Chocolate Custard - and it is Eggless !!!!!!!!

Custard has always been an all time favourite dessert for me. If i have short notice of friends dropping by for lunch or dinner , then this is the one i prepare. I normally use Brown & polson Custard Powder and i always have an extra packet in stock in my pantry :).
Custard served with a good helping of any combination of fruits is a way to make kids eat fruits too :). And rather than plain custard , custard served with fruits is a better way to go about it.
The other day i was browsing through various blogs and i happened to chance upon Chocolate Custard - made from scratch. I was so tempted with the photos on the blog and with the recipe that i had to definitely try it :). Best of all , for all those veggie lovers out there , this recipe is eggless .
I made a couple of changes since post my daughter i prefer less chocolate in my desserts , and this from a person who has a big sweet tooth :P.
The source for the recipe is from DivineTaste.Since i wanted the custard more creamier i increased the quantity of cream.

Ingredients : 


1.5 cups milk
1.5 cups cream 
1/2 cup sugar
less than 1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornflour or cornstarch ( i had cornstarch and so i used it)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Extra cocoa powder for sprinkling ( i skipped this)


To go about making the custard :


Take a saucepan and mix 1 cup milk with the cream and set it in medium flame. In the meantime in a bowl mix the remaining milk with sugar , cornstarch and cocoa powder and set it aside. Make sure there are no lumps.
Once the milk + cream mixture comes to a boil , bring the flame to low and add the chocolate mixture to it. Keep it in low and keep stirring the mixture ensuring that no lumps are formed. Once the mixture starts thickening add the vanilla extract , stir it and remove from the flame.
Allow the mixture in the pan to cool , transfer it to custard bowls and refrigerate. 
I allowed the mixture to chill for almost 6 hrs ( made it in the morning , in time to serve it as dessert over lunch) before serving. 
As the original recipe suggests you can sprinkle with cocoa powder before you serve. I skipped this as like i already did say , i am not much a fan of too much chocolate in my desserts and hence the reduced cocoa powder in my recipe too :).


Your yummy chocolate custard is now ready to be served !!!!!!


try it out and let me know if it was a hit at your home too !!!!!

Brinjal Raita !!!

I am back and this time have a valid reason for such a late post... moving from state to state on short notice left me with loads of packing and then the unpacking !!!!!! And imagine with a 10 month old around :). 
Now i am almost settled and found time to sit online and do some work on the blog. In fact i have loads of posts sitting in my drafts but i hardly have the time these days :(.


This post is a different one - Brinjal raita. This was something i learnt from my Mom when she was here for my delivery last year. No day used to go by when i went without having Cucumber raita for lunch. But moving to NJ from CA , i never was happy with the quality of Cucumbers that i found in NJ. Was telling my Mom about it when she said she would make Brinjal raita. Not only was it a hit with me , but with my hubby too who is very finicky about his food!!!!!


This is also a hit with friends ,family and children too!!!!!. This goes well with Pulao varieties as well as with rice :).


Try it out and let me know :).

Ingredients :


Eggplant - 3 medium sized , finely chopped and place it in a bowl of water
Onion - 1/2 of a large sized Onion , finely chopped
Sour cream -  as desired
Curd - as desired
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsps
Salt - as required
Coriander leaves - chopped , to garnish


How to go about it :


Take a pan , add oil. Once it is hot , add mustard seeds. As they start popping add onions.
Once the onions turn transluscent add the cut eggplant.To this add the required salt , mix well and leave it on medium flame till the eggplant is finely cooked. If needed you can add a small amount of water to cook the eggplants.
Once cooked , remove the pan and allow the mix to cool down.


Once it is cool enough , transfer to a bowl , add sour cream and curd in the ratio of 3:1 and mix it well. 


Since we have already added salt while cooking , taste and if required add more salt. To this add the cumin powder and give the mixture a stir.


Add coriander leaves and the raita is ready to serve !!!!!!!


PS: You can make any changes you want to this as in :


i. I normally prefer more sour cream , but if one likes more curd , the ratio can be reversed or it can be just plain curd too :).


ii. You can also add fresh coconut gratings to this :).


The list is endless , but i always the prefer simple version ;P