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Meat the ban

Does the upcoming ban on sale of meat make you crave meat more? Try out these wonderful non-vegetarian recipes today.
anurita guptaby Anurita Gupta | @myylittlekitchn on Twitter, @myylittlekitchen on Instagram

Anda, machhi, chicken! Naam bhi matt lo, ban hai!

Recently we have been ‘told’ what we should not be eating. The beef ban in Maharashtra was a ‘dream come true’ according to a senior minister. And now, all those who were supporting that ban are also in for a shock as the Government has again decided a four-day meat sale ban during the Jain paryushan. The ban was then reduced to two days – September 10 and 17 – after public and political furore.

While it is wise to be sensitive to all communities and cultures in our country, this ban is clearly pushing things too far. Politicians are now dictating what should be on our plates in the pious country of India.

Many ban-believers forget that Indian cuisine is the most popular in the world because of its ‘butter Chicken’ and ‘balti curry’ both of which are meat dishes. Popular or not, as free citizens we should not have to fight for our food choices! That is why I bring to you a unique way of ‘meating’ this ban by giving you some non-vegetarian recipes that you can make and enjoy albeit even more ravenously to make the point J

Butter Chicken

As I said, the pride of Punjab sadda butter chicken is one of the best and the most sinful creations that the world and its cousin loves.

Can you believe that butter chicken was invented by accident at Moti Mahal Restaurant in Daryaganj, New Delhi? I bring to you the same recipe:

Ingredients: 1 kilo chicken marinated in 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 kilo dahi (curd) and salt to taste. While the chicken marinates put together the following for the gravy.

175 gm regular or preferably white butter, 1/2 kg tomato puree, 100 gm fresh cream, 4 to 5 green chillies sliced down the middle, 1/2 tsp each of sugar, jeera, red chilli powder, kasuri methi and salt to taste.

Make sure that the chicken is marinated and refrigerated for at least 6 hours or overnight before you put it in the oven. A clay oven is ideal but I use a regular oven (preheated) at 180 degrees and full power to roast the chicken for 15 minutes until it’s just a little underdone.

Now add half the butter in a kadhai and pour in the tomato puree. Saute for 3-5 minutes and add all the masalas. Now add the roasted chicken, white butter, the fresh cream, chillies and kasuri methi. Now simmer the gravy until the chicken is completely cooked. Serve hot with naan. Life set!

Sali per eedu

sali per eeduMumbai bawajis are known for breaking an egg in everything. But this eedu (egg) recipe is arguably the best in the Parsi bhona treasure trove. It’s simple yet a bit tricky. This recipe is essentially fried egg on top of fried potato chips/shavings. It’s tricky because while the egg cooks through, the sali must not burn or steam up to being soft instead of crunchy J

All you need for this is eggs and potato sali, the thinner the better. Now, heat 1 tsp of ghee/unsalted butter and add Sali –potato chips – in the pan so that they form a circle on top of which you break an egg. That would be just the same way as you would do when you make fried eggs.

Sprinkle 2-3 drops of water on the egg (not the sali) and cover the pan. In about 30 sec, the egg would get some colour and it’s ready to eat. Season it well and ensure that the potato shavings do not become soggy before you serve.

Tandoori fish

This fish recipe is by far my most favourite. It is also a hot favourite of fitness addicts, too. Low in calories, it packs in a punch of flavour. All you need is a wholetandoori fish big 1/2 kilo white fish, preferably a pomfret.

For the marinade: take 6-7 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp coriander leaves, 2 inches ginger, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder, 1/2 tsp jeera powder, 1/2 tbsp garam masala, 1 ½ tsp salt, 50 ml refined vegetable oil, 1 tbsp ‘roasted’ gram flour, 100 gm thick dahi.

Take all the ingredients (other than oil and curd) and blitz in a mixer to make a fine paste. Add to the oil and dahi and make a thick paste. Now marinate the fish by giving it 3 slits in the middle. Make sure you rub the marinade in the fish as well for even coating. Keep the marinated fish aside for 1 hour.

Now pre heat the oven at 200 Degree C. Put the fish on the top rack for 7 to 8 minutes, turning it once after 3 minutes. If you don’t want to use the oven, you can simply put it on the tawa and oil grill it. Baste it well with the marinade during cooking. Serve will lemon segments stuffed between slits and some garden salad.

