Roma's Space

I came across a recipe show on tv by the name ‘The Chef and his better half‘. They show you how to make dishes from international cuisines. The part I like the most is their desserts section. Most dishes are baked and very attractive looking.

I remember seeing Yummy Orange Pudd about a month ago. It seemed pretty easy to make and looked tasty too. The chef said that he makes this pudding for his wife whenever she feels low. It really helps cheer her up. I thought “wow! I could use a dish like that too!”

Yesterday when I went to the supermarket I found juicy oranges in abundance. The Orange pudd came flashing back to my memory. I picked up a kilo and got cracking. So here is yummy orange pudd for you. I didnt make the orange sauce though I’ll provide you with the recipe. Basically, I couldnt wait to dig into the pudd!

Ingredients :

For the pudding

• 30 g butter
• 60 g sugar
• 30 g flour
• orange rind
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoon orange juice
• 150 ml milk

For the sauce

• 20 g butter
• 20 g sugar
• 2 tablespoons of orange juice
• honey (optional)

Procedure :

For the pudding :

1. Remove white fiber from the reverse of the orange rind by slicing through a knife horizontally.
2. Chop the orange rind into fine pieces.
3. Mix pudding ingredients sugar, maida, butter with chopped orange rind.
4. Clarify egg (remove egg yolk from white)
5. Mix in one yolk into the pudding mix. Beat well.
6. Add orange juice and milk. Stir the mix.
7. Separately beat an egg white into stiffness (you can make out its done, when you overturn it and it doesnt fall ! )
8. Add beaten egg white into it.
9. Bake in preheated oven at 200 cel for 10 mins.

For the sauce:

1. Melt the butter. Fold the sugar in till it dissolves completely (You can add honey like an essence to the sauce).
2. Add orange juice and cook till the sauce comes together.

A month ago my dear friend and neighbour, Namita invited us over for dinner. It was the day of holi and we were tired after the day-long celebrations. We had a colored, water-filled bash in the apartment, after which we went to a couple of places to wish family members. By the end of the day I was glad I was invited for dinner as I didnt have the stamina to cook.

Namita had made an array of tradional Konkani dishes. After a discussion with her I learnt that Konkani food is fairly simple and very nutritious. They dont believe in using too much oil or spices. I noticed that the food had a flavor thats different from the other South-Indian cuisines.

Tomato Saar for instance is one such simple curry which uses the usual South-Indian ingredients like tomatoes, coconut , chillies and curry leaves yet it manages to create a never-before taste. After we returned from her place I tried this Saar out and it was an instant hit at home. Ever since we have made it almost four times and still cant seem to get enough of it.

Ingredients :

• 4 big ripe tomatoes
• 3-4 finger like pieces of coconut
• 2 green chillies
• 1/4 teaspoon methi seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon rai
• Few curry leaves

Procedure :

1. Boil the tomatoes with green chillies till they are soft. Save the boiled water.
2. In a little bit of oil roast the methi seeds to golden color.
3. Grind the boiled tomatoes, chillies with methi seeds and coconut in a mixie jar.
4. Now in the previously saved boiled water add the ground mixture and give it another boil.
5. For the tempering heat oil. Add rai, curry leaves and pour over the saar.

I love clicking snaps of things that I want to keep in my memory forever. Like John Keats said ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’!

I remember seeing these saplings in the garden of my apartment complex and wondering what they were. Within a few weeks the plant developed indentations clearly indicating that it was Wheat, most probably planted by accident. Guess someone might have thrown a little bit of whole wheat and the plant picked up.

Every evening when I went down to the garden I thought I must take a picture of the plant as it was growing up fast. One day I took a camera along and caught the wheat plant swaying in the breeze, basking under the summer sun. I find this picture particularly soothing. It kind of reminds you that a happy mind breezes through life effortlessly.

This is my entry to Click Au Naturel event hosted by Jai & Bee.

Simply Chocolate

Moms are true role models for us in every way. We always want to be like them, whether in managing the house, bring up children or making food. In my childhood days I had the good fortune of having many delicacies like cakes, ice creams and pies freshly prepared at home.

