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This dry fruits - nuts kheer is easy to prepare and sinfully rich and delicious. The milk is boiled along with ground nuts until it turns thick and creamy. One can use any dry fruits or nuts they have on hand. It takes some time to reduce the milk quantity but it's worth it.
Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
1 & 3/4 cups full fat milk
1/4 cup assorted nuts (I used cashews, almonds and pistachios.)
1 tsp. ghee + 2 tbsp dry fruits (I used raisins and dried sweetened cranberries.)
2 cardamom pods
2 to 3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
Coarsely chopped nuts to garnish
Method:
* Heat the milk, preferably in a non stick pan. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to lowest setting and continue to heat it for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring in between.
* Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a saute pan on low flame for a couple of minutes and keep it aside to cool. Once cool, grind them fine.
* Heat ghee in a small pan and add the raisins and cranberries. When they plump up, remove them with a slotted spoon onto a plate and keep aside.
* Crush the cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle and grind the seeds to a fine powder. Don't throw away the husks.
* Add the ground nuts, ground cardamom along with the husks and condensed milk to the milk pan. Continue to cook for another ten minutes, stirring occasionally. By the time, the milk reduces a bit in quantity and becomes thicker.
* Turn off the stove and add the toasted raisins and cranberries.
* Garnish with chopped nuts and serve it either warm or chilled.
This goes to Blogging marathon # 89, under the 'Indian Sweets - Payasams' theme. Check out the page here to read what other marathoners are cooking.
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I am on my last post of this 'street food' journey and thought of ending it on a sweet note. Hence here is zafrani kulfi aka saffron kulfi for the alphabet 'Z'. Kulfi, a frozen dessert based on dairy is believed to have been originated in India during the Mughal empire during 16th century. Kulfi sometimes loosely dubbed as the Indian ice cream, is more creamier and denser compared to ice cream and melts slower. Kulfi is prepared by evaporating sweetened and flavored milk on slow flame, until the volume is reduced by half. The condensed milk is then frozen in moulds. I had bookmarked Vaishali's recipe a while ago that happens to be of a quicker version which came handy when I set to prepare it yesterday night. It uses condensed milk and corn starch and there is no need to keep boiling and stirring longer. It is super flavorful and a treat for one and all.
Ingredients: (Yield 4 kulfis)
1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp. corn starch
A big pinch of saffron strands
1 - 2 tbsp. chopped pistachios & almonds
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
Few drops of kevda essence
Method:
* Combine corn starch and a tbsp. or two of water and make a smooth paste and keep it aside.
* Heat whole milk and condensed milk in a thick sauce pan, preferably a non stick pan. Bring the milk to a boil on low flame stirring often. Taste and add sugar if needed.
* Add saffron strands to a small cup and pour a tbsp. of boiling milk mixture. Stir and keep aside.
* Add the corn starch paste to the boiling milk and keep stirring. The mixture may stick to the bottom. Keep stirring and continue to boil the mixture for about 5 minutes.
* Turn off the stove and add the saffron strands' mixture to it. Let the milk mixture cool down completely.
* Add the chopped nuts, cardamom and kevda essence and mix well.
* Pour the mixture equally in 4 kulfi moulds / Popsicle moulds / kulhars / small steel or paper cups. Popsicle sticks can be inserted if preferred. Freeze overnight or longer until it sets firm.
Check out the
Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87
I came across this no bake brownie recipe when looking for ways to finish off the left over graham cracker cookies and condensed milk I had. This fuss-free preparation yields a really delicious treat that tasted more like fudge to my kids. I had halved the original recipe only to regret later when the whole thing was gone in one sitting.
Source: Here
Recipe level: Easy
Ingredients:
1 can of 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 to 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Method:
* For graham cracker crumbs, either pulse graham cracker cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor or put the cookies into a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin.
* Spray or brush a 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and keep aside.
* Heat the condensed milk and chocolate together in a medium sized sauce pan on medium - low heat, until the chocolate melts and the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
* Turn off the stove and remove the pan from heat. Add the cookie crumbs and half of the walnuts to the pan and mix well to combine.
* Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread with the back of a greased spatula. Sprinkle the remaining nuts uniformly over the top. Chill it until firm.
This post goes to Blogging marathon #78 under the theme "No Baking Desserts for Lazy Days". Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.