I hope you will explore at least one of these recipes during these ban day. It would not just add vivid aromas to your home kitchen, but will also reiterate your freedom to ‘meat the ban’ the way you like it J

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy Anurita Gupta)

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Swaad 'Anu'saar

A corny picture party

Most of our movie-time snacks are made of corn. If you’re watching movies at home, make these fantastic corn snacks.
anurita guptaby Anurita Gupta

“Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!” If that be your state of mind, then I am sure you are not just thinking movies but movie snacks, too. While going to a movie hall in Mumbai can set you back by a 1000 bucks or so, here are some movie hall recipes that will surely enhance your at-home ‘picture party’ with friends!

After all, this ‘movie going’ is clearly a corny business! Look at the number of movie snacks that are made from corn. Be it popcorn, nachos (that are actually corn chips), or even boiled sweet corn, everything finds first preference in a movie buff’s list. Let’s make them…now!

Cheese popcorn: Movie and popcorn always go hand in hand. While butter popcorn is delicious, the tricky ones are its cheese and caramel counterparts. For cheese popcorn, the trick is to NOT put processed cheese on the popcorn. Yes, most people make this mistake and land up with a messy goop instead of a crackling pot of pop.

Here’s how you do it – these days, you get microwave or cooker pre-mixes of popcorn in the market. Just make the popcorn as per the directions on the packet. The secret ingredient is the pre-processed cheese powder that you can easily get in the ready to eat mac-n-cheese packet. Unfortunately, it is a bit difficult to find the cheese powder as a stand-alone product in the market, but then I’ve told you what to do instead.

Caramel popcorn: Movie or not, sweet, crunchy caramel popcorn is a sure shot hit at any party. The tough part is to keep yourself from eating the entire batch while making it. Once you put all the ingredients together, it is fairly simply to make.

Once the corn kernels have popped (say three big bowls), you have to make the caramel sauce. The ingredients are 3/4th cup (or one-and-half sticks) unsalted butter, 1 cup packed caramel popcornbrown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and mix in the sugar till it is completely soaked in the butter. Now increase the heat and bring it to a boil for 3 to 4 minutes along with vigorous stirring using a wooden spatula. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, salt and baking soda. Please note that now the caramel sauce will bubble up fiercely. But once the bubbles settle, you will have an amber caramel sauce that should now be slowly poured over the popcorn, coating them uniformly. Once done, spread the popcorn equally on two baking trays and bake for half an hour, keeping a watch every 10 minutes or so. Let it cool. Serve immediately or store in an airtight jar for up to 10 days.

Boiled sweet corn: This one is fairly simple but a true favourite with the weight watcher gang that visits the cinema frequently. All you need is a 250 gram frozen packet of sweetcorn and some chaat masala and lemon juice. Toss the packet in the microwave for 5 minutes. It will come out steaming and crunchy. Now add your choice of masala or dash of butter along with a spritz of lemon juice and mix. Serve in disposable glasses for no-mess movie viewing.

Nachos with salsa: Dost ghar aayein toh hum saara time kitchen mein bitayein? Kabhi nahin! That is why I am not going to give you a recipe for nachos (which you can and should conveniently buy packets and packets of) but that of the salsa dip.

nachos with salsaThere are two reasons why you should have this recipe. One, nachos can only be a lot of fun with salsa sauce. Two, ready-made bottled salsa sauce can burn a hole in your pocket. So here goes: you need 2 large, finely-chopped tomatoes, 1 small, finely-chopped onion, 4 big cloves of garlic, 5 to 6 small pieces of jalapenos, 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, 1 big cup chopped coriander, salt to taste, ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder, 1 teaspoon lime juice and some black pepper. Now, to a food processor add tomatoes, onions, garlic and jalapenos, and whizz to make a coarse mixture. Open and add the remaining ingredients and pulse until everything is mixed well. Cool and serve with nachos. Enjoy!

Here’s hoping that you and your friends manage to squeeze in at least some bit of the movie in between all the tasty munching! Happy picture party! 