Mom had done a course in cooking. She even used to run Bakery/Cookery classes at home. As kids we never paid attention to that fact that we may need to pick up her culinary skills. Whenever she asked us to join her for a class we would ask her to call us when the dishes were done. Ohh! Wish I hadnt been so playful back then. I would have learnt a thing or two from the person who is an absolute genius when it comes to cooking.

Even today I cant make cakes or ice creams like her but I am surely going to give it a try. I dedicate this months JFI- Love to my mother, the best cook I know.

Jihva for ingredients is an online monthly culinary event started by Indira of Mahanandi. JFI-Love for the month of May, 2008 is being hosted by Pratibha and Jigyasa.

Ingredients :

* 3 cups of milk
* 8 teaspoons sugar
* 4 tablespoons of powder milk
* 1 teaspoon cornflour
* 1 teaspoon Liquid glucous
*  Chemicals : GMS , CMC (1/4 teaspoon each)
* 100 grams fresh cream
* 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
* Few drops of Chocolate essence

Procedure :

1. Boil the milk. Separately make a paste of sugar, cornflour and milk powder with a small quantity of milk.
2. Continuously stir the milk while putting the paste in.
3. Mix the 2 chemicals CMC and GMS with little milk in a cup. Pour this into the boiling milk mixture.
4. Add one teaspoon of liquid glucous to the boiling milk mix.
5. Cool this mix and pour into an ice cream box. Increase temperature of freezer. Freeze the mix.
6. Once it becomes hard. Take it out and leave it outside for few minutes so that it can come out easily.
7. Break it and churn a bit. Blend into a paste in a mixie jar.
8. Add cold fresh cream and essence into the paste and churn well. (Should not be watery, only pasty!)
9. Put it back in the ice cream box and reduce the freezer temp to normal.
10. After 1-2 hrs check if ice cream has crystals. If so, churn it again and increase the temperature of the freezer.
11. While serving garnish Ice cream with whipped cream, chocolate wafers and grated chocolate.

Please NOTE :

You need to mix liquid glucous well in the hot milk otherwise it will form lumps. If you want you can mix it first in a small amount of hot milk and then mix that into the boiling milk.

Variation :

The same procedure can be followed to make all other flavors of icecream as well. You can make it with banana/mango/ any fruit of your choice. Just reduce the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit used.

Virgin Pinacolada

Being a person who has never tasted an alcoholic drink upto date I always wondered what the cocktails must taste like. One day I ran into a Mocktail counter at a food court and realized that people who dont drink liqueur also have delicious options. I had a Virgin Pinacolada and it was delicious! Since then whenever I got a chance I ordered this drink. The sweetness in the coconut milk perfectly balances the sourness in the pineapple juice. Every milky sip of this tropical fruit drink leaves your taste buds wondering whats tasting so good.

In Spanish, Pina Colada means ‘Strained Pineapple’. In 1978 it was such a popular drink in Puerto Rico that it was declared the National drink of the country. A very interesting summer mocktail indeed.

The best Virgin Pinacolada I ever had was a couple of months ago on our wedding anniversary. We had been to this fancy place called Memories of China. The Colada there was just too perfect. I hoped the glass would never finish. The texture was creamy and temperature of the drink was perfect.

I tried to recreate some of the magic. Lets see if it matches up! This is my entry to the Fun ‘n’ Sun Event hosted by EasyCrafts.

Ingredients :

• 1/2 glass of pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon of fresh cream
• 1 tablespoon of coconut milk
• Sugar syrup (as per taste)

Procedure :

1. Mix the above ingredients in a glass or shaker.
2. Serve chilled with bananas or fruit of your choice.

Please NOTE :

1. The temperature of this drink is important. We dont usually add ice to it so use chilled ingredients.
2. Serve in a thin, tall glass. I didnt have a thin one so I went with the closest one available.
3. Dont use a mixie to blend the drink as the cream could split.