Chamomile tea infused Rice pudding

Now, this is time for cooking with friends. After going through few themes , we narrowed down to TEA infused cooking. My initial plan was to bake, but having so much is going around me , I barely had time.

Simple , quick and easy was the mantra i started chanting.Growing up I have never tasted coffee or tea. It was during my college days that I realized I'm allergic to coffee, so strange right? Tea wasn't that hard on me , so I started tasting it randomly. But when my acidity levels peaked up I gave up tea also.

This time I was very particular that I should try some soothing and decaffinated variety for my theme.After going through the tea isle , I was happy to find a chamomile tea. First I brewed a cup for me to understand the flavors so that I can decide how to use that in my cooking. It was flavorful and soothing to the max.

It was almost an evening that something sparkled in me, why don't I try some South Indian. Rice is a staple item there, from papad to crackers, from pudding to Biriyani we have an endless list of recipes.How about a rice based pudding infused with chamomile ? sounds interesting right ?

After a small batch of trial version I was patting my back , yes it tasted out of the world. Rich creamy , flavorful , aromatic , soothing and above all light and melt in mouth kind. And the best part was my little boy enjoyed it like anything. Now that I cooked two more batches and refrigerated to have an endless supply.

Ingredients

Short grain Rice ................................ 1/2 cup
Whole Milk ....................................... 2 cups
Sweetened Condensed milk .............. 1 small can
Chamomile Tea ................................. 3 packets
Water .................................................1 cup
Sugar .................................................optional
Almonds / pistachios ......................... few optional (Roasted)

Pressure cooker Method

Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes.
Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan , turn off the heat and steep the tea packets for 4 minutes.
Add milk and rice to a pressure cooker and cook on medium heat until 3 whistles.
Open the cooker once the pressure is out and add in the tea and condensed milk, sugar if using and mix well.
Cook in simmer for 15 minutes or until a nice and thick consistency.
Serve chilled. You can add chopped nuts just before serving.

Open Pan method :

If you are cooking on a pan , cook rice with water and milk until a mushy consistancy. Slightly mash the rice and add in the tea and condensed milk, sugar if using and mix well.
Cook in simmer for 15 minutes or until a nice and thick consistency.
Serve chilled. You can add chopped nuts just before serving.

Looking for Vegan choice :
You can replace  regular milk with almond / soy milk / coconut milk/ Rice Milk. Add a sweetener of your choice.

Disclaimer:

This is part of our monthly challenge for cooking with friends.This was started by a bunch of bloggers united by their love for food, with an aim of tackling different food related theme every month. Here is a recap of what I've shared earlier.

No Bake berry cheese cake
Crunchy Panko crusted Roasted Asparagus
Strawberry Rose Duo Kulfi 
Jil Jil Jigarthanda
Falafal with Roasted bell pepper Thahini

If you want to try this month's theme, feel free to do so and link your recipe in the comments section, We'd love to check it out.
Meanwhile , check out what others have got for you.


Anjana from At the Corner of Happy and Harried
Dolphia  from storyofcooks
Garima from CafeGarima
 Jayashri from My Veg Fare
 Jyothi from Curry Trail
 Madhuri from MADaboutkitchen and
 Subhasmita from The Flavors of Kitchen

Peach Limeade Slush | Summer special

Meeting you all after a short vacation with a perfect summer special recipe. Before vacation I almost emptied my refrigerator except for a couple peaches which were waiting for me when i came home after an exciting trip. And should I tell you how badly we needed some home made treats ?

Now you must have understood why I made this drink. Few ingredients and couple of minutes is all you need to enjoy this fancy drink.Made this in bulk and happily enjoyed the special ' me ' time with a good book and a sip , gazing at my budding plants (summer time) every now then. Will try to share a set of pictures of them soon.

A calm and quiet Sunday Morning , after a light breakfast , sipping through the drink , a good book and nature to accompany me , a whole new experience.

Back In India , mom doesn't like fancy drinks or store bought ones. So  lemonade , spiced butter milk and tender coconut water is what we get to enjoy, not to forget some ice creams and kulfi. Even now , carbonated drink and store bough juice is a big no for me. Certain habits you can't change , right and that too if it's good for you?

Coming to this slush , not much additives, all natural and unlimited keeping health in mind is what we all would think for. When such things are there in front of you ,what else would you ever wait for?

