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2014/03/masoor-dal-dosa.html

3.  Pancharatna Dosa

This dosa gets it's name from the five different dals (lentils) which are used in making the batter. 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2015/07/pancharatna-dosa.html

4. Southekayi Dosa

It may interest many of you to know that Cucumber is one of the principal ingredients in the dosa. This is very popular in my Home State of Karnataka. 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2020/02/southekayi-dosa.html

5. POHA DOSA

Soft and porous, this dosa is made with a batter of raw rice and beaten rice/flattened rice. It remains one of my favourites. 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2013/10/poha-dosa.html

I hope this post will be of interest and use to many of the readers of this blog. Based on the response to this post, I would be happy to share recipes for more types of dosas at a later date. 

 

PRAWN CURRY

 PRAWN CURRY

My husband and I love shrimps, or prawns as they are commonly called in India. They are called Jhinga  in Hindi, Sigadi in Kannada, and Sungat in my mother tongue, Konkani. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for some dishes made with prawns such as:-

• Goan Prawn Curry
• Sungta Humman
• Prawn Masala

Besides being so yummy - prawns are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and have an abundance of proteins. So, I make some prawn dish from time to time.

I have adapted this from Prawn Curry from Indian Healthy Recipes.

In making this dish I have used Large Sized Freshwater Prawns, cleaned and deveined, from Licious. 

I find the quality to be excellent and the fact you get it delivered home makes it a sensible and easy solution to buying prawns. 

We enjoyed this dish immensely- served as an accompaniment for hot rotis. I hope you will like this too!  

Ingredients:-

• Large sized Prawns, 18-20 
• Cumin Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Green Chilli, slit, 1
• Curry Leaves, 1 sprig
• Garlic Clove, large sized, 1
• Coriander Leaves, 2 tbsp - for garnish
• Tamarind, a pellet sized piece

For the Masala:

• Onion, medium sized, 1 
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp
• Tomato, large-sized, 1 
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/8 tsp
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 1 tsp
• Garam Masala, 1/2  tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp ( for roasting ingredients for grinding) + 1 and 1/2 tbsp 

Method:- 

Wash the cleaned and deveined prawns thoroughly. Keep aside

Chop the tomato and onion

Chop the garlic clove 

Slit the green chilli

Finely chop the coriander leaves

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai, when it gets heated add the chopped onion and saute till they become translucent

Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes

Next add the chopped tomatoes, a little salt, and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook on medium heat till the tomatoes become soft and mushy

To this add the garam masala powder, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder and fresh coconut gratings

Saute on medium heat for 3-4 minutes taking care to see the spices don't get burnt

Transfer to a plate and let this cool completely

Once it is cooled, transfer to a mixer jar, aadd the piece of tamarind and 3/4 cup of water  

Grind to a smooth paste and keep aside

Heat 1 to 1 and 1/2 tbsp of oil in the same kadhai and on medium heat add the cumin seeds

When they sizzle, add the slit green chilli, and chopped garlic

Saute till the garlic gets roasted then add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Add the freshly prepared ground paste and mix well

Add water to get a curry like consistency

Check for salt and add if required 

Bring this to a boil and cook till the curry thickens

Now lower the heat and add the prawns one by one

Let it cook on medium  heat till the prawns tails form a C shape which indicates the  prawns are fully cooked. Please remember prawns get cooked very fast- approximately 3-4 minutes

Switch off the gas and garnish the Prawn Curry with finely chopped coriander leaves

Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve hot with jeera rice/fried rice or rotis

MASALA IVY GOURD

 MASALA IVY GOURD

Ivy Gourd is a commonly available vegetable in India. It is Kundru or Tindora in Hindi, Thondekayi in Kannada, Dondekayi in Telugu, and Tendle in my mother tongue Konkani.

With its low calories and high fibre, ivy gourd has many  health benefits

 I make dishes using ivy gourd quite often so elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for dishes such as:-

• Tendle Talasani, 
• Stuffed Tindora Masala.
• Tendle Bhuthi 
• Thondekayi Yennegayi 

Today's recipe has been adapted from Dondakaya Vepudu in Subbu's Kitchen. 

I tried it out recently. It was very tasty as a side dish which went well with our meal of hot steamed rice and rasam.

Ingredients:-

• Ivy Gourd, 300 gms
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Peanuts, 1/4 cup
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tsp for roasting the peanuts

For the Masala Powder:-

• Coriander Seeds, 1 tbsp
• Split Bengal Gram/Channa Dal, 1 tbsp
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 4
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Dry Coconut /Copra gratings, 2 tbsp

For Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Black Gram Dal/ Urad Dal, 2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Oil, 2 to 3 tbsp

Method:-

Wash the ivy gourd, snip off the two ends and cut the ivy gourd length wise into strips

In a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil and roast the peanuts till they develop spots and become crisp. Keep aside.

Heat a thick bottomed kadhai and dry roast coriander seeds till they become fragrant, then add channa dal, Byadgi red chillies and cumin seeds and roast on medium flame till the dal changes colour

Switch off the gas and remove the roasted ingredients to a plate and allow them to cool

Transfer the cooled ingredients to a mixer jar and grind to a coarse powder  - this forms the masala powder. Keep aside. 

In the same kadhai, heat 2 to 3 tbsp of oil and on medium heat add the mustard seeds

When they splutter, add the urad dal and fry till the dal changes colour then add the curry leaves

To this add the sliced ivy gourd, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix well

Fry on high heat, stirring from time to time, for about 5 minutes

Reduce the flame and cover and cook, stirring occasionally till the ivy gourd gets done yet remains crunchy 

Now add the freshly ground masala powder, mix well till the ivy gourd gets blended well in the ground masala

Check for salt and add if required

Next add the roasted peanuts  and mix well

Switch off the flame

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve the Masala Ivy Gourd as a side dish with rasam and hot steamed rice