Coconut Pudding

Ingredients

Milk - 1 cup
Condensed milk - 1/2 tin
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Agar agar/China grass - 5 gm
Water - 1 cup

Topping

1. Cashews - 2 tbsp
2. Sugar - 2 tsp


Method:

1. Boil milk and condensed milk. Allow it to cool down.
2. Once the milk and condensed milk has cooled down completely, add coconut milk to it and mix well.
3. Meanwhile break china grass into small pieces. Boil water and china grass till all the china grass has dissolved completely.
4. Add this china grass to the milk mixture immediately and mix well.
5. Now pour this mixture into a pudding tray and allow it to cool down.
6. Dry roast cashews. Crush it along with sugar in a mixie or mortar.
7. Now decorate the pudding with the cashews.
8. Cover the pudding with a plastic wrap.
9. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours .

Serve  chilled.

Notes:

1. Coconut milk should be added only after the milk has cooled completely , otherwise the milk curdles.
2. Pour water immediately into the china grass vessel, once it has been emptied.

Apple jam

Ingredients:

1. Apple - 4 chopped,peeled and chopped
2. Sugar - 2 cups
3. Fresh lemon juice - 1.5 tsp
4. Water - 1 cup

Method:

1.  Place the chopped apples along with water in a heavy bottom pan. Boil for 5 min.
2.  Now add the lemon juice and boil for another 10 minutes on medium flame till the apples are soft and mushy.
3. Switch off the stove and mash these apples well with a potato masher or a thick ladle.
4. Return the pan to heat and add sugar. Stir and bring it to boil on medium flame. Taste check for sugar and add more if required.
5. Cook on medium-low heat for about 25 - 30 minutes till the mixture turns thick.
6 Test for jelly -  Place the jam on a cold spoon or plate and check if it is holding shape. If the mixture is watery/thin cook for a few more minutes.
7. Allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes.
8 Transfer it to clean, dry bottles when it is still warm.
9. Store in refrigerator for more than a month.

Carrot halwa / Gajar ka halwa

Ingredients:

1. Carrot - 4 cups , grated or finely chopped
2. Whole milk - 3 cups
3. Sugar - 1 cup
4. Condensed milk - 2 tbsp
5. Cardomom powder - 1 tsp
6. Ghee - 2 tbsp
7. Chopped nuts - 3-4 tbsp (I used pistachios)

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan and add the grated carrots to it. Saute for 4-5 minutes till the raw smell of the carrots disappears.
2. Add milk to this and cook on medium-low flame till the carrots are soft and the milk have almost fully evaporated. Keep stirring in between.
3. Then add  sugar and condensed milk to it . The mixture becomes watery when you add sugar , so  keep stirring.
4. When the moisture is fully evaporated , add a tsp of ghee to it and mix well till you get a thick mass.
5.Add cardamom powder and nuts and mix well.

Serve hot or cold!!

Ulli vada

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 medium, sliced thinly
Besan - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Red chilly powder - 1.5 tsp
Ginger - 1/2 tsp, chopped or grated
Curry leaves - 2 sprig chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying


Method:

1. Place the sliced onion in a bowl and add salt to it. Mix it well and keep aside for 10- 15 minutes.  Water will come out of onion. There will be enough water coming out from the onion , so you need not add any more water while making ulli vada.
2. Now add besan , rice flour, red chilly powder, grated ginger and chopped curry leaves to the onion and mix well. Add more besan if required.
3. Heat oil for frying. When the oil is very hot , reduce the flame to medium and start adding small spoons of batter into it.
4. Deep fry till crispy and light brown. Drain in a paper towel.

Banana Bajji

Ingredients:

Raw banana - 2
Besan /Kadala mavu / Gram flour - 1.5 cups
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 1.5 tbsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Asfoetida - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Combine besan, rice flour, red chilly powder, asfoetida, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add just enough water to make a semi thick batter. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes.

2. Peel off the banana and cut into half. Thinly slice the banana pieces and put it in the besan mixture.

3. Heat oil for deep frying. When the oil is hot reduce the flame to low and the banana pieces to the oil. Fry on both sides till it is light brown and crispy. Drain in a paper towel.

Chocolate banana muffins

Ingredients:

Banana - 2 ripe bananas
Egg - 1
Oil - 1/3 cup
All purpose flour - 1.5 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - 1 cup

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Then beat in the egg. Then add oil to this and mix well so that everything is well combined.

4. In a separate large bowl , sift together all purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.

5. Fold in the banana mixture and the flour mixture. You can add chocolate chips, about 1/2 to 3/4 cups at this stage. Since I didn't have chocolate chips at home I didn't add it.

5. Pour the batter into prepared muffin cups to 3/4 of it.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Easy Strawberry smoothie

Ingredients:

Strawberry - 20
Sugar - 4-5 tbsp
Curd - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup (2% milk)
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Ice - 8 cubes crushed

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend till creamy and smooth. Then add the crushed ice cubes and blend once more.

Serve chilled!!