Grated Potato and Cheese Omelette

I was looking for authentic French recipes for dinner for my French Food Week in November 2016 and came across this very simple recipe that can be done in less than 15 minutes. And it could make a perfect and filling main course for dinner or even lunch or could be had for breakfast too! The recipe is again from Saveur - a gourmet, wine, food and travel magazine at saveur.com. This recipe is from The Good Cook: Eggs & Cheese, and was shared with Saveur by Tim Mazurek.

https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Grated-Potato-and-Cheese-Omelet/

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and grated (about 1 ¼ cups)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. finely shredded Gruyère (I used Cheddar as Gruyère is not available in the Indian market)
• 2 tbsp. butter

Preparation

• Mix together the eggs, potatoes, salt and pepper, onion, garlic and cheese. Melt the butter in a medium sized omelette pan, pour in the egg mixture and cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden and firm.
• Serve hot with tomato sauce or Tobasco sauce of choice or with bread!

Thai Banana in Sticky Rice (Khao Tom Madt)

I love sticky rice and it always tastes heavenly to me. I came across this recipe in 

ImportFood Authentic Thai Recipes. It was pretty straightforward and very easy to make. I tried this in April 2013 before going on a visit to Singapore to my brother's place. And sure enough I did pick up some authentic Thai ingredients from there such as sticky rice, Pandan essence, etc.!

Serves 10

Ingredients

• 2 cups sticky rice
• 1 ½ cups coconut milk (I used 2 cups)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 ripe bananas (small variety), halved lengthwise
• 10 pieces aluminum foil or banana leaf, 6 x 6 inches. See note below.

Preparation

• Soak the sticky rice in water overnight, then drain and set aside.
• Combine coconut milk, sugar and salt in a separate bowl and stir until ingredients are dissolved. Put this mixture in a large pan or wok and then add the rice. Over medium low heat, stir constantly until the rice becomes tender and all the coconut milk is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and leave to cool.
• On a piece of foil, place a tablespoon of rice. Place a sliced banana on top of the rice and then cover it with another tablespoon of rice to form a small "roll" with the banana in the middle.
• Wrap the foil and then place in a steamer. Steam for 45 minutes with the lid on. Remove and enjoy hot or warm.

Note

I did not have aluminium foil or banana leaf and used the leaf of Pisonia alba tree (known as Lachakottai tree லச்சக்கொட்ட in Tamil) and also known commonly as the lettuce tree. The leaf is braod and is at least 20 cms in length and since it is edible and is cooked as greens, it made a perfect wrap for my dessert.

Pisonia alba tree - Lachakotta 

 

Thai Sticky Rice Cake (A Thai dessert with the unique Pandan flavour)

This sticky rice dessert is easy to make and is a healthy low-fat treat (both gluten and lactose free!). The coconut milk contains good fats that actually lower cholesterol. I found this recipe at https://www.thespruceeats.com/sticky-rice-cake-with-coconut-3217367

Serves about 8

Calories: about 90 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sticky rice (புட்டரிசி in Tamil)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup coconut milk, plus 1 cup or more for sauce (I actually used 1 cup for the rice)
• ½ cup or more sugar, plus some for sauce
• Pandan essence as required. See note below.
• Little oil for greasing pan
• 2 tsp cornstarch (corn flour) dissolved in 1 tbsp cold water (2 tsp for every 1 cup cocnut milk)

Preparation

• Soak sticky rice for about an hour or more or overnight. (The longer it soaks the better)
• Drain and steam it for 30 minutes or until cooked. (It took about 50 minutes for me)
• While rice is steaming, keep a pan aside greased with a little cooking oil.
• After rice is done, remove the lid and add ½ cup sugar, ¾ cup coconut milk stirring them well into the hot rice. Taste test rice for sweetness and add more sugar if required.
• Now scoop 1/3 of the rice and press it into the bottom of the greased pan with a greased spoon. Spread it as smoothened and even as possible. (Keep the lid of the rice pot on through the next two steps so as to keep the rice hot.)
• Next take another 1/3 of the rice into a mixing bowl, add about 3 to 5 drops of Pandan essence  and stir it to blend into the hot rice to make it light green. Gently spread this above first layer.
• Now take the last 1/3 rice into the mixing bowl and add about 8 to 10 drops of Pandan essence as required to get a distinct dark green shade. Then spread this as the final layer over the second layer.
• Cover the pan with aluminium foil and refrigerate it overnight.
• To make the coconut sauce, place 1 cup coconut milk as required to serve in a sauce pan and warm it up. (Do not boil). Add sugar to taste and stir to dissolve. Add cornstarch dissolved in cold water and stir over medium heat till sauce thickens. Then remove from heat.
• To serve, cut into squares with a greased serrated knife and place on serving plates. Then pour coconut sauce over and garnish with any fruit of choice.

