Mixed Fruit Custard பழக்கலவை கஸ்டர்ட்

Mixed Fruit Custard

 பழக்கலவை கஸ்டர்ட்

Ingredients: ( 4 to 6 servings)

Milk ( பால்) - 1/2 litre

Vanilla flavour Custard Powder ( கஸ்டர்ட் மாவு) - 3 tbsp

Sugar  ( சக்கரை)  - 1/2 cup

Mixed cut fruits ( பழக்கலவை)  - 1 to 1 1/2 cups

Cherry - a few to decorate ( சில ஸெர்ரி பழம்  ) 

Steps:

In a heavy bottom pan bring the milk to boil. Stir often and keep the flame in medium level.Add sugar and allow it to melt. Boil for 2 minutes on medium flame.

In a small bowl dissolve the custard powder with a few teaspoons of milk.Pour this into the boiling milk, stir clockwise continuously until it forms a uniform consistency. After a minute or two,switch off the blame and let it cook in the heat.

Keep aside and allow it to cool completely.

In a blender add the cut fruits and blend coarsely. Make sure it is coarse with tiny bits of fruits here and there. A puree will not be appealing in this dessert. 

Transform to the cooked custard. Mix well. Refridgerate and serve chilled with a cherry on top.

My Notes:

The word custard reminiscence the days in mid 70s when my mother makes this dessert for special lunch / dinner. No exotic fruits, just the seasonal fruits of apple or black grapes and ever available bananas.  It was the best I have ever tasted, still lingering, though I have myself made several times with various fruits and have had tasted many flavours made by my friends.

For this fruit custard, vanilla flavour custard powder is the best as it can gell 

In those days, a chilled dessert was a welcome change to a payasam, which is served regularly after special lunch especially with my nieces and their husbands. A regular item in the menu for the newly weds. :))

 As a child,I  remember that without a refrigerator the cooked custard was let to reach room temperature and chilled on a bowl of ice cubes that was bought from the shop.

I used to add fresh fruits cut into bite size. But at a gathering my friend Priti Chandra had prepared this way of blending mixed fruits ( canned ) and it was yummy with a combined taste of the custard and the coarse fruits together. Pineapple, papaya, lychee , longan, cherries etcc.. all goes in a canned fruit cocktail. But if you want to go for fresh fruits, please go ahead. 

Corn Capsicum Pulav / குடமிளகாய் சோள புலாவ்

Corn Capsicum Pulav 

குடமிளகாய் சோள புலாவ்

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice / Fragrant Rice ( பாசுமதி அரிசி) - 1 cup

Red Capsicum ( சிகப்பு குடமிளகாய்) - 1 (big size)

Sweet Corn kernels from 1 cob ( சோளம் )

Ghee or unsalted Butter ( நெய் அல்லது வெண்ணெய்)  - 2 tbsp

Preferred Cooking oil ( சமையல் எண்ணெய்) - 1 tbsp

Seasoning for the rice

Ginger ( இஞ்சி)  - 1" to 1 1/2"

Garlic ( பூண்டு) - 5 to 6 

Cinnamon stick ( பட்டை) -  2 or 3  pieces

Star Aniseed ( அன்னாசி பூ) - 2

Bayleaves ( பிரிஞ்சி இலை)- 1

Cloves ( கிராம்பு ) - 2

Black pepper ( மிளகு) - 6 to 8
Salt ( உப்பு )  

In a pressure cooker or electric cooker, add a tablespoon of ghee. When hot,add the seasoning and saute for a minute. 

Add 2 cups of water for a cup of basmati rice. Bring it to boil, add required salt  and cook the rice.

Transfer to a wide bowl, dribble a tablespoon of ghee and leave it to cool.

Boil and remove the kernels from the cob. Slice the red casicum.

In a pan, add a teaspoon of oil, saute the capsicum until it is half cooked.

Toss in the corn kernels. Add a pinch of salt

Mix well and switch off the flame.

To the corn-capsicum mix, add the cooked rice. Fold lightly. Adjust for salt and serve with a side dish of your choice.

I had prepared cauliflower kottu and tofu stir fry masala for the lunch box. A square meal for your midday.

My Notes:
Add colours to tantalize your taste buds.A big welcome from the plain pulav.
Incorporating the protein in your meal by adding corn kernels.
Since capsicum is used I  have not included green chili while cooking rice , instead added a few black peppers. Black pepper gives a sharp spicy tasty here and there balancing the sweety capsicum and corn.
You can add chili to spicy it up. It is all individual preference , as I always mention.
A quick fix for lunch at the sametime colourful and flavorful.

Barnyard Millet Sweet Pongal ( குதிரைவாலி பனங்கல்கண்டு பொங்கல்)

Barnyard Millet Sweet Pongal 

 குதிரைவாலி பனங்கல்கண்டு பொங்கல்

Ingredients:

Barnyard Millet (குதிரைவாலி அரிசி)  - 1/2 cup

Yellow split gram / Moong dhal (பாசிப்பருப்பு)  - 1 tablespoon

Palm sugar / Palm Candy Cystals (பனங்கல்கண்டு)  - 1 cup

Cashewnuts (முந்திரி பருப்பு)  - 5

Ghee or  Butter (நெய்)  - 2 tbsp

Powder the palm crystals using a dry blender  and fry the cashew nuts in ghee. 