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This recipe was on my mind ever since I bookmarked it while searching for recipes during "Around the world in 30 days", the month long marathon we did last year, based on the food from global table. Arroz is rice and leche is milk in Spanish. This Colombian version of rice pudding was appealing to my south Indian palate because of it's close resemblance to our own sweet pongal. The addition of condensed milk lends a thick, creamy consistency to the pudding. The all familiar aromatic cardamom and camphor from the Indian version are replaced by cinnamon and vanilla and provide the flavor factor to this thick, creamy and yummy pudding.
Recipe source: Here
Ingredients: (2 servings)
1/4 cup long grain rice
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk
2 tsp. butter
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. sugar
Method:
* Add cinnamon stick and water to a medium sized sauce pan. Bring it to a boil, continue to cook for about 10 minutes and then discard the cinnamon stick.
* Next add rinsed rice, milk and butter to the cinnamon water and cook uncovered stirring intermittently, until the rice is done and thickens to a desired consistency.
(I used a pressure cook to cut down the cooking time. All the other ingredients too were added at this step but I chose to add after the rice is done.)
* Then add condensed milk, sugar and vanilla and cook again until the condensed milk is almost absorbed and the pudding is thick and creamy. The pudding thickens further when cool and so cook accordingly.
* Remove from heat and let cool. Chill before serving.
This goes to Blogging marathon #58 under the theme 'Rice Dishes'. Check the link to see what other marathoners are cooking.
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'Bhapa Doi' is a fuss-free sweet dish from Bengali cuisine that can be whipped up in short time. It literally means 'steamed yogurt' and prepared using hung yogurt. The hung yogurt of course can be substituted with Greek yogurt to cut down the preparation time. Traditionally bhapa doi is steamed in a closed container inside a pressure cooker filled with water at the base but here I followed the baking method. The container with the mixture of yogurt and milks is placed in a water tray while baking, to mimic the traditional method of steaming. The final steamed mixture would be melt in mouth kind with a thick and creamy consistency. If you are fan of yogurt based desserts like shrikhand, then you are definitely going to like it.
Ingredients: (4 servings)
1 cup Greek yogurt / hung yogurt
1 cup evaporated milk / full fat milk
400 gm sweetened condensed milk (use less if you prefer the final dish to be less sweeter.)
Nuts and raisins to garnish
Saffron soaked in 1 tbsp. warm milk
* I halved the recipe to make 2 servings. I used 5.3 oz / 150 grams / 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup evaporated milk and little less than 200 grams sweetened condensed milk (less than 1/2 of the standard condensed milk can.)
Method:
* Combine yogurt, milk and condensed milk in a bowl and whisk well until combined. Add sliced nuts and raisins if using. (I sprinkled some saffron on the top without soaking in milk.)
* Preheat the oven at 350 deg F / 175 deg C.
* Pour the mixture into a baking dish or in ramekins if serving individually. Note that the mixture doesn't rise at all during baking and so can use any baking dish accordingly.
* Pour boiling water in a baking tray and place the ramekins in the tray. The ramekins should be immersed in the water halfway up. This is to mimic the traditional steaming method to prepare the bhapa doi.
* Place the tray in the oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the mixture is set. Remove before the top starts changing color. (Mine were done in 35 minutes.)
* Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Cover and put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight. Serve chilled.
Event: BM #44, Around the World (A - Z Series)
Choice of Country: The Sultanate of Oman
Capital City: Muscat
Official Language: Omani Arabic
And it's time for the "O" country today and obviously it had to be Oman since this Arabic nation is the only one that starts with the alphabet "O". The Omani cuisine is a mixture of several staples of Asian foods. It borrows Asian tastes and flavors and incorporates them into typical Omani dishes that are palate pleasing. Rice is a staple while Omani dishes are often based around chicken, fish, and lamb. Most Omani dishes tend to contain a rich mixture of spices, herbs, and marinades.
I had bookmarked a few Omani recipes from Nestlé site and mostly was leaning towards the mugasgas. Those sweet, puffy triangles caught my attention at the first sight. However yesterday when I started the preparation, I realized that unknowingly I already had cooked 4 deep fried dishes for this week. I therefore had to steer away from there to this yummy and quick semolina pudding, khabeesa.
