Potato Pudding

 It's football season again with the Euro Cup in full swing.The shops are again loaded with T shirts and small horns and everything else that goes with the season.I sort of miss the South American Teams,I even asked my hubby the other day when  Argentina was playing when he reminded me that it was the Euro cup :)I  still remember my initial days in Germany when I was surprised one day when everybody seemed to be blaring their car horns in the middle of the night.It was like a car horn chorus and went on for quite sometime. It was only later that I got to know that it was kind of a ritual and it was their way of celebrating their country's victory.Sort of reminded me of the stories from ancient days where they blew their horns once a battle was won.You hardly see anybody honk their car horns impatiently at you here,in traffic or on the road.Everybody follows the rules even when they know that nobody's watching and the cars seem to move like they are in a procession.It's not just the driving,people seemed to practice discipline and following rules like a regular thing here.

I found it impressive when compared to the chaos back in India. But when I tell friends here about how we sometimes honk when a cow decides to cross a road at its own pace during peak hours,or other stories of day to day chaos they find it interesting .They tell me that they would love to visit India as it's so full of life and colourful,and they find their life more mechanical and boring.

Guess grass is always greener on the other side :)

Coming to the recipe ,I watched this recipe on a TV show some time back.It's a warm dessert and takes no time to prepare.Tastes real yummy and no one would guess that it has potatoes in it.The dish is originally from Himachal Pradesh and since it din't have a name I decided to christen it as 'Potato Pudding ' :)

You'll Need:
Serves 6 - 8

Ghee - 2 Tb

Potatoes - 2 (small,peeled and grated)

Digestive biscuits - 5 (Crushed)

Cornflakes - 4 Tb(crushed)

Dry fruits and nuts - Dates,Dried Figs or Apricots,Raisins,Almonds,Cashew nuts- 1/4 - 1/2 cup

Desiccated Coconut - 5 Tb

Sugar - 3 - 5 Tb(adjust according to taste)

Milk - 400 ml (boiled)(or more if needed)

 Method :
-Crush the cornflakes and biscuits by pulsing them in a blender for a few seconds,Use any Tea Biscuit or Digestive biscuits ,I used Marie Biscuits.
-In a hollow pan,heat the ghee,once it heats up add the potato and saute for a 5 -7 minutes on a low flame.
-Next add the biscuits and corn flakes and mix well.
-Add the coconut and  dry fruits and mix well.
-Add the milk and mix well.Add the sugar and mix well.Check and add more sugar if needed.Simmer for  a few minutes.
-Serve hot !

Note:The dish tends to thicken as it cools,so add a little hot milk just before serving.

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a nice day !

Mango Paneer Kheer

Some time back there was this public building which stood surrounded with scaffolding for what seemed like an eternity.But the poor old building retained it's freshly painted look for just a few days after reopening before people decided to show their rebellion by spraying Graffiti on it.Graffiti doesn't affect you until your kids reach the reading age,until then you see Graffiti with unseeing eyes.I still remember the time my daughter started reading, she would get all excited and try to read the stuff sprayed on the wall. And as if that weren't enough, the reading out was usually followed by a questioning session:

'Mummy what does that mean ? '

'It's a bad word Sophie,ignore it ,you should never use it'

'Who wrote it on the wall ?'

'Some grown up, who was apparently jobless'

'Can grown ups do all that they want,when will I be a grown up ?'

It's then that I look at her and feel, how nice it would be if she would always remain this small little innocent child.'Can grown ups do everything that they want ?',isn't that the trickiest question of all.We have all the freedom in the world but can do nothing with it,but a child with its restrictions leads a more happy and free life.Life and its ironies !!

Coming to the recipe,this is one of my favourite desserts.It's pretty easy to make and sure to be a hit .I usually make it without the Mango.But the Mango season tempted me to add Mango to it and it turned out yummier than I expected.Off to the recipe !

Serves 4

You'll Need:

Whole Milk - 150 ml

Condensed Milk(unsweetened) - 125 ml

Sugar -  2 Tb

Cardamom seeds - 2

Paneer(Cottage Cheese) or fresh khoya - 100 g (grated finely)

Mango pulp(finely ground)  - about a cup

Ghee - 1 Tb

Nuts (Cashew and Almond) -  2 Tb

Method:

-Crush the cardamom pods and take the seeds.Pulse the seeds with the sugar in a blender a few times.

-In a wide mouthed thick bottomed pan,bring the whole milk and condensed milk to a boil.

-When it starts boiling,reduce the heat and simmer on the lowest heat for 20 - 25 mins.Keep stirring it often to make sure that it doesn't get burnt at the bottom.You can do this while your cooking something else so that you can keep and eye on it and stir it .

-Once it's reduced to 3/4 of it's original quantity.Add the sugar and stir well.let it simmer for another 2 - 3 mins.

-Add the Paneer and mix well.Simmer for another 4 -5 mins and remove from the stove.

-In a small pan heat the ghee and add the nuts,when they are slightly browned remove it from the stove.

-Add the nut and ghee mixture to the Paneer Kheer. Let it cool completely.

-Add the Mango and stir well.Chill for a few hours before serving.

Note: Make sure its fully cool before you add the mango.

Thanks for stopping by !Have a lovely day !

Radish Chutney - Quickie

This is a very quick post and a quick recipe. I've wanted to try out this recipe ,ever since I came across it in a magazine. I've never been a big fan of Radish,but it has numerous health benefits.In India I've only come across the white variety of radish,but here we find the cute pinkish red ones which are usually eaten raw.They give the Chutney a real appetizing look.This is the kind of recipe you play with,increase or decrease the quantity of the ingredients to suit your taste :)So off to the recipe...

You'll Need:

Radish - a bunch of red ones or 2 white ones 

Whole Red Chillies - 2 - 4

Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Lemon Juice - 1 to 2 Tb

Salt as needed

Method:

-Clean and grate the radish finely.

-Roast the Red Chillies on a pan for a minute or 2.

-In a blender grind the red chillies,coconut,lemon juice and salt.

-Add the grated radish and pulse a few times until ground.

Note:If you find the smell of Radish a bit too strong,you can sauté the grated Radish in a little oil for a few minutes before grinding.

Thanks for stopping by ! Have a nice day !