1st Note

1. Pandan essence is a very important Thai ingredient. It is the greenish essence of the Pandan tree. It has a very unique nutty flavour.
2. As an alternative, green food colouring can be used to get the green colour but the flavour will be missing, though!

2nd Note

I tweaked the recipe a little to make it in the Indian Tricolour for a cooking competition for teachers on our Independence Day years ago. Turned out to be pretty colourful! Just follow the steps given below instead of steps 5 to 7 in the given Preparation above: 

• Now scoop 1/3 of the rice into a mixing bowl and add green colouring as required. Then press it into the bottom of the greased pan with the greased underside of a flat spoon. Smoothen it as evenly as possible. (Keep the lid of the rice pot on through the next two steps so as to keep the rice hot.)
• Next take another 1/3 of the rice and spread it above the green layer.
• Now take the last 1/3 rice into another mixing bowl and add orange colouring to it as required. Then add this as the final layer. Cover the pan with aluminium foil and refrigerate it overnight. 

This is Thai Sticky Rice Cake in Indian Tricolour!

Chinese Toffee Banana

I happened to watch this recipe on some food channel. It seemed so easy and yummy that I immediately set about doing it. Lucky I had all the ingredients in hand.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, cut into thick diagonal slices
• 50 grams self raising flour (Use 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt with 1 cup flour for homemade self raising flour)
• 25 grams corn starch + some for dusting
• 90 ml water
• 1 tsp oil
• Oil for deep frying
• 120 grams sugar
• Black and white sesame seeds for sprinkling
  
  
  
  
  
  

Preparation

• Mix self raising flour, corn starch and water into a smooth batter. Add a tsp of oil and mix it well. (The oil is supposed to make it puffy.)
• Heat oil in a deep pan
• Dust the banana slices in corn starch, dip them in the batter and cook them in the hot oil in batches until crisp and golden brown.
• In a heavy pan, add the sugar over medium heat and keep stirring it till it just forms a caramel (just as it turns brown). Switch off immediately and remove from the stove.
• Toss the fried banana slices one after the other to coat them completely in the caramel and drop them immediately into a large bowl of ice water. This will set the caramel. 
• Almost immediately, drain them and sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds.
• Serve hot immediately or with ice cream.

Note

It is very important to coat the bananas immediately in the caramel before the caramel hardens.

Indonesian Mango Sago Pudding

This is an authentic Indonesian version of the popular South Asian dessert Mango Sago Pudding. This is much simpler than the Indian version which calls for the elaborate and time consuming reduced milk. Recipe from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLBqESkDVnk

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sago
• 2 cups mango cubes 
• 1 1/4 cups thick coconut milk
• Sugar as per taste, optional
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup ripe mango cubes for garnish
  

Preparation

• Soak sago in water, about 5 minutes while bringing water to boil in a vessel. After water boils, drain sago and add it to the water. Allow to boil about 15 minutes till it turns translucent. Drain and wash in cold water to avoid sticking together. Drain and refrigerate till use.
• Blend mango cubes, coconut milk and sugar, if using, in a mixer till smooth. Remove to a mixing bowl.
• Add sago and refrigerate at least for 2 hours.
• Serve garnished with mango cubes.

Mango Sago Pudding

Mango Sago pudding is a South Asian dessert popular in Indonesia, China and Thailand. Recipe from www.sailusfood.com as tweaked in the blog. 