I prepared khabeesa twice - once pre-roasting the semolina and once without roasting. In India it is a common practice to roast semolina before using it in any dish to avoid it to turn lumpy while cooking. And so I roasted the semolina by default. This dish doesn't need the prior roasting of semolina and the consistency of khabeesa is similar to a soft version halwa. Cardamom, rose water and saffron add aromatic flavors to delicious khabeesa.
Please note that if you follow the (original) recipe to the T, then you will end up with a cloyingly sweet khabeesa. I would recommend adding less sweetened condensed milk than the recipe mentions or use unsweetened condensed milk and add sugar to taste. I have adjusted the ingredients below to suit my palate.
Ingredients: (2 -3 servings)
1/4 cup semolina
3/4 cup milk (at room temperature / warm)
2 - 3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp butter
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp rosewater
A pinch of saffron threads
Slivered pistachio to garnish (optional)
Method 1:
* Combine semolina and milk in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil.
* Now add the remaining ingredients except the pistachio to the pan. Continue to cook for about 8 - 10 minutes, stirring in between.
* Transfer the cooked khabeesa to individual serving bowls and let it cool. The mixture considerably thickens once it cools down.
* Garnish with nuts if desired.
Method 2:
*Toast semolina on low flame until it starts to change the color.
* Boil milk, butter and condensed milk together in a sauce pan. Add semolina slowly, constantly stirring with a sturdy spatula so that the mixture would not turn lumpy.
* Allow the mixture to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring in between. Add cardamom, rose water and saffron threads at the final stages of cooking.
* When the mixture is done, turn off the stove and pour in individual bowls for serving. The mixture considerably thickens once it cools down and reaches a soft halwa consistency. Garnish with slivered pistachio if desired and serve.
Comments
Event: BM #44
, Around the World (A - Z series)
Choice of Country: The Republic of Lithuania
Capital City: Vilnius
Official Language: Lithuanian
Lithuania is a country in northern Europe and is situated along
the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. It's cuisine features the products suited to the moist and cool northern climate of Lithuania. Potatoes, barley, rye, berries, beets, greens and mushrooms are grown locally and widely used. Dairy products are one of it's specialities. It's cuisine is similar to the Eastern European regions since it shares a similar climate and agricultural practices. The centerpiece of it's cuisine is dark rye bread and the national dish is 'Cepelinai' - a potato dumpling filled with minced meat. Apples, plums and pears are widely used fruits while most frequently used meat is pork followed by beef , lamb, chicken, rabbit, duck and goose.
I came across 'Tinginys' when I was looking for some Lithuanian desserts and it right away caught my attention, for a right reason. This cake is quick and easy to put together and no baking involved. It cannot get easy anymore and so they have aptly named it 'Tinginys' which translates to lazy. Primarily the recipe requires four ingredients - hard biscuits like butter biscuits / digestive biscuits, sweetened condensed milk, butter and cocoa powder.
It is said that a Lithuanian woman accidentally created this recipe in 1967. She added more sugar while cooking chocolate, resulting in a syrupy liquid. The woman deciding to salvage the recipe added some biscuit bits to it. The mixture when cooled resulted in a new dish, tinginys. Later modifications occurred, such as letting the mixture
cool down, rolling it on a plastic bag, and then cutting it into
pieces. People decided to called it "lazy" because it was very easy and
quick to prepare.
Another take on this lazy cake that has originated in Italy and have become equally popular among other European nations is chocolate salami. Though it doesn't contain any salami, it is named so because of the appearance. It contains chocolate, eggs and alcohol though the latter went missing from the recipe while crossing over countries and cultures.
Ingredients:
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
7 tbsp / 100 grams melted butter
5 - 6 tbsp. cocoa powder
200 grams biscuits (We are looking for plain, hard and not too much crumbly kind
A handful of dried fruits & nuts (Optional. I used dried, sweetened cranberries and walnuts.)
Note:
It was too sweet for our taste and I would suggest adding unsweetened condensed milk and adjust the sugar quantity to taste. Icing sugar / powdered sugar would be convenient.
Method:
* Break the cookies into about half inch sized bits.
* Combine butter, condensed milk and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl until smooth without lumps.
* Pour the mixture on biscuit pieces and just stir to coat. Stir in any dry fruits / nuts if using.