Ingredients

Peaches ...................................4 fresh , well ripen
Lime ....................................... 1 big / 2 small
Sugar / Honey ......................... to taste
Salt ........................................ a pinch
pepper powder ...................... a pinch
Dry ginger powder ............... a pinch
Mint leaves ........................... 4 / 5
Water ................................... 1 cup or as needed



Method

• Peel, seed  and  roughly chop the peaches.
• Add all the ingredients to the blender jar.
• Blitz , pour in a wide glass bowl.
• Try not to add much water , as slush needs to be a bit thicker.
• Freeze for 2 to 3 hrs ( do not close the bowl)
• Pour them with the help of a scoop into glasses and enjoy slowly.

Note:

• You can use store bought lemonade / limeade too , adjust sugar or honey accordingly.
• Add water slowly to get the exact consistency of a slush.
• Pepper and dry ginger helps in digestion and also honey, pepper and ginger soothes your throat.

Spirit of Summer and Great Smoky Mountains - Part I

Those who live in North East will be longing for this part of the year, Summer. Over the 8 months of indoor life creates a kind of depression in you which I call 'the Winter Blue'. Summer is the only time we can unleash the best in you.I'm no exception. From my morning walks to evening chit chat time in the near by park , everything gives me the energy that I've been waiting for.

Every year , we plan one such trip where we can be closer to nature.This time we settled on 'The Great Smoky Mountain ' in Tennessee. Hubby was doing his kind of research and pouring in his views which kept on building a kind of hype . Though we do lot such trips and trekking and hiking , we were kind of hooked up for this one.

But when we started our trip one fine afternoon,I started bugging him ' Is it worth such a travel ? Is it worth a week ?'. Poor hubby couldn't give a clear reply. All he said is " Wait and See". After returning from my trip, I'm telling you , "Every single minute and second that I spent there is worth a lifetime".

The misty air and the deep dark woods welcomed us with a bit of drizzle when we entered The Great Smoky Mountains. All my doubts and questions just vanished at the first sight of the smoke covered mountains.

Though we have seen the White Mountains with mist and beautiful colors during Fall, this was quite a new and unique experience. The slight chillness , the peak a boo of Sun , the tiny rays of Sun passing through the dark woods creating a natural highlight , the small streams , the riverbeds which one should I talk about ?

Pure , Pristine and Holy is what I felt when I got to be so close with the nature. The deep dark woods with white waterfalls and riverbeds along with the sound from the waterfalls and endless green mountains as much as your eye can cover and smoke (mist ) from the mountain and the Black bears and animals  ... MY GOD .... my words can't suffice the beauty and the experience that I gained here.

I would try to bring up what I captured and the amazing things that I saw in parts as I have so much to write and share with you all.

And not to mention the unpacking and clearing the backlog , while I do that you can sit back and enjoy the scenic beauty.

White Wheat Pistachio Cardamom Short Breads

The minute I tasted this short breads in a local pastry shop , I couldn't resist myself . Is it the soft yet flaky structure , is it the crunchiness or is it the nutty  taste .... I wasn't able to decide. They were very mildly sweet , nothing much fancy on top or as a stuffing. My crazy mind started thinking about rainy evening with a hot masala chai and these short breads as munchkins..... The guy at that pastry shop was kind enough to share his recipe.

After few trials at home , I almost was hopeless on recreating with wheat flour. By this time you must be knowing that I try to avoid All purpose flour as much as I can.

Recently during our evening chit chat time with friends , a friend of mine was telling me about white wheat flour. I tried making naans (Indian Bread) with this flour. I was pretty happy with the result as it was slightly elastic(like All purpose flour) than the regular wheat ones. Ta da ... there striked the idea of making these short breads with white wheat flour. I would say I almost nailed it !!

They turned out to be as soft and  flaky like the one I had from the local pastry. Should I tell you I was literally doing a victory dance ??

Ingredients

White wheat flour ........................ 2 cups
Rice flour ..................................... 4 tbsp, slightly coarse , refer notes
Butter............................................3/4 cup , room temperature
Sugar............................................. 6 tbsp
Salt ............................................. a pinch
Cardamom...................................10  pods
Rose water................................. 1 tbsp
Milk ..........................................1.5 tbsp
Pistachios.................................. 1/4 cup

Method

• Crush the cardamoms , remove the skin and powder the seeds.
• Crush the pistachios into bits and pieces.
• Mix butter and sugar in a wide bowl using a hand mixer.
• To this add wheat flour , rice flour ,salt and cardamom.
• Add in the rose water and little bit of milk at a time to make a sticky dough.
• Take out the dough on a dusted surface and roll them as a log, wrap them in parchment paper and refrigerate them for 2 hrs.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F
• Take out the dough and roll them on pistachios.
• Cut them into 1/4 inch thick .
• Bake them for about 18 to 22 minutes in lower rack.
• These should look golden but not brown.
• Cool them completely and store in air tight container.