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy canadacheeseman.wordpress.com, www.fatandhappyblog.com, parentedge.in)

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Sweet somethings for winter

Try these three wonderful feel-good sweet recipes for the winter while you enjoy the lovely cold weather in aamchi Mumbai.
anurita guptaby Anurita Gupta

For all those (non-Mumbaikars) scoffing at Mumbai for its winters, scoff no more, because temperatures here have dipped to 13 Degree Celsius this week. And while Mumbaikars are enjoying the cold nights and crisp breezes till nature decides to turn the AC off, let’s also relish some of the must-have sweet concoctions this nippy season.

Gajar ka halwa: All Indian mothers specialise in this very comforting sweet dish. It’s simple yet it tastes pretty different in different households and restaurants. My granny used to keep the halwe ki kadhai aside in the morning and it used to be ready in the evening. The aromas of desi ghee and elaichi used to waft through the corridors of the bungalow while we kids would wait impatiently for our respective gajar ke halwe ki plates. My naani’s recipe was quite traditional but I am giving you a fast Mumbai-style recipe that can be made in half an hour flat.

You will need: 8-10 red carrots (in season these days), 4 tbsp of desi ghee, 2 big cups of full fat milk, a handful of blanched and cut almonds, 10-15 raisins, a handful of cashews cut in half, a small spoon of cardamom (elaichi) powder, 1 cup of sugar and the magic ingredient of mawa (khoya) and some silver wark if you like.

Wash, peel and grate the carrots coarsely. Now in a thick bottomed pan heat pure ghee and add these carrots. Saute for a 5-6 minutes and then pour in the milk along with a pinch of the elaichi powder. Stir on medium flame for 10 minutes while the milk thickens and carrots lose their bite. Now grate the mawa in and add the sugar along with it. Stir continuously until the sugar melts. Now you can choose to keep this halwa on a slow flame for as long as half an hour to an hour but 10-15 minutes are also more than enough. More cooking time usually means more taste. In the end, sprinkle all the dried fruit on top and serve super hot. Yum!

Badam khajoor ka doodh: This concoction has the prime ingredients of almonds, dates and lots of love mixed in milk. AlmondDateMilkThe world over, there is a common belief that there is nothing like a glass of warm milk and a book on cold winter night. While Mumbai may not see much cold weather, no one can take away the coziness of this beverage. All you need to do is crush 5 almonds and add to a hot pot of milk along with 4 pieces of sweet sharbati khajoors. Add a spoon of sugar to it. Now let the milk simmer for 15-20 minutes until it evaporates a little and catches a bit of colour from the dates. The consistency of the milk would now be a bit like slurry. Pour some in an earthenware tumbler (mitti ka kasaura) and enjoy it sip by sip while you read through your favourite love story!

Aate ke laddu: This is another sweet dish that not just has winters wafting through its aromas but a lot of childhood atta ka laddoomemories as well. All you need is 4 cups of wholewheat flour (atta), 2 cups of sugar, 1 ½ cup ghee, 1 tsp of cardamom powder, 2 tbsp each of slivered almonds, chopped cashewnuts, raisins and a teaspoon of chironji. In a thick bottomed pan roast the atta with ghee on slow flame. Keep stirring continuously so that the roasting happens uniformly. In the meantime, make 2 ½ thread sugar syrup (2 ½ taar ki chashni). Take the syrup off the flame and mix all the dried fruit and atta properly. Now shape the mixture into laddus and cool completely before storing them in air tight jars for the rest of the winters. With everyone eating the first batch of laddoos, you may not need jars after all…ha!

Honestly, whether it is winters or not, you can always enjoy these dishes that are clearly comfort foods that are prepared with a lot of effort and of course, love. Have a happy winter!

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy whatscookingmom.in, www.vegancooking.com, www.ruchikrandhap.com) 

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Saal ki shuruaat mein kuchh meetha ho jaaye!

Make the start of 2014 even sweeter with these traditional Makar Sankranti recipes that are great for the winter, too.
anurita guptaby Anurita Gupta

Naye saal ki shuruaat meethe ke saath!

To make 2014 even sweeter, I present to you some traditional sweet treats that are not just part of the upcoming Makar Sankranti festival (on January 14) but which are also good for the soul in winters.