* Place the mixture on a wax paper / parchment paper / foil and fold the paper over. Shape the cookie mixture into the shape of a rectangle and wrap it tightly inside the parchment paper or aluminum foil.
* Chill in the refrigerator or the freezer. Slice when ready to serve.
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Event: BM #44
, Around the World (A - Z series)
Choice of Country: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Capital City: Amman
Official Language: Arabic
I am still in western Asia for today's post and moving from Iraq to it's neighbor Jordan. "J" was one of the alphabets for which I finished cooking first and in fact I cooked the dish twice for "Japan". Kids loved the dish but somehow I wasn't happy with the pictures of the dish and at the last moment I decided to go with another Arab nation instead.
This region was subjected to control of powerful foreign empires throughout different eras of history and the influence can been seen on Jordanian cuisine as well. Jordanians serve family, friends, and guests with great pride in their
homes and a 'Jordanian invitation' means
that you are expected to bring nothing and eat everything. There is a wide variety in Jordanian cuisine ranging from baking, sautéeing and grilling to stuffing of vegetables, meat, and poultry. Jordan is one of the largest producers of olives and olive oil is the primary cooking medium. Mansaf, a lamb dish is the national dish of Jordan. Popular appetizers are kebbeh, ful medames, labaneh, baba ghanoush, hummus, tabbouleh, olives and pickles. (source:wiki)
I chose to go with a creamy dessert, mohallabiah that is also called mahalabiya / muhallabiyeh. Muhallabiyeh is a dish commonly prepared through out the Arab region with slight variations and this quick delight is milk based. This thick, creamy pudding is cooked similarly as phirni, a rice pudding popular in the Indian subcontinent. Here rice flour is used instead of coarsely ground rice and cooked thicker than phirni. Basically milk and rice flour paste are cooked until thick and creamy. Sugar adds the sweetness while rose water and blossom water lend their aromatic flavors to the dish. Finally the dish is finished with a generous garnishing of crushed pistachios / almonds. Substituting milk powder for milk was common in regions where cattle was scarce. Some versions use cornstarch instead of rice flour.
The recipe I found here uses condensed milk as part of their marketing strategy. I went ahead with it since I had some leftover condensed milk which I had to finish off. Muhallabiyeh is traditionally prepared with milk and so you can go ahead with it if you don't have condensed milk in your pantry. Just replace the condensed milk and water with milk and add sugar to taste. The below quantity takes less than 15 minutes to cook but if you are planning to cook a large quantity, check the original recipe.
Ingredients for 2 servings:
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 & 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp rice flour (Easily available in Indian stores.)
1/8 tsp rose water
1/8 tsp orange blossom water (I skipped it.)
3 tbsp. crushed pistachio nuts
Method:
* Add condensed milk and about a cup of water to a nonstick pan and bring the mixture to boil.
* In the meantime, whisk rice flour and about 1/2 cup water in a bowl to form a lump free mixture.
* Lower the heat and slowly pour the rice mixture, continuously stirring while doing so.
* Cook on low flame for about 7 - 8 minutes or until the mixture is cooked. Keep stirring all the while to keep it lump free. Add rose water and blossom water if using and mix well.
* Transfer it to small bowls, garnish with pistachios and serve.
I chilled it before serving.
Comments
Event: BM #44
, Around the world (A - Z series)
Choice of country: The Republic of Iraq
Capital City: Baghdad
Official Language: Arabic and Kurdish
As a young child, I was fascinated by the Arabian night stories and had assumed the places mentioned in there were time frozen. I don't know what I was thinking as an elementary school kid but looking at the illustrations, I used to assume that the modern era people also lived in a Sultanate and led the same life style as the people in the stories did. The words Cairo and Baghdad were etched in my mind because of the mention of those two cities quite often in the stories that I have gone through. I even thought of visiting them once in my lifetime when I grew up but looking at the present chaotic conditions Iraq is in, I know that I can never set foot in that country. I may not go there physically but who would stop me from paying a virtual visit, right? And so I am going to Iraq for my "I" country, in search of a quick and yummy treat.
Historical tidbits for the day:
* Iraq is situated on western Asia and is often referred to as the "cradle of civilization". It is thought to be home for one of the earliest civilizations known to mankind - the Sumerian civilization which arose in the fertile region between Iraq's two major rivers, Euphrates and Tigris during Chalcolithic period or the copper age. This fertile region is also called "Mesopotamia". Sumerian civilization flourished for over 3000 years and was highly advanced and sophisticated in all fields of knowledge .
