Bubbles Pudding !!!

Bubbles Pudding is sweet milk based dessert with a creamy texture and flavor. A quick, healthy, and easy dessert. A dessert that tastes both familiar and exotic.

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Summer has passed, the days are becoming shorter, nights are getting colder, and leaves are changing color. Fall is here! Bubbles pudding is one of the best desserts during the transition from one season to another. Serve warm in fall and winter, serve chill in spring and summer, either way it tastes scrumptious.

Bubbles Pudding is sweet milk based dessert with a creamy texture and flavor. It uses tapioca pearls also known as Sabudana or Sago pearls combined with the milk to makes a luscious dessert. The tiny bubbles of the tapioca pearls give the pudding a unique texture, like tiny bubbles surrounded by a creamy sauce. This pudding requires a little attentiveness and careful stirring. Otherwise, it is a quick, healthy, and easy dessert. A dessert that tastes both familiar and exotic.

This is one of my favorite desserts growing up; I called it ‘Bubbles Pudding’! My mom would make it specially for me. Something about it makes me feel comforted, the chewiness of the bubbles and the creaminess of the pudding. The cardamom and vanilla flavor of the pudding makes me long for it.

This recipe makes approximately 3 to 4 servings. You can always modify the quantity of the ingredients according to your taste.

Tapioca Pearls	- 1 cup
Milk/Cream	- 2-3cups
Sugar	- 8 tbsps
Cardamom Powder	- 1 tsp
Vanilla essence	- 1 tsp
Pistachios	- for garnish
Raisins	- for garnish

Heat 3-4 cups water in a heavy bottomed vessel and add tapioca pearls.

Cook the tapioca pearls until slightly soft and transparent. You do not want to cook it completely.

Remove from heat, drain and rinse with cold water to remove the excess starch. Then, place it back on heat.

Tapioca pearls get starchy as it cooks. I prefer cooking it in water because I can drain and rinse of the excess starch. This gives the pudding a better texture.

Now add milk, sugar, and cook on low until the milk is absorbed, the pudding thickened, and most of the tapioca pearls are completely transparent. Some of them might still have a white dot at the centers but that is all right.

It is important to stir constantly (a slow, gentle stir) and cook at a low temperature to avoid scorching.

At this point, add cardamom powder, vanilla essence, and continue stirring for a few minutes.

Remove from heat and cool.

Serve warm or chill with nuts and raisins on top as garnish.

All Time Classic

Dal is a traditional Indian dish prepared by cooking lentils with vegetables and spices. This simple yet delicious Dal is a pleasure to the palette.

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A common item on the menu and an all time classic at our home is Dal. I think it is pretty much the same in lot of Indian homes.Dal is a traditional Indian dish prepared by cooking lentils with vegetables and spices. There is a wide variety of lentils available and can be used to make Dal. Rich content of protein and fiber in lentils makes Dal a nutritious dish.

Here is a simple Dal recipe my mom makes at home. Channa dal cooked with onions, veggies and coconut paste to a creamy consistency. The blend of coconut tempered with a touch of mild spices gives the dal its unique flavor. This simple yet delicious Dal is a pleasure to the palette.

Channa Dal	- 1 cup
Coconut	- 2 tbsp grated
Onion	- 1 small chopped
Potato	- 1 cup diced
Carrot	- 1/4 cup diced
Green Peas	- 1/4 cup
Green chilies	- 4-5
Cloves	- 3 cloves
Bay leaf	- 1 small
Turmeric	- 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste	- 1 tsp
Cilantro	- for garnish

Place channa dal and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker, cook for 2 -3 whistles. If cooking over stove top, cook dal until soft.

Mash the dal and keep aside.

Grind the coconut to a fine powder/paste in a blender and keep aside.

You can substitute 1/4 cup of coconut milk for coconut paste.

Heat some oil in a heavy bottom vessel.Add cloves, bay leaf, green chilies and ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute until it flavors the oil.

Add chopped onions and fry until it is cooked and translucent.Add the diced potatoes, carrots and green peas and cook until done.

Since it takes a while to cook potatoes, I pre-cook them before adding it to the onions. You can cook them on stove or in a microwave. You can do the same for carrots and green peas as well.

Add mashed dal, coconut powder/paste, turmeric, salt and stir well. If the Dal is too thick add some water to it.

Bring it to boil on simmer (low-heat), stirring frequently.

Turn off the heat, garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice or rotis.

This is my entry to Susan's My Legume Love Affair 27

Guilty Food Pleasure!

