Home-Made Condensed Milk

                                  

                                                   

Condensed milk is milk from which water has been removed. It is most often found in the form of sweetened condensed milk (SCM), with sugar added, and the two terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condensed milk" are often used synonymously today. Sweetened condensed milk is very thick, which when canned can last for years without refrigeration if unopened. Unsweetened condensed milk products spoil more easily. Condensed milk is used in numerous dessert dishes in many countries.

  

We get condensed milk very easily & never actually need to make it at home. But few days back when I had extra milk (even after making paneer & curds) I thought to try this & It actually was like canned one. So here I'm with the recipe I tried.

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup full fat milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

1 tsp unsalted butter (optional)

Method

Take milk in a thick bottom pan.

Add sugar & heat on medium flame.

Once it boils, reduce the heat & keep stirring to keep it from burning.

Reduce milk & sugar mix to less then half & put the flame off.

Add butter & vanilla. Let it cool.

The mixture might have some lumps, which can be removed by blending once it cools down.

Mixture will thicken more after cooling, so don't worry if it looks thin in the beginning.

Your condensed milk is ready to be used.

Tips

* Always put a tablespoon of water in the pan before pouring milk, it prevents milk from burning.

* I didn't add butter & vanilla, but if you don't mind lil more calories than go ahead :).

* I read somewhere that to increase the shelf life of this condensed milk you can add pinch of baking soda to it, but I omitted that & used it within 2 days.

* This can be kept refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.

Kadi Patta Chatney

                                              

    

The curry tree is a tropical to sub-tropical tree which is native to India & Sri-Lanka. Its leaves (also known as Kadi Patta in Hindi) are used in many dishes in India & neighbouring countries. Here are few health benefits of kadi patta.

~Helps keep anaemia at bay

~Fights diabetes

~Good for Eyesight

~Improves digestion

~Lowers cholesterol

~Prevents greying of hair

Ingredients 

2 to 3 tbsp Chana dal

1 cup loosely measured fresh curry leaves

1 small piece of ginger

¼ tsp roasted cumin powder

2 to 3 Red chills or green chilies

Juice of half a lemon

Salt as needed

1 tsp oil

1 tbsp green coriander (optional)

Method

Wash curry leaves & drain them in a colander.

Dry roast chana dal & red chilies. Set these aside to cool.

Add oil & fry curry leaves till crispy. Cool them.

Add salt & lemon juice along with dal, curry leaves, coriander & chillies, in a blender.

Blend everything together with enough water.

Serve this with Idli & Dosas or with anything that you fancy :)

Tips

* Curry leaves should be fresh.

* Don't deep fry curry leaves or they will loose the colour & become blackish.

* You can add little coconut for a different taste.

* Consistency of Chatney depends on your taste.

Eggless & Low Fat Mayonnaise

                                                

Eggless & Low Fat Mayonnaise 

Mayonnaise, often abbreviated as mayo, is a thick, creamy sauce often used as a condiment. Mayonnaise varies in color, but is often white, cream, or pale yellow. It may range in texture. In countries influenced by French culture, mustard is also a common ingredient. In Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, olive oil is used as the oil & mustard is never included.

Ingredients 

1 cup hung curd
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp black/white pepper powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp herbs of your choice

Method

Mix hung curd with all the ingredients & whisk for 2-3 minutes. Eggless Mayonnaise is ready. Keep refrigerated. It can keep fresh for 4-5 days.

Tips

* Hung curd should be completely without water.

* Use salt, sugar & vinegar according to your taste.

* You can add as many herbs you like to. I used dry mixed herbs.

* Olive oil in original recipe was 3 tbsp but I don't think you need that much. 

* If you find it little more thick, just add little milk.

* You can replace vinegar with lemon juice. 

* Adding half a spoon of mustard powder or paste is a good option too for a different taste.

* Don't throw away the whey extracted from curd, use it in gravies or to knead dough. 

* Mayonnaise can be used on sandwiches, as a base for dressings, as a dip, or as a base for salad dressings or sauces.

Blackberry Upside Down Cake

                                

Blackberry Upside Down Cake

Plump, deep-colored blackberries are a delightful treat. Saw some at Crawford market & thought I should make the most of them whilst they're in season. So here is the simple Upside Down cake. Saw this recipe on net (sorry for not noting down the link) but it was with egg, so turned it into eggless by using curds instead. Cake turned out to be super moist & very very yummy :)

Ingredients (8 servings)
1 1/2 cup fresh blackberries
2 tsp + 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup curds or yogurt 
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 cup buttermilk (see tips)

Method
Preheat oven to 200 C. 

Grease the baking pan with butter & Dust with flour.

Sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar in pan & shake to distribute evenly. 

Arrange blackberries in a single layer in cake pan. 

Sprinkle another 1 tsp sugar on berries.

Place pan with blackberries in oven for 5 minutes to thoroughly warm the berries.
Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt in a bowl. 

Beat together butter & remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until light & fluffy. 

Add vanilla, lemon peel & curds. Mix until just incorporated. 

Add buttermilk & flour alternately, ending with flour & fold.

Spoon batter evenly over berries & all the way to the edge of the pan, smoothing the surface.

Bake in middle of oven for about 30 minutes, until top is golden or till a tester comes out clean. 

Run a thin knife around edge of pan, then invert a large plate over pan & using pot holders to hold plate & pan together tightly, flip cake onto plate. 

Serve cake warm or cool, either with whipped cream or with Vanilla ice-cream or enjoy just like that.

Tips 

* You can easily use more blackberries in same recipe.

* You can use fresh or frozen blackberries (subsitute equal amounts of either).

* Omit salt in recipe if your butter is salted.

* You can avoid lemon peel or can use orange peel instead.

* If you feel batter needs more liquid then add a tbsp of milk. (Make sure milk is added before ending with flour).

* 1/2 cup sugar is enough for batter if you like your cake less sweet otherwise just add 1 tbsp more. (You can sprinkle powdered sugar on the ready cake too later on).

* Buttermilk - 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar

                       Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

                       Stir before using.