Easy Healthy Dessert - No Eggs No Gelatin
This Milk Pudding without corn-starch, gelatin and eggs is a perfect and easy dessert for any occasion.
(Click here to go directly to the making video)
What you need:
Milk – 3 Cups | 2% fat
Vermicelli – 1 ½ Cup
Cardamom – 4 pods or ½ tsp ground
Cane Sugar – 3 tbsp
Water – 1 Cup
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Cashewnuts – a handful
Raisins – a handful
Extra cane sugar – for sprinkling on top of the set pudding
Step 1 - Break the Vermicelli into smaller size, roast that on a pan until some of them turn golden brown. To avoid burning the vermicelli, keep the pan on low to medium flame. You can substitute the Vermicelli with Angel pasta or Capellini. When the vermicelli at the bottom starts to turn brown, switch off the flame and let it rest. Let the ones on top stay as it is. That gives you perfect mix of brown and light-colored ones as its done in the traditional paal payasam in the Kerala cuisine.
Step 2 - Pour the milk into a pot and this has to be boiled on a medium flame. The goal is to make the milk into a reduction. You can use chilled milk or at room temperature.
Step 3 - Into the milk, add the cardamoms. For the best of the spice flavour to stand out in the milk pudding, you need to open the cardamom pods and add into the milk or you can add ground cardamom. Stir the milk as its warming, this avoids the cream in the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pot (as shown in the video)
Step 4 - Add the roasted vermicelli into the milk. Add the cup of water. As the Vermicelli is being cooked in the milk, it becomes a reduction. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
*By stirring you are helping the milk to cook evenly, which in turn will help the milk pudding to set in well and smooth. Hence do not try to rush by increasing the heat.
It would generally take low fat cold milk anywhere between 45 mins – 1 hr on medium flame to form a perfect reduction and thus to become a smooth pudding without having to use corn starch and eggs.
Step 5 - When the milk starts to boil, add in sugar. Continue to stir the milk. By now you can clearly get the distinguished aroma of the cardamoms. You know you're on the right track!
Now you can see that the milk has started to reduce; and the vermicelli is getting softer. The sugar would have completely dissolved and the mix would start to change from white to a very pleasant beige colour.
As the milk starts to thicken, you have to continuously stir to ensure that it isn’t getting stuck at the bottom of the pot. The last thing you can want in a milk pudding is the burnt smell!
Step 6 - When you see the milk has come down to half its size, has become very soft, creamy, and thick, its ready. Take it off the flame, and let it rest.
Step 7 - For the nut mix - Into a hot pan, add ghee (clarified butter).
(Ghee is a great moisturizer for lips! Yes! Try it!)
Step 8 - In the melted ghee, roast a handful of cashew nuts. Roast it well until they are golden brown. Add raisins. As soon as you add the raisins, switch off the flame. Cos raisins roast super fast and can burn and be bitter in the milk pudding.
Step 9 - Add half the roasted mix and the some of that melted ghee into the milk mix. Transfer the pudding into your serving bowls. Spread the other half of roasted cashews and raisings mix on top.
Let that stay in the fridge for 3-4 hours. And just before serving, sprinkle some cane sugar on the top of the milk pudding.
The combination of milk and cardamom is very common in an Indian household. We add cardamom even to our milk tea (chaya/ chai). And its amazing!
Watch the video of this milk pudding here
Goodness of Cardamoms:
Cardamoms are just fabulous for their aroma and flavour. God has created them with amazing health benefits too. They are anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. It relieves acidity, spasms, great for the digestive system, improves blood circulation, removes bad breadth and great for healing lungs especially if you are struggling with asthma or bronchitis.
Comments