Serves 5

Ingredients

• 2 cups mango puree
• 1/2 litre milk
• 1/2 cup sago, soaked for 1 hour in water
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch, mixed in 1 1/2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup sugar or sugarfree substitute
• 1/2 cup ripe mango cubes
  
  
  

Preparation

• Set aside mango puree in the refrigerator.
• Bring milk to boil in a vessel and simmer till reduced to 3/4 cup. Switch off flame and bring to room temperature.
• Boil soaked sago in enough water till soft. Switch off flame and drain. Wash in normal water, drain and refrigerate till use.
• Boil coconut milk in a vessel, add sugar, cardamom and stir. Slowly add cornstarch mixture and stir till thickened.Switch off flame and bring to room temperature.
• Blend reduced milk, coconut milk mixture and mango puree in a mixer till well combined. 
• Remove to a mixing bowl and mix the chilled sago thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Garnish with mango cubes and serve.

Mango Phirni

Phirni is believed to have come in with the Mughal kings and is a popular sweet dish in North India and Pakistan. Mango Phirni is made by adding mango puree to the basic phirni. Recipe from www.sailusfood.com.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Basmati rice, washed and soaked in water for 20 minutes
• 4 cups milk
• 8 to 10 almonds, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, peeled and ground to a fine paste
• 1 cup mango puree
• 1/3 cup sugar (You could use sugarfree substitutes)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 8 to 10  strands saffron, soaked in warm milk
• 15 pistachios, chopped for garnish
  

Preparation

• Bring milk to a boil in a vessel and simmer until reduced to three fourths.
• While milk is simmering, grind soaked basmati rice to a fine paste with 1/2 cup simmering milk and set aside.
• After the milk has reduced, slowly add the ground paste into it and keep stirring constantly till it mixes well and begins to thicken, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add almond paste, sugar, saffron and cardamom powder and stir to form a creamy and smooth mixture without any lumps. Switch off flame and bring to room temperature.
• Add mango puree and mix till well blended. Refrigerate until serving time.
• Serve garnished with chopped pistachios.

Mango Shrikhand (Amrakhand)

Mango Shrikhand is made by adding mango puree to the basic, Maharashtrian sweet Shrikhand made with strained yogurt (hung curd) and flovoured with cardamom and saffron. Recipe from www.sailusfood.com.

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups mango puree
• 2 cups strained yogurt (hung curd)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• Few saffron strands, soaked in warm milk
• 2 to 3 tbsp powdered sugar (I used sugarfree drops)
• 8 pistachios, chopped
• 6 almonds, chopped
• Ripe mangoes, chopped for garnish
  

Preparation

• Place curd in a muslin cloth over a vessel and leave it in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.
• In a bowl, add the strained yogurt and mix well till blended. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Add the mango puree, saffron and cardamom into the mixture till well blended, smooth and creamy. You could also use the mixer to blend them. 
• Chill for at least a couple of hours and serve garnished with chopped nuts and mangoes. 

Mango Mastani

Mango Mastani, I believe, is a very popular drink in Pune, used to be served by an age old cold drink house to its customers. It was praised for its flovour and was called 'mast' meaning 'lovely' and came to be given the royal name "Mastani' after the famous and beautiful wife of the Marathi general Peshwa Bajirao. Recipe from www.sailusfood.com.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups mango puree, chilled
• 3 tbsp sugar or sugarfree drops
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 4 scoops mango ice cream
• 6 almonds, chopped
• 8 pistachios, chopped
• 4 cherries
• Mango cubes for garnish
  

Preparation

• Bring milk to a boil in a vessel and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Add sugar, allow to dissolve and switch off heat. Refrigerate for a while.
• Set aside 1/2 cup mango puree and blend the rest with the chilled milk to a smooth consistency.
• Pour 2 tbsp mango puree in the bottom of each glass and pour the blended thick mango milkshake to about three fourths of the glass. Place a scoop of mango ice cream on the top and garnish with nuts, cherry and mango cubes.

Mango Falooda

Recipe from www.sailusfood.com. Very yummy mango falooda does take some elaborate preparation but is completely worth it while the mango season lasts!

