Banana Pudding

Banana pudding

• 4 cups Nilla Wafers

• 5 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/3-inch rounds

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 1/3 cups milk

• 3 large egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons salted butter

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Meringue

• 4 large egg whites

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 3/4 cup superfine sugar

Make the banana pudding

1. Arrange half of the wafers in a single layer in a 9-inch square baking dish. Top with half of the bananas. Repeat with the remaining wafers and bananas.

2. Whisk the sugar with the flour in a medium bowl. Gently heat the milk in a large saucepan until hot but not bubbling. Whisk in the sugar mixture in three batches, then whisk in the egg yolks. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the custard is thickened and almost pudding-like, 5 to 8 minutes. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Pour the hot custard over the wafers and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Make the meringue

1. Combine the egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. Beat at high speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. With the machine on, add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time; beat until smooth, glossy, just-firm peaks form, about 2 minutes. (Do not overbeat or the meringue will become grainy.) Spread the meringue evenly over the banana pudding, swirling it decoratively. If you have a kitchen torch, you can brûlée the meringue if desired.

Maharastrian Usal

For cooking sprouts

• ▢ 1 cup Mixed Sprouts (legumes) or Moong Bean Sprouts or moth bean sprouts (matki sprouts)

• ▢ 1.5 cups water – for cooking sprouts

For the usal masala

• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil

• ▢ 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

• ▢ ½ tablespoon fennel seeds

• ▢ ¼ cup chopped onion – chopped

• ▢ 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves – chopped

• ▢ 1 inch ginger – chopped

• ▢ ½ cup desiccated coconut (unsweetened) or ½ cup fresh coconut

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• ▢ ½ to ⅔ cup water or as needed to make the usal masala paste

for the usal

• ▢ 2 tablespoons oil

• ▢ ¼ cup onion – chopped or 1 medium-sized

• ▢ ⅓ cup tomatoes – chopped or 1 medium-sized

• ▢ ½ teaspoon Red Chili Powder or cayenne pepper

• ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

• ▢ 1 teaspoon malvani masala or Goda Masala or ½ teaspoon Garam Masala, optional

• ▢ 1 cup water or 1 cup of broth/stock got from boiling the sprouts or water

• ▢ salt as required

• ▢ 2 to 3 tablespoons coriander leaves – for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Cooking mixed bean sprouts

• Prep by making homemade sprouts. Sprout ⅓ of dried mixed beans a couple of days earlier. You will need 1 cup of mixed bean sprouts. 

• Pressure cook or steam the sprouted beans till they are tender. If pressure cooking, then cook the mixed sprouts in 1.5 cups water. 

• When the bean sprouts are softened and tender, keep the cooked mixed sprouts aside. 

Making usal masala

• On a frying pan or skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chopped onions.

• Fry stirring often until the onions soften and look translucent.

• Add the fennel seeds and coriander seeds to the onions. Sauté till they smell fragrant.

• Add chopped ginger and garlic and sauté these too for 1 to 2 minutes.

• Add the desiccated coconut.

• Stir and mix it well with the rest of the mixture.

• Fry the coconut till golden. But remember not to burn the coconut and to fry the masala on a low heat.

• Let the roasted spices and coconut mixture cool. Then make a fine and smooth paste of the masala ingredients in a mixer-grinder or blender with ½ to ⅔ cup water or as needed.

Making usal

• In another pot or pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the chopped onions.

• Sauté the onions till they turn translucent and are softened.

• Next add the chopped tomatoes.

• Saute the tomatoes for 2 to 3 mins or till they soften.

• Pour the ground masala paste. Since we have already browned the paste, we have less work to do. Simply sauté the paste for 1 to 2 minutes stirring often.

• Add the turmeric powder, malvani masala and red chili powder.

• Mix the above ground spice powders evenly with the coconut paste.

• Add the boiled sprouts to the paste.

• Add 1 cup water or the broth or stock (in which the bean sprouts were cooked) or add more, as per the consistency desired by you.

• Add salt and stir. Lastly let the entire curry simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or till you see some oil floating on top. 

• Lastly add chopped coriander leaves. 

• Serve Usal with steamed rice or bhakri or pav or chapati or poori. You can also make misal pav with this malvani usal recipe.

Davanagere Benne Dosa (or) Butter Dosa

Idly Rice - 1 cup

Urad Dhal - 1/4 cup

Fenugreek - 1 tsp

Puffed Rice - 1 1/2 cup

Maida - 1 tbsp.

Salt

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Soda - 1/2 tsp

Butter

In a large bowl add the Idly Rice along with Urad Dhal and Fenugreek; soak for at least 5 hours preferably overnight.

Transfer the soaked Rice to a wet grinder along with Puffed Rice and grind to a smooth Batter. Once the Dough is ground to a fine paste add Maida and continue grinding for another 2 min.

Pour the prepared Batter into a bowl and season it with required Salt and Sugar. Allow the Batter to ferment for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.

When you are ready to cook add Baking Soda to the Batter and mix well.

Heat a tawa and grease with Butter. Pour one ladle of Batter in the Tawa and make a thin round Dosa. Drizzle Butter on the Dosa and allow cooking till the bottom becomes golden. Flip the Dosa and cook the other side also. Remove from heat and serve with mashed Potatoes and Coconut Chutney.

For Mashed Potatoes:

Oil - 1 tbsp.

Onion - 1, chopped

Green Chilli - 1, chopped

Potato - 3, steamed and mashed

Salt

Heat Oil in a medium pan. Add Onion and Green Chilli; cook until translucent. Add the mashed Potatoes and season with required Salt. Mix well and serve warm with Butter Dosa.

For Coconut Chutney:

Coconut - 1 cup, grated

Green Chilli - 4

Salt

In a blender add the Coconut along with Green Chillies and required Salt. Blend to a smooth paste.