* During 4th millennium BC, the world's first writing system and recorded history were born in the same region.
* Baghdad was built in the 8th century as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and became the leading metropolis of the Arab and Muslim world for five centuries. It was the largest multicultural city of the Middle ages, with a population over than a million and was the center of learning during the Islamic golden age.
Culinary tidbits from Iraq:
* Did you know that the world's first recorded cookbooks come from Iraq? Tablets
found in ancient ruins in Iraq show recipes prepared in the temples
during religious festivals and these are the first cookbooks of the world.
* Pistachios were a common food in the region as as early as 6750 B.C
* Among the ancient texts discovered in Iraq, there was one Sumerian - Akkadian bilingual dictionary belonging to somewhere around 1900 BC and it lists over 800 different items of food and beverages. Among them mentioned are 20 different varieties of cheese, 100 varieties of soups and 300 types of bread - each with different ingredients, filling, shape or size.
* Stew has remained a mainstay in the cuisine. A clay tablet written in 1700 BC was discovered near Baghdad and it contained 24 recipes for stews cooked with meat and vegetables using herbs and spices.
* Iraq is the largest producer of dates.
Iraqi Cuisine:
Iraqi cuisine or the Mesopotamian cuisine dates back to ten thousand years ago - to Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians and the Ancient Persians. Even though they had advanced culinary skills during the Mesopotamian era, Iraqi cooking reached it's zenith during the Abbasid Caliphate era (750 - 1258). The modern cuisine reflects this rich inheritance along with the culinary traditions of neighboring Iran, Turkey and Syrian regions. Meals begin with appetizers and salads – known as Mezza.
(Source:wiki)
And here is an interesting read about the way the Iraqis consume their tea, a firsthand account.
Mishmish means dried apricots in Arabic and the recipe name 'kurat al-mishmish' roughly translates to apricot balls. Apricots have been cultivated in Persia since ancient times and dried ones were an important commodity on Persian trade routes. And so naturally there are apricot based dishes in the Arab world and this delightful dessert comes from the Iraq region. These colorful, yummy balls with sweet undertones of orange flavor take hardly around 10 minutes of preparation and the easiest one among the dishes so far I have tried for this marathon. I had prepared this dish sometime last month and couldn't get to the original recipe link now. I have seen recipes using even orange juice but I guess an authentic version uses orange blossom water.
Ingredients: (Makes 10 balls)
1 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp orange blossom water / grated orange rind (I used orange rind.)
2 - 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes / crushed almonds or pistachios / sesame seeds for rolling the balls
Method:
* Run apricots and coconut flakes through a food processor until well blended.
* Now add the orange blossom water / orange rind and condensed milk to the ground apricot mixture and pulse.
* Transfer the mixture from the processor on to a plate. Make small balls out of the mixture and roll them in coconut flakes or what ever you have chosen to cover them in.
* Enjoy them immediately or keep them refrigerated.
Comments
Event: BM #44
Choice of country: Dominican Republic
Capital City: Santo Domingo
Official Language: Spanish
I am going with Dominican Republic for the letter 'D' and it is in Atlantic ocean, between north and south American Continents.
Caribbean
sea, a sea in Atlantic ocean lies towards the southeastern side of USA
and is home to 22 island territories. This Caribbean island group is
called the Greater Antilles and one of these islands goes with the name
Hispaniola. This particular island is divided between two nations,
Dominican Republic and Haiti. The original inhabitants of the region
were Taino people and they called the island, Quisqueya (mother of all
lands) and Ayiti (land of high mountains.). Christopher Columbus, the
Spanish explorer landed on the island in 1492 and named it Hispaniola.
The region became the site of the first permanent European settlement in
the Americas and Santo Domingo became Spain's first capital in the new
world. Santo Domingo is the oldest, continuously inhabited, European
settlement in the Americas. It is the site of the first university, castle, cathedral, monastery and fortress in the new world.
The
native Taino, Spanish and African influences are predominantly seen in
Dominican Republic cuisine. The Spanish dishes are made with a new twist
while the native and African dishes are still dominant, some of them
unchanged. Dominican Republic cuisine resembles the cuisines of other
Latin American countries.