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 5 tbsp sugar, can be adjusted as per your taste (I used sugarfree drops)
• 1 tbsp basil seeds, soaked in about 1/2 cup to 1 cup water for 30 min (Sabja seeds)
• 1 cup falooda sev (Recipe below)
• 2 cups mango puree
• 4 scoops mango ice cream
• 1 1/2 cups mango cubes
• 8 to 10 pistachios, chopped
• 6 to 8 almonds, chopped
• Cherries for garnish

Falooda Sev

Yield about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar (You could also use sugarfree substitutes)

Preparation

• Grease the press (in picture) and set aside. 
• In a vessel add a litre of ice cold water and ice cubes and set aside in the refirgerator.
• In a mixing bowl, add corn flour, 1/2 cup water and sugar and mix well without any lumps.
• Bring one cup water to boil in a heavy bottomed vessel, reduce flame and slowly add the cornflour mixture. Keep stirring constantly till it thickens and turns transparent and glossy. 
• Switch off and spoon the mixture into the sev press (Use the mould with thin holes).
• Remove the ice cold water from the refrigerator and press the hot cornflour mixture through the sev press into it so that the thin strands are completely immersed in the cold water.
• Refrigerate the sev immersed in cold water till use.

  

  Mango Falooda

Preparation

• Bring milk to a boil in a vessel and simmer till it reduces to 1 cup. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves. Switch off and chill till use.
• Set aside the soaked basil seeds in the refrigerator.
• Blend mango puree with sugar and refrigerate till use.
• Chill the falooda sev till use.
• Chill the serving falooda glasses in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.
• To assemble falooda, take the chilled glass and add few mango cubes in the bottom followed by 2 tbsp basil seeds. Follow it with 2 heaped tbsp of falooda sev and then 3 tbsp of mango puree. Slowly pour 2 to 3 tbsp of chilled milk. Next layer with few more mango cubes followed by basil seeds, falooda sev, mango puree and chilled milk in the same proportion as before. 
• Finally place a scoop of mango ice cream on the top and garnish with chopped nuts and cherry. 
• Serve immediately.

Mango Rabri

I had excess milk in the refrigerator and was looking to make some dessert out of these. I came upon Sailu's food blog www.sailusfood.com with a lot of yummy mango desserts. As the mango season is still on, I began trying them one by one and loved each of the desserts. 

Serves 4 

Ingredients

• 1 litre milk
• 1 cup mango puree 
• 2 tbsp sugar (I used sugarfree drops)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 6 to 8 strands saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
• 6 to 8 almonds, chopped
• 10 to 15 pistachios, chopped
• 1 cup mango cubes
  

Preparation

• Bring milk to boil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Reduce heat and allow to simmer. Keep stirring at regular intervals and keep moving the cream that forms on the top to the sides till the milk is reduced to less than half the quantity. 
• Add sugar and half of the chopped nuts continue to simmer till the milk is reduced to 1/3 of the original quantity. 
• Add cardamom and saffron, mix well and switch off. 
• Allow to come to room temperature and add the mango puree. Mix well till well combined. Remove to a bowl and chill for a couple of hours.
• Garnish with the remaining nuts and mango cubes and serve.

Ras Malai

I tried this for the first time for my sister-in-law who loves these. Recipe from indianhealthyrecipes.com

Makes 8 ras malai

Ingredients

For Malai/Rabri

• 3 cups milk 
• saffron threads, a few
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used sugarfree drops)