Thankfully, the month of January rings in cool breezes and celebrations with various names. Call it Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Bihu or Uttarayan, January 14 every year is celebrated as the harvest festival in the country. So let’s take a look at few of the traditional dishes that various communities make on the day that are equally yum on any other.

Til-gud laddoo: “Til gul ghya, aani god god bola” which means ‘Receive these til and gud and speak sweet words’ is how Maharashtrians begin Makar Sankranti, where they aim to remove all negative feelings and animosity by talking sweetly with each other and becoming friends once again. However, til and gud are two ingredients that are used in many delicacies made by other communities as well.

For now let us relish the til-gud laddoo. All you need is a cup of white sesame seeds (til), 2 big spoons of dry roasted peanuts crushed, 1/2 cup jaggery (gud) and a pinch of elaichi powder and ghee. Roast the dry sesame seeds on medium flame until they start giving out a strong nutty aroma and the seeds begin to pop. Remove from heat. Now heat the gud with 2 tablespoons of water on medium heat so that it melts evenly and does not get burnt. How do you know if the gud slurry is ready? Add a drop of gud in a plate of water. If it stays put, it is ready.

Now add the sesame and peanuts to the mixture and remove from heat. Add elaichi powder to this and start working quickly. Take a spoonful of mixture on a clean plate so it cools down a bit before you start rolling out small 2 inch-sized balls with your ghee greased hands.

Hot tip: If the mixture cools down before you have finished making all the laddoos, then reheat and start over again. To avoid this, get a bunch of your family members to give you a hand and let the festivities roll.

Undhiyu: Our Gujju biradari loves its ‘undhiyu’ to the core. It consists of baked vegetables with all the spices and chillies that Gujaratis love. Undhiyu is a special dish made for undhiyuJanuary 14 and is called uttarayan as well. The name of this special delicacy comes from the Gujarati terms ‘matlu’ meaning ‘earthen pot’ and ‘undhu’ meaning ‘upside down’, considering the vegetables are cooked upside down under the ground in a matka and the heat is provided from above.

Undhiyu is a winter time dish and has vegetables that are readily available in the South of Gujarat in this time, like green beans, sweet peas (also known as ‘surti papdi’), raw bananas and yam. The spicy curry has a special touch. Here’s how you make it. There is quite an extensive list to make this one.

You need 2 small earthen pots (fired matlu), 2 tbsp castor oil (edible), 2 bunches custard apple and jamun leaves. For the oven, you can also use salad leaves. The vegetables needed are a kilo of papdi, 1 kilo of surti papdi, 200 gm each of parwal, tindora, cucumber and French beans, 100 gm green grams and 4 raw bananas, 2 potatoes, 2 tbsp onion seeds, oil and salt to taste.

For the green masala, you need 4 cups finely chopped coriander leaves, 2 cups grated fresh coconut, 200 gm green chillies, 3 tsp dhana jeera powder, red chilli powder to taste, 1 tsp haldi, ½ a tsp asafoetida (hing), 2 tbsp ghee and 2 tbsp lemon juice. After you prepare the extensive number of ingredients, take heart, because putting together the dish is fairly simple.

A day before cooking, wash the pots well and dry them completely. Then apply castor oil inside them, cover and keep aside. The next day, cut all the vegetables and grind the green masala separately while using a bit of ghee to make into a coarse paste. Add all the spices and onion seeds etc., to it. Now mix the green masala with the vegetables except the papdi. Season the papdi well. Now in the pot, put a layer of the vegetables and then the papdi. Repeat until the pot is full up. Cover and cook. You can’t quite put it underground but you can cook all the stuff with the ‘dum’ method – sealing the pot with dough and letting it simmer for 2-3 hours.

pongalPongal rice: The first festival of the New Year is called Pongal in the Tamil community. No wonder then there is a special sweet dish that is inspired by the name of the festival: Pongal rice. This is a rather simple dish, prepared to offer to Mother Nature during sunrise. Traditionally, you boil rice with fresh milk and jaggery in new pots that are further topped with brown sugar, cardamoms, cashews and raisins very early in the morning and allow it to boil over a bit. That very moment, the tradition says you shout out “Ponggalo Ponggal!” and blow the conch, a ritual that is followed to call on happiness, blessings and good tides. Personally I love to enjoy Pongal with freshly-made puri but you can choose to have this delicious, aromatic offering solo.