In a heavy bottom pan, heat half a spoon of ghee. Roast the millet and the split gram.

Pressure cook the millet and gram with twice the amount of water. Smoothen the cooked millet with a ladle and keep it aside.

In the same pan, add quarter cup of water and the powdered palm sugar. Allow it to boil for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Using a sieve ( to remove the impurities from the sugar) pour the sugar syrup to the boiled millet, 

Transfer the content to the pan, cook on medium flame. Add the remaining 1 or 1 and half spoon of ghee and mix well. When the sweet starts to leave the sides of the pan, transfer to serving bowl.

My Notes:
Palm sugar does not have a sharp sweet taste as its counterpart, the cane sugar. But it has an upper hand with health benefits and low GI index than cane sugar.

This palm sugar is mostly used as a remedy for cold, sore throat. Together with turmeric powder and black pepper powder, it is mixed with warm milk and consumed at night to relieve your sore throat or blocked nose. During our childhood days it is just popped up after offering to the deities during daily prayers at home.

Kalkandu / the sugar crystals are used to make sweet pongal. I wanted to try replacing that with palm sugar and it came out well. Also the normal rice with the millet.
I have used almost twice the amount of palm sugar as that of the millet. If desired can increase slightly to suit the taste .

If you want the millet to cook well, my suggestion is to soak it for 20 minutes to half hour and then pressure cook.

The flavouring agent such as cardamom, edible camphor or saffron is not used as I did not want to mask the original flavour of the palm sugar. Otherwise its unique taste will go unnoticed ;))

I had made this sweet as aadi perukku special last week. Though the festival not observed in my family, I used to prepare a sweet and a variety rice, offer and say a prayer. It is just a thanksgiving and respect to river Kaveri, for that matter any water source. Seeking blessing and harmony for the family.

Nutty Millet balls ( தினை மாவு உருண்டை )

Nutty Millet balls 

தினை மாவு உருண்டை 

Ingredients:


Foxtail Millet / தினை அரிசி- 1/2 cup
Milk Powder / பால் மாவு - 2 tbsp
Almonds / பாதாம் பருப்பு- 10 Nos.
Walnut / வால்நட் -  5 Nos.
Dates / பேரிச்சம்பழம்- 5
Raisin / உலர்ந்த திராட்சை -  10 to 12 Nos.
Cardamom Powder / ஏலக்காய் தூள் -  1/4 tsp
Honey / தேன் - 1 tbsp
Ghee / Clarified butter / நெய்- 3 tbsp


Steps:
In a heavy bottom pan, add half a tablespoon of ghee and  roast the foxtail millet on medium flame. Toss around the millet with a flat ladle for uniform roasting.
Allow it to cool and dry grind the milet into a not so fine powder. Slightly coarse.
Fine chop the nuts and dates. Slice the raisin into halves or can leave as a whole if they are smaller in size.
In a wide plate or basin, mix the powdered millet, the milk powder and the cardamom powder.

Add in the sliced nuts and pour in the spoon of honey. Mix well.

Heat ghee in a pan and dribble over the combined ingredients. Mix it well using a spoon. While it is still hot , roll into balls of desired size.

My Notes:
Who does not crave for that  midnight snack. Chocolate ? Icecream? The left over Chips in the fridge? Anything will do for us. But the next morning or immediately after relishing, I'm sure most of us will feel guilty to the core. 
So here is an alternative. ..Enjoy the goodness while treating yourself. :))

Keep this snack handy, pick one and pop it. You wont feel guilty as you enjoy the sweet balls.
I have not added  sugar. or jaggery. Wanted to try the natural sweetness of dates, raisins and the milk powder . A spoon of honey is added for its unique flavour and to moisten the mixture. The aroma of ghee will take the sweet to next level.

If you are conscious of calories and cholesterol level. omit ghee and use 2 tablespoons of warm milk. But the sweet balls have to be refrigerated as cannot be kept outside for more than 6 hours once milk is added. 
I can assure you the satisfaction without using sugar in this recipe. 

Foxtail millet is a very good source of iron, protein and other minerals. This particular millet powder is mixed with palm sugar and given to devotees at Murugan Temples especially when they are fasting and for breaking their fast, it is given as prasadam. My mother used to  make the millet powder with palm sugar,which is called, தினைமாவு, during Kanda Sasti. An energy boaster. 

So I tried an improvised version and it came out well. You might have noticed that the nuts, dates and raisins form a major portion making it as main ingredient. The combination of nuts and the choice of millet can be played around with. Make sure you roast the millet well and grind it, as raw millet will not be so good to taste in this sweet dish.

Try this for your kids as their evening snacks or pack for  recess snack  
Next time your kids will choose this for the energy bars off the shelf.