Strawberry Pudding with whipped cream frosting

I made these yummy strawberry puddings for a committee meeting at our local temple. These pudding cups were a huge hit among adults and kids. It was so rich and creamy and the whipped cream topping elevated this simple pudding to a chic dessert option. 

 I originally made the rose pudding from YummyTummyAarthi.com. The rose pudding was made with rose essence I got from India. It was so great that I tried this strawberry pudding recipe with a few alterations to the original recipe.

 I used small shot glasses for the photo shoot. The shot glasses are so versatile. Do invest in a few of them and you won’t regret it when your guests are ooing and aahing over your bite sized dessert during your next dinner party :) 

I used small disposable dessert cups for my second batch. These are so convenient for taking dessert for potlucks. And they look so cute.

Strawberry Pudding with whipped cream frosting

Yields – 20 small dessert cups of pudding

Ingredients:

For the pudding:

• Milk – 750 ml
• Sugar – 1 ¼  Cups
• Gelatin Powder – 2.5 Tablespoons
• Strawberry essence – 1 teaspoon
• Red food coloring – ½ teaspoon

For whipped cream frosting: (Optional)

• Whipping cream – ½ cup (chilled)
• Icing sugar – 5 tablespoons

Directions:

For Pudding:

• Soak the gelatin powder in ¼ cup of room temperature water for 15 min.
• Add the sugar to the milk and heat it in a pan.
• Bring the milk to a boil and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
• Now add the gelatin mixture to the milk and keep stirring until dissolved.
• Remove from heat, and add in the strawberry essence and red food coloring.
• Strain the milk mixture through a sieve to remove any un-dissolved gelatin lumps.
• Pour into a desired mould and refrigerate for 3 hours.
• Serve cold with whipped cream topping.

For the whipped cream topping:

• Beat the whipping cream and icing sugar in a stand mixture until stiff peaks are formed.
• Fill a piping bag with the whipped cream and pipe over the set puddings.

Note:

• Use different flavoured essences and food coloring to make a variety of pudding flavours.
• I used small dessert cups and shot glasses to serve my pudding,
• You can also use a cake pan or any serving dish to set the pudding. Coat the pan/dish with little bit of oil before pouring in the pudding mixture. After the pudding sets in the refrigerator, invert it on to a plate and cut into squares and serve cold.
• The whipped cream topping is optional.

Strawberry Puddings – served in small disposable containers.

Karuveppilai Sadam / Curry Leaf Rice

Hello readers! After a break to India and a month of non-stop deadlines at work, I am back to blogging after a long hiatus. Every morning I am trying to decide on a quick and hassle free lunch menu which doesn’t require 500 vessels which would be later piled in the sink! Readymade rice mixes are great for quick lunches, but they are just not tasty enough in the long run. So I browsed my pinterest board for a this karuveppilai rice recipe from ticklingpalates.com. This is a quick lunch option when you have loads of fresh curry leaves in stock. 

Karuveppilai Sadam / Curry Leaf Rice:

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice – 2 cups

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Whole dry red chillies – 2

Cashew nuts – 2 to 3 tbsp

Oil / Ghee – 3 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Roasted peanuts/cashews - optional

To grind:

Curry leaf / Karuveppilai – 1 cup (tightly packed)

Urad Dal – 2 tbsp

Coriander seeds – 2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp

Black whole pepper – 1 tsp

Whole dry red chillies – 4 – 5

Tamarind – small ball

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

• Heat a pan with little oil, add the urad dal, coriander seeds, whole dry red chillies, pepper corn, fenugreek, tamarind  and roast till they all become golden in color taking care not to burn them.
• Add in the curry leaves to the pan and roast, tossing frequently. Remove from pan and let it cool.
• Add a little water and grind the roasted spices into a smooth paste.
• Heat oil in a pan; add mustard seeds, turmeric powder,  cumin seeds, urad dal, whole red chillies, a few curry leaves and sauté for a minute. Now add the ground spice paste and sauté for a minute or two.
• Add the cooked rice, salt, roasted peanuts and mix gently.