Note :

• You can use any nuts of your choice.
• Keep an eye on the oven after 18 minutes .
• You can use regular wheat flour or all purpose flour , if you can't find white wheat flour.
• I used Puttu Rice Flour for slightly coarse texture , you can find this in local Indian grocers.

Whole Wheat Oats and Almond Blondies | Eggless

I love oats in any form. My first experience in cooking oats happened when my mom was diagnosed with diabetes. Every morning I used to make a savory porridge for her. She used to hate that  but I used to love it.

Back in India I haven't cooked much with oats. But here I use it regularly. This is one such quick and fuss free recipe that's close to me.Just whip up and throw in the oven .That's it in 20 - 25 minutes, you will have a dessert ready.But we aren't sweet people. so I make desserts rarely.

It was a  fine morning I was preparing tea and there comes a question from a corner , Do we really need an oven ? Poor me in the mid of crazy morning chores couldn't understand this sarcastic comment for a minute. My ego didn't let me stay cool , sarcastically I  said Why to bother as it came as furnished kitchen? 

After relaxing a bit I realized that I haven't baked anything recently.Later that day ,I baked these blondies as tea time snack.It all vanished in minutes.My food critic (hubby) rated this as one of my best recipes recently.What else I could ask for ?? I was in cloud nine as getting a good remark from him is no easy job.

I care about what I eat so I try to bake mostly with whole wheat. This blondies are no exception, Whole wheat  and oats along with almonds every bite of it was yum. I prefer mine mild sweet you can adjust to your taste buds.

Ingredients

Whole wheat Flour ...................................... 1 cup
Old fashioned Rolled Oats ...........................1/2 cup + little extra
Butter .......................................................... 1/2 cup , room temperature
Dark Brown Sugar ...................................... 3/4 cup
Almond meal ...............................................1/3 cup
Wheat germ .................................................. 1 tbsp
Salt ................................................................ a pinch
Vanilla Extract .............................................. 1 tsp
Yogurt............................................................. 1/4 cup , whole milk
Pumpkin Spice mix ......................................... 1/2 tsp
Baking soda ..................................................... 1/2 tsp
Baking Powder ............................................... 1 tsp

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Line a 8x8 tin with parchment.
• Sift the wheat flour with salt , baking soda , baking powder  and pumpkin spice mix.
• In a mixing bowl  cream butter and sugar with a hand blender, slowly add in the yogurt and vanilla extract.
• Stir in the flour mixture in batches and 1/2 cup oats mix just until they are incorporated well. try not to over mix as it might result in hard blondies.
• Gently add in almond meal , reserving a tbsp .
• Sprinkle the reserved oats, wheat germ  and almond meal on top and gently press them with a spatula.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Cut them into squares while they are hot . Cool them in a wire rack.

Notes

• Keep an eye on the oven after 20 minutes, as every oven works different.
• You can use chocolates/ nuts / dry fruits as topping too.
•  If you cant find pumpkin spice, replace with 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1pinch nutmeg and a generous pinch of dry ginger.
• If looking for diabetic friendly choice, replace with any other sweetener.

No bake Berry Cheese cake

Relationships hold a special place in our life and I feel that's what is making our life complete.First comes Mom and Dad followed by siblings . Slowly relatives and friends . Then comes the Life partner followed by kids. With minor additions and subtractions life goes on like this. Even after so many additions Mom and Dad will always hold special place in our heart. Beyond all these is the bonding between a daughter and father. I guess I'm not alone here as many of you might cherish one such with your dad.

As Father's Day is fast approaching , thought of  making a dessert for my dad. I know I can't feed him.Though we stay thousands of mile apart , I strongly believe he is there with me every step of my way.

I still remember the days he used to take us to show the trains when we were toddlers,then slowly he taught us about sports and introduced tennis and cricket.watching Wimbledon and French Open Tennis around 2 a.m in the morning.Everything is still fresh in my mind.

I guess  I was a teenager  that's when I heard my mom commenting "you resemble your dad in every single bit". Slowly , I realized that mom was right. My Dad was a very simple person. Even I'm like that. I don't like heavy costumes and make up . I prefer simple and light weight kind of stuffs.I don't do things at hurry.I slowly and steadily understand a problem and figure out the solution like him. From skin color to structure , from thinking to way of approach , his strong influence is there in me. I'm pretty sure,if my brother and sister reads this post they will nod their heads.