With that, here’s hoping that the New Year brings lots of joyful culinary experiences, successful cooking trysts and of course, goodie good food your way. Khao and ciao!

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause. ‘Swaad Anusaar’ is her weekly take on all things food.

(Pictures courtesy enjoyindianfood.blogspot.com, boisdejasmin.com, vidhas-jg.blogspot.com)

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Christmas goodies, fatafat!

Still don’t have a good Christmas giveaway treat planned for your guests? Take heart from these four simple food ideas.
anurita guptaby Anurita Gupta

Who doesn’t love Christmas goodies? And when it comes to something better than goodies, it is clearly food! J

Imagine giving away lovely fudge and cookies in beautiful glass jars, all decorated with Christmas ornaments and a small name tag! It’s an ‘Aha!’ moment for sure, but who has the time, right? Not to worry, I will give you quick recipes for delights that will be ready in a jiffy.

Pancake mix: Every one loves a tinge of magic with flour. So why not make your very own pancake dry mix and present it in a jar? All you need to do is put in 300 gms of maida (all purpose flour), 1 tablespoon baking powder, a pinch of baking soda, and 3 tablespoons of castor sugar. To this, add 1 pod of vanilla (slit in the middle) for extra flavouring and some effect. Shut the jar.

Now, on a colorful sheet of paper, write instructions for us: ‘Break 2 eggs and add to this mix, with 200 ml of milk. This will make for a brilliant breakfast for the family after a nightlong Christmas party.’ Don’t forget to write your name on there, too!

Hokey pokey: The traditional hokey pokey has made for a great gift on famous English brunches. But it hokey pokeywould definitely make for a great return gift, too.

Put 100 gm of sugar and 4 tbsp of golden syrup in a thick bottomed pan and stir together. Now put the pan on heat and do not stir. Let the mixture melt and then turn gooey, bubbling into an amber colour, for not more than 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and add 1 ½ tsp of soda bicarb and watch the magic.

The syrup will quickly bubble into a fluffy cloud like aerated, orangey gold.  Now quickly transfer the mixture on to a parchment paper or greased foil. To this, add the Christmas flavours you like – some cut raisins, or just a powder shot of cinnamon. Leave until it’s set and the bash it into many big and small crunchy pieces. Pick a nice tin box and line it with parchment paper, then put in the hokey pokey goodies. Shut and then put a tag through a red and green ribbon, and tie around the neck of the tin. Happy present for a Merry christmas!

ice cream cake in a jarIce-cream cake in a jar: Desserts in a jar are a rage nowadays. And they make for great giveaways, especially when the dessert can be ready in 60 seconds.

All you need are some bashed-up Oreo biscuits, some nice chocolate syrup, a few tiny marshmellows, and a rich chocolate sponge cake or loaf. Now, to a tub of vanilla ice cream, add all the above ingredients except for the cake. In a mason glass jar, place a layer of the dense chocolate loaf and then a layer of the rich icecream that has the yummy Oreos and marshmallows in it. Repeat the same layering until the jar is full. Top with chocolate-coated nuts if you wish.

Hot tip: Theobroma and Moshe’s chocolate loaf is perfect for this recipe.

Glittering marshmallow crispies: To a pan, add 50 gm of melted butter and 300 gms of mini marshmallows and mix till there is a smooth slurry ready. Immediately take it off the heat and lightly mix 200 gm of rice krispies to it. Now press it down into a greased pan and smoothen the top. Add some edible glitter and Christmas ornaments. Once cool, cut the kirspies into squares and put in a jar and present.

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy www.goodlifeeats.com, ourkitchen.fisherpaykel.com, downtownbellevue.com)

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Cheat your tummy this Christmas

We wish you a ‘belly Christmas’ with five easy variations of the most loved Christmas eats and drinks this season. Bon appetit!
anurita guptaby Anurita Gupta

Ho ho ho! Christmas is round the corner. Wondering how time moves at the same pace as Santa’s sledge in the month of December? Me too. That’s why I have come up with the cheat’s guide to celebrating Christmas. After all, what’s a celebration without food? So here’s my guide on preparing yummy food at the last minute for friends, family and of course, Santa himself.