For Chhena/Indian Cottage Cheese

• 5 cups milk
• 2 to 3 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

For Sugar Syrup

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of cardamom

For Garnish

• Almonds, chopped
• Pistachios. chopped

Preparation

• Bring 3 cups of milk to a boil in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium flame. Add saffron and keep stirring it often.
• Add sugar and continue to stir. Keep moving aside the cream that forms on the top. Continue to stir till the milk is reduced to half the quantity. Switch off and set aside.
• While the malai is being done, bring 5 cups of milk to a boil in another vessel. Add vinegar or lemon juice and keep stirring till the milk curdles completely. Add more vinegar or lemon juice if needed. Switch off and add ice cubes into the vessel.This keeps the chhena soft.
• Strain it through a muslin cloth and tie up the ends. Squeeze out the excess water and hang it for an hour or 1 1/2 hours. (I kept it hung for about 2 hours)
• When the water is completely drained, knead the chhena for about 3 minutes. (You can watch how to knead chhena here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5OATz9GyRQ)
• Divide it into 8 portions, make balls and flatten them. If the edges crack, smoothen them gently. Set aside.
• Bring water and sugar to a boil in another vessel. Add cardamom. When the syrup begins to boil rapidly, add the flattened chhena. Cover and cook on moderately high flame for 8 minutes. They would have doubled in size.
• Take them out one by one, cool and squeeze out the syrup by placing them between 2 spatulas.
• Add them to the malai or rabri.
• Add pistachios and almonds and simmer for about 2 minutes to allow the chhena to absorb the milk. 
• Refrigerate, preferably overnight and serve.

Cafiroleta - Cuban Coconut Delight

Recipe from tasteofcuba.com, courtesy of the Cocina Cubana Club by Sonia Martinez. Tweaked a little to the availability of ingredients. Please try the recipe and leave your comments!

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups grated coconut, tightly packed
• 1 3/4 cups corn syrup (Recipe below)
• 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 3 tbsp white wine

Corn Syrup

Yield 1 3/4 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar  
• 6/8 cups (120 ml) water
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (You can substitute with 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
• 1 pinch salt

Preparation

• Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and put cover for 3 minutes to get sugar crystals off the sides of the pan. Uncover and simmer, stirring often, until it reaches the soft ball stage, about 25 minutes. Cool and store in a covered container at room temperature.
• Syrup should keep for about 2 months.

Before browning

After browning

Served with Homemade Cream Cheese

Preparation

• Mix grated coconut and corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium - high heat until it starts to boil. Add the egg yolks and cook for a few minutes. 
• Add white wine and simmer and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not stir.
• Place the mixture in an oven proof dish and broil until brown on top. (I preheated the oven and baked for about 25 minutes on 200 degrees C).
• Serve hot with or without cream cheese. 

Notes

1. The dish tasted delicious even without browning.
2. The original recipe calls for a can of coconut in heavy syrup. As this is not available even in the supermarkets in Chennai, I checked the ingredients of the can and thus settled for grated coconut and corn syrup in the given proportion.

Cuban Turrones

Recipe from tasteofcuba.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 egg whites

Preparation

• Blanch the almonds and remove the skins. Toast the almonds with hazelnuts in a pan. Stir constantly. Remove the peel from hazelnuts. Chop them fine. Beat the egg whites and add to nuts.
• In the pan, mix the honey and sugar and melt over heat. Add the nut paste, mix and stir constantly for ten minutes and remove from heat.
• Put in shallow dish lined with rice paper (See notes below). When cold, sprinkle cinnamon on top. Cut into small pieces when set.

Notes

Rice paper can be bought from supermarkets. Alternatively, it can be made at home. Recipe below:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rice flour 
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 to 1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsp oil

Preparation

• Mix rice flour and tapioca flour in a bowl. Add in the corn starch and salt. Add 1 tbsp oil and water to mix it to make a thin batter.
• Heat a pan and add the rest of the oil. Pour batter like a pancake and cover it with a lid for 30 seconds. 
• Remove cover and put it on a greased cutting board to get the desired shape.

Cuban Banana Casserole

Recipe from tasteofcuba.com, courtesy Cocina Cubana Club

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 bananas - sliced lengthwise
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced in small cubes
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (You can substitute with almonds)
• 1 tablespoon brandy (I left this out as I didn’t have any!)

Preparation

• Butter the bottom of  a baking dish heavily and line it with half of the bananas. Sprinkle with brown sugar and dot with butter cubes.
• Sprinkle with half of the raisins and pecans or almonds. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. 
• Let cool for 5 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Platanos Maduros (Sweet Fried Plantain)

I happened to be watching the movie Chef yesterday and was so taken up by chef Casper and his food truck Cubanos. Every time Casper had his food truck stationed and his menu written on the chalk board, I was so drooling over it, especially the Platanos Maduros, that I immediately searched for authentic Cuban recipes and tried it out immediately from tasteofcuba.com. The plantain that is so easily available in Cuba is none other our Nendran or Yetham (Nendran is one of the four cultivars of banana that is known as plantain!) from the Kanyakumari - Kerala belt. And it was so easy to make! 