During the recipe hunt for this marathon, I have come to admire two food bloggers from the Latin world. One is from Colombian background and the other one is Clara from whom this recipe comes. I have started to like her photography, writing skills and recipes immensely and have bookmarked few of her recipes. Initially I wanted to try her cassava bread but when I saw the pictures of this
Dominican version of milk fudge, I was sold. We literally were bowled
over the taste of it and couldn't stop comparing it to our own doodh peda.
We, especially my husband who enjoyed it the most started reminiscing
about the good old days spent in our homeland and the melt in mouth
kind, doodh peda we get to taste there. He doesn't have a sweet tooth
and I have seen him over the years, enjoying at the most only 2 or 3 kinds of sweets.
Then imagine how good these milk sqaures must have been when the above
said man was popping a fudge each day, without anyone reminding him.
Now
let's come to the Dominican version of this milk fudge. Guess this is
one of those dishes that crosses countries and cultures and connects
people. :) I am
always amazed when I see a familiar recipe in other traditional versions
across the globe. I wonder how people worldwide created similar dishes
without even ever realizing it. What do you do when you have loads of
left over milk but no refrigerator? "Make some yummy dulce de leche en
tabla" must have been the answer if you lived in Dominican Republic before the refrigerator era. This one is a yummy treat for everyone with a sweet tooth.
Traditionally this dish is prepared by continuously boiling and stirring
a large quantity of milk for hours, until it is thickened. Then the
mixture is poured into mold, allowed to set and then cut into squares.
It stays fresh for days without getting spoiled. This method takes hours
to prepare but it is worth it. For a short cut method, the below
version uses condensed milk and one can quantity takes less than an hour
(about 30 - 40 minutes if I recall correctly.)
Ingredients: (Yields about 10 pieces)
14 oz / 400 grams sweetened condensed milk (I used it.)
or
14 oz / 400 grams unsweetened condensed milk + 1/4 cup sugar
Notes:
1.
The original recipe mentions to use an iron / aluminum pot. By default I
reach for a nonstick pan when I am preparing sweet dishes, especially if
they are milk based ones and cook on low flame. In that way I am ensured
that the dish doesn't get burnt and my efforts don't go through the
drain. And so I advise you to go with a non stick pan and a wooden
spatula while preparing this fudge. The recipe is quite simple and just
involves stirring.
2. Here is a trick I learnt to avoid continuous stirring while preparing this fudge. Turn
off the stove after 10 minutes
of stirring and leave the pan on the stove-top for about 3 - 5 minutes
and relax in the mean time. By the time one comes back to it and starts
cooking it
again, it would have thickened more than the time at which it was
stopped
(without hogging over the stove and stirring). Repeat it after every 10
minutes through the cooking process. This fudge making process did
not seem tedious to me for the above reason.
3. I
had no idea that it would become real firm once it gets
cold and went on cooking. I could not drop the mixture into a mold
because of it and shaped the warm mixture into squares by hand instead.
Method:
* Grease the mold with oil / melted butter / ghee.
*
Pour a can of condensed milk into a nonstick pan and start cooking on
low flame. Low flame is the key here. You cannot turn the heat high even
if you are using a non stick pan. In spite of the continuous stirring
and nonstick pan, the condensed milk starts burning around the edges, on
high heat. And so keep cooking milk on low flame and keep stirring to
avoid the milk sticking to the bottom.
* Keep stirring and continue cooking. The condensed milk keeps becoming darker in color and thicker in consistency.
I took the pictures every10 minutes once
to show the progress. And if I recall correctly, these must be after 10,
20 and 30 minutes of cooking, respectively.
* If you are using sugar, stir in once the milk thickens enough and starts to lift from the bottom, about 15 minutes.
*
It is ideal when the mixture reaches a consistency similar to peanut
butter. Do not be tempted to cook it longer / thicker since the mixture
forms up considerably once it cools down. I guess mine was a little bit
thicker.
*
Pour the mixture into a prepared, square shaped mold / a heat resistant
plate with high edges. Gently smooth the top using a spatula. When it
has come to room temperature, remove from the mold and cut into
squares.
* If
you are not going to finish them sooner, refrigerate them. I stored them
in a stainless steel box and left it over my kitchen counter. They are
fresh even after a week.
Comments
