Coconut Milk Rice Pudding

M has a major sweet tooth, being the quintessential Bengali that he is. This was the perfect excuse to make some rice kheer, albeit, with a little twist..I used a good amount of coconut milk along with condensed milk. Using coconut in kheer is not a new concept; Coconut Payesam (Pudding) was prepared as a "prasadam" ( Offering to god) on certain auspicious days at my home. But adding coconut milk added a very delicate flavor to this pudding.


Ingredients

1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
~ 4 cups of water to thin the condensed milk
1/2 can lite coconut milk ( You could also use 4 tbsp of coconut milk powder , mixed with 2 tbsp of water)
1 cup uncooked Jasmine rice ( Using a rice which has more starch content results in a creamier pudding)
1/2 cup of frozen shredded coconut, thawed ( Add ~ 1/2 cup of water to the frozen coconut and microwave for 1 minute)
~ 8 - 10 Cardamom seeds powdered(Optional)

Method

Heat the 4 cups of water in a pan. Add 3/4 of the condensed milk to the water, stirring well. Add the washed Jasmine rice. Let the rice cook on a medium flame, stirring around every 3-5 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Once the rice is nearly cooked, add the rest of the condensed milk along with the coconut milk, thawed shredded coconut and powdered cardamom. Stir well and continue cooking till the rice is done. Serve chilled.

Hari Gobhi (Green Cauliflower)

This dish can turn around cauliflower haters! I made this for M who has an aversion to all veggies except eggplant....It takes a lot of creativity on my part to push other veggies down his throat :-).

Here's the recipe

Ingredients
1 medium cauliflower
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp Jeera
Juice of 1/2 a lemon/ lime
Salt to taste

Dry Masala
1/2 - 1 tsp Garam Masala (optional)
1/2 - 1 tsp jeera powder ( Cumin Seed Powder)
1/2 - 1 tsp Dhania powder ( Coriander Seed Powder)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Wet Green Masala
Bunch of coriander leaves
~1 inch piece of ginger
1 Green chilli

Method
Wash & break the cauliflower into seperate florets. Pulse this through a food processor till the cauliflower is finely chopped.

Grind the coriander leaves, ginger and chilli coarsly in a blender or a food processer to prepare the green masala.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and roast it for about 10 - 15 seconds. Add the chopped cauliflower to the pan and roast for about 2 mins. Add the dry masala and mix well. Cover the pan and cook the cauliflower until tender-crisp. Add the wet masala, lemon juice and salt to taste & mix well.

Continue to cook for 2 more minutes.

Serve with Roti or Naan and Dal.

Hari Gobhi can also be used as a stuffing for Parathas or Sandwiches (Look for the recipe in my next write-up)