Cheat’s mini quiches. Mini quiches (in picture above) are such desirable finger food on a busy Christmas party night! But you don’t have to sweat over making the pastry and then the quiche. Just a slice of wholemeal bread should do it for you.

Here’s how you do it: take 6 slices of whole meal bread cut with a pastry cutter and pin rolled into a size that occupies 1/3rd of a muffin hole. Brush each slice with a little butter and line the muffin holes with the bread. Now add any ingredients of your choice – small cubes of ham and cheese, green onions, mushrooms and caramelised onion or any other topping you like. Just make sure that there is nice grated cheddar liberally put on the topping. Finally, top each of the muffin holes with lightly whisked eggs. Bake in an oven preheated at 160 Degree Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and the egg topping is just set. Serve hot or cold as per your preference.

Cheese platter. There is nothing like soft cold cheese on a warm Christmassy night. All you need is 250 cheese plattergrams of block cream cheese that is nice and soft, some finely chopped fresh dill leaves and chives, and a spoonful of grated orange zest. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and season with some fresh pepper and salt to taste. Now divide the cheese in two equal halves. Put on baking sheets or plastic foils and wrap tight into a roll while twisting the ends. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours and then serve with crackers, lavash and breadsticks. This zesty cheese flavour is only a suggestion from my end – you can go wild with your choice of ingredients that you think would go well with the cheese. It can be roasted garlic, basil leaves, chili flakes and oregano or even strawberry relish and bell peppers…whatever your heart desires.

christmas party wineCheat’s Christmas party wine. While Christmas is the big cause, one cannot deny that the nip in the air also calls for a celebration. When winter dances into our Mumbai, there is nothing comfier than a swig (or several!) of mulled wine. Much on the lines of a hot toddy, mulled wine is a traditional holiday drink. It is made with red wine that is sweetened with various spices. While there is quite a lot of prep work that goes into making a traditional mulled wine, here is my cheat version.

In a cooking pot, take a litre of red wine, preferably Merlot, Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon.  Add a sliced tangerine along with the zest in order to add more flavour. Now put 2 spoons of good quality brandy, 3 spoons of brown sugar, 2 to 3 cinnamon sticks and a pinch of dry ginger powder or grated fresh ginger (optional) and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve hot with the whole ingredients intact for more effect. After all, one’s got to have wine in style.

Cheat’s Christmas party mains: Grilled quick fix chicken. When there is shortage of time, chicken always grilled chickencomes to rescue. All you need is about 2 kg of neatly cut chicken breasts. Now put together 2 cups of sour cream or hung yoghurt, 2 spoons of whole grain mustard, 2 tbsp of cumin powder, freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. Drizzle about half a cup of olive oil as well. Give the chicken a good rub with this marinade and let it sit for about 2 to 3 hours. Actually 20 minutes is good enough, but the chicken comes out more tender if you let it stay for a longer time, may be even overnight in a plastic zip bag. Once done, heat the grill or a flat skillet. Drizzle some more oil with a rosemary fig and place the chicken breast. Give it 2 minutes a side and then serve with a relish or sauce of your choice.

Christmas pudding with custardAnd finally, Cheat’s Christmas pudding… No Christmas celebration can ever be complete without a Christmas pudding or cake. But instead of putting in days of labour into a cake or pudding, you can achieve a stylish Christmas dessert in a jiffy. All you need is one kilo of good quality readymade Christmas pudding. Now a night before, simply add 4 big tablespoons of rum or brandy to the pudding. Cover it and wait for magic until the next morning. In the morning or afternoon, make a ready mix custard as per directions on the packet. The flavour should ideally be vanilla, to which you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon powder. Now assemble the dessert with a slice of rum or brandy soaked pudding at the bottom. Drizzle the custard and some assorted candied fruit. You can also top it with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve and watch them go YUM!

Next week, right before Christmas, I’ll serve up some ideas on Christmas giveaways that your guests would go gaga over. Till then wish you a ‘BELLY CHRISTMAS’!

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy amomknowsbest.com, www.winebuzz.hk, ezeliving.com, www.kidspot.com.au, janieskitchen.com)

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