Fettuccine Alfredo is an Italian pasta dish prepared with fettuccine tossed in a cheesy sauce. It is super fatty and super tasty!

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All of us have at least one guilty food pleasure. Something we love and enjoy eating despite feeling guilty for enjoying it! Fettuccine Alfredo is one such dish for me. Fettuccine Alfredo is an Italian pasta dish prepared with fettuccine tossed in a cheesy sauce. It is super fatty and super tasty!

I have had Fettuccine Alfredo at Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill quite a few times but it never occurred to me until few months back that I must mimic this at home! Recollecting the taste of the sauce, I gathered my ingredients for this sinful goodness!

My Fettuccine Alfredo turned out to be a perfect pairing of rich, creamy sauce and perfectly cooked pasta. Parmesan cheese combined with butter and cream formed a smooth and rich sauce. My selection of using chives was just right. It provided a mild, aromatic onion flavor without overpowering the dish. Hot fettuccine pasta tossed along with a creamy sauce, fresh herbs, and seasoned with dash of pepper is one mouth-watering dish.

I realized I could prepare a low fat version of this dish and retain most of the taste and creaminess. Now, my guilty pleasure will not be guilty anymore!

Fettuccine	- 1/2 lb or 1/2 box
Cream	- 2 cups
Butter	- 1/2 stick or 4 Tbsp
Parmesan Cheese	- 1 cup (grated)
Chives	- 2 Tbsp (Optional)
Pepper	- to taste
Salt	- to taste

Cook fettuccine as per the directions on the box.

To prepare the sauce, heat a saucepan to medium-hot.

Melt the butter. Then, pour the cream and gently stir until it all warms up.

Depending on how you like your Fettuccine Alfredo,dry or with sauce, alter the quantity of cream used.

Add parmesan cheese to the creamy butter sauce. As the cheese melts, the sauce will thicken.

Now, add chives, pepper, and stir.

Chive is a type of herb that belongs to the Onion family. It carries a mild onion flavor. You can replace Chives with your favorite herb.

Remove from heat.

Add fettuccine to the pan and toss, making sure the pasta is completely coated with the creamy sauce.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese on top along with salad, bread sticks and a glass of wine.

Perfect Summer Dessert!

Mango pie is a delightful blend of tropical mango and cream cheese. The bright yellow color, the intense fruity flavor and refreshing taste of mango will take your senses to Paradise.

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Mango pie is a delightful blend of tropical mango and cream cheese. It is light yet creamy dessert with a smooth texture. You can taste the exotically sweet and tart flavor of the delectable mango in every bite.

Mango pie is the perfect summer dessert. The bright yellow color, the intense fruity flavor and refreshing taste of mango will take your senses to Paradise. Needless to say, Mango is the super fruit. From sweet to spicy, there is a mango recipe to please any palatte.

My colleague Geetha brought this dessert to our office party and I absolutely loved it on the very first bite. I must say parties are great places to taste new recipes. Soon after the party, I went to her desk, if you are asking for what, for the recipe of course!

Light, creamy and cool, with a fresh mango flavor, it is the perfect no-cook, no-bake dessert. The best part is that it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and uses only a few ingredients.

Pie crust	- 1
Mango pulp	- 3-4 Cups or 3/4 of 30oz tin
Cream cheese	- 1 8oz block
Gelatin	- 1 small pkt or 1-2 Tbsps (use more for extra firm)
Sugar	- as required

To start, thaw the cream cheese.

You can substitute cream/milk and condensed milk for cream cheese. You might need 1/2 cup of condensed milk and 1/2 cup of milk/cream.

Heat 1/2 cup of water and stir in gelatin powder. Stir until it dissolves. Cool it to room temperature.

Gelatin is a substance used to provide a firm consistency. I use 1 to 1 1/2 packets of gelatin. I have not made the pie using condensed milk so I would say two packets for the first time. Depending on the firmness, you can adjust it for the next time.

Combine cream cheese, mango pulp and gelatin liquid and beat it in a blender.

Taste the mango mixture before adding sugar as mango pulp contains good amount of sugar. If sweetened condensed milk is used, sugar might not be required.

I use the mango pulp tin available in Indian store. If you do not get ready-made mango pulp, you can buy good mangoes and make the pulp at home.

Pour the mango mixture into the piecrust and refridgerate for 4-5 hours or until it sets.

If you do not have pie crust, you can omit it. You can pour the mango mixture into any medium-shallow dish and refrigerate it.

Your mango pie is ready!