Ingredients

• 2 ripe plantains (Nendran) (the more ripe and black the better - as in the second picture)
• Oil for frying

Preparation

• Cur off the edges, peel the bananas and slice them diagonally about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.
• Heat oil in a pan to about 350 degree F (the oil must sizzle when a drop of water is added.
• Drop the slices in the oil and fry till the bottom is golden and then turn them over and fry till the top side is golden. The edges must be slightly darker and caramelized.

Notes

• You could fry them a little longer so that the sides are darker than golden brown. They actually taste much sweeter and more delicious than the golden brown ones as the sugars caramelize very well.

Tub Trim Grob (Rubies in Coconut Milk)

This is a dessert we tasted in Absolute Thai. I found the recipe at http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/rubies-in-coconut-milk. I tweaked the measurements and the colour a little to taste and colour.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cans whole water chestnuts, about 50 to 60 pieces. See note.
• 15 drops rose (You can mix red colour with rose)
• 2 cups cornstarch
• 1 cup water

Preparation

• Slice each water chestnuts into half, making 2 round disks. Make three more cuts into the disks to make about 12 pieces. 
• Drop the food colouring into the chestnut and stir. 
• Put the cornstarch in a bowl. Drain the chestnuts of any juices and drop them into the cornstarch. Shake the bowl to coat the chestnuts with the flour. Scoop the chestnuts into a strainer and shake off any excess flour. Put them into another bowl. Sprinkle some water over the chestnuts and put them back in the bowl of flour.
• Bring a pot of water to boil. Put the coated chestnuts into the boiling water. The cooked chestnuts will float on the water. Scoop them up in a strainer and dump them in a bowl of ice water.
• Microwave the sugar and water in a cup for about 3 to 4 minutes till syrupy. 
• Divide the chestnut rubies into bowls. Add equal amount of coconut milk and sugar syrup. Add syrup more or less to taste. 
• Serve chilled or with crushed ice.

Note:

Water chestnuts are available online at amazon.in, ebay, etc. They are also available in Amma Nana supermarket, Chennai.

Foxtail Millet - Banana Halwa

Recipe tweaked from Banana Halwa from my blog http://forthetastebud.blogspot.in/2012/01/banana-halwa-from-aval-vikadan.html

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Foxtail millet semolina (grind the millet in a mixer to broken wheat texture, about 30 seconds)       
• 1 ripe banana (Morris variety)
• 1/2 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 cup ghee (can add less as required)
• 1/2 cup water             
• Cashews, fried in ghee/oil

Preparation

• Fry millet semolina in ghee for 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Pour boiling water into the millet semolina and stir till thickened. 
• Mash banana to a smooth paste and add it with sugar to the pan. 
• Keep stirring it till it forms a non-sticky lump.
• Add the fried cashews and serve

Banana Foster

Recipe from http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-bananas-foster-11474

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Salt to taste

Preparation

• Melt butter in a pan over medium heat
• Add sliced bananas and stir for 2 minutes.
• Add brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
• Continue to stir for 2 more minutes at low heat.
• Serve over vanilla ice cream.

Pazham Nirachatu (Coconut Stuffed Banana Fry)

Recipe from: http://feminavaz.blogspot.in/2013/07/pazham-nirachathu-coconut-stuffed.html

Ingredients:

• 5 ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup shredded coconut
• 2 1/2 tbsp
• 10 to 15 cashews, broken
• 3 tbsp flour 
• Oil
• 1 tsp ghee

Preparation:

• Heat 1 tsp ghee. Fry cashews and add coconut and sugar. Saute for a couple of seconds. Remove from flame and set aside.
• Mix flour with 2 to 3 tbsp water and make a thick paste.
• Peel the bananas and make slits lengthwise. Make the slits bigger curves with your thumb.
• Fill the coconut mix into the bananas, pushing the filling with your hands.
• Fill the gap with the flour paste.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the bananas on all sides until golden brown. Remove from oil.
• Cut into 2 pieces and garnish with coconut filling.
• Serve hot.