He had been a busy person until his retirement. We're wondering how he would adjust himself for this phase.But that's when I could really see the other side of him. Though he got many opportunities, he was very firm that he would not want to take up them as it might help a youngster.To our surprise  he used to walk and go to the nearby post office or bank and help the rural people write letters and other forms.While coming back, he would visit library and then with a bunch of fresh vegetables from the local market. This really helped him identify the poor and needy people , to whom he would volunteer himself to support financially and morally for their cataract and other eye health related activities. 'Make use of  the time and try to give and not to get' is the best lesson I got from him.This is what made me donate my hair every year for the cancer society.My mom is not happy to see me with a short hair but I'm happy to see the smiles and confidence on cancer survivors.

That was a long story right ? Now time for some sweet .This one is pretty simple and you can make this in a jiffy.

Ingredients

For the crust 

Oatmeal cookies .......................... 6
Butter .......................................... 1 tbsp, melted
Nutmeg ...................................... a pinch

 For the cheesecake

Mixed berries .......................... 1 cup ( I've used Rasberries and strawberries)
Cream cheese .........................4 tbsp , room temperature
Heavy cream ........................... 1/4 cup
Zest of an orange
sugar ................................... 1/4 cup (as the berries were very sweet )
salt ........................................ a pinch


Method

• Crush the cookies in a food processor to resemble breadcrumbs.
• Add butter and nutmeg and give it a blitz.
• Layer them in a serving dish and keep refrigerated.
• Cook berries with sugar , salt and 2 tbsp water.
• Once the berries turn soft , cool them and puree them.
• With a hand blender , blend together cream cheese , orange zest and berry mixture.
• Whip up the heavy cream until stiff peak forms.
• Now gently fold the cream into the cheesecake berry mixture.
• Pipe them over the cookies layer, chill and serve.

Disclaimer

This blog post is part of the monthly “Cooking With Friends” themed blog post challenge. This challenge was started by a bunch of virtual friends united by their love of food, with the aim of tackling a different food related theme each month.
Here is a round up of what I shared earlier.
Crunchy Panko crusted Roasted Asparagus
Strawberry Rose Duo Kulfi 
Jil Jil Jigarthanda
Falafal with Roasted bell pepper Thahini

 If you want to try this month’s theme, please feel free to do so and link your recipe in the comments section. We’d love to check it out.

Meanwhile, check out what the others in the group have come up with this month.
Anjana from At the Corner of Happy and Harried
Dolphia  fromstoryofcooks
Garima from CafeGarima
 Jayashri from My Veg Fare
 Jyothi from Curry Trail
 Madhuri from MADaboutkitchen and
 Subhasmita from The Flavors of Kitchen

Cucumber Lime Cooler | Summer Special

Took a break for a week and I'm back with a summer friendly recipe.Nature is just amazing with its own beautiful creation. Be it trees, fruits, flowers or vegetable , there is something interesting to look forward. And they tend to change every three months from winter to summer.Now I've started enjoying the nature beauty like never before.Thanks to blogging that I met some amazing friends who inspire me to do more. Yes, Simi Jois and Dolphia need special mention here. Whenever I get bored and tired , these two uber talented motivate me a lot .When the former makes me spell bound with her clicks and new attempts, the latter with her pictures and planning.I owe you both a lot :)

Every season gives us such kind of fruits and vegetables perfect for that season.In spring you get lot of citrus fruits so that we can fight against seasonal allergies. Same is the way in summer , you get squash , melons and cucumber to stay hydrated.Now you must have got the clue for my recipe today.

Whenever we go out for trekking, beach or trail walk , I love to pack this along with masala butter milk( will share soon).Perfect for a hot summer day. You can use honey or sugar to sweeten the drink. 

Ingredients

Cucumber ........................................ 1 medium

Lime ................................................. 1 small / 3 tbsp juice

Ginger .............................................. 1/4 tsp, grated

Honey or sugar ................................ to taste( I have used honey )

Salt ................................................... a pinch

Water ............................................... 4 cups

Ice cubes ......................................... as needed

Method

Wash and clean the cucumber.I've picked up some non wax coated ones.

Blend sliced cucumber, grated ginger ,salt and  honey / sugar  with  some water.

Transfer to a pitcher and stir in the lime juice and remaining water.

To serve , add ice cubes and few slices of cucumber and lime and top it with the juice.