Food Cravings - How to deal with it?

Most often food cravings are emotionally driven. Specific foods are often wished for as they could rekindle some sort of memory or a setting in the past. Often you might have heard women who are pregnant talking about food cravings and this is caused due to the hormonal changes. Having a diet without much variety could also lead to food cravings. Here are top 5 foods that can satisfy your cravings without causing any risk to your health:

1. Chocolates

The most common craving food is chocolates. The simplest way to help the craving is by having a bite of chocolate, but it is difficult to limit your serving. You could try alternating it with coffee, with DISCOUNT CODES from famous brands. Switch to chocolate brands that have a good cocoa content and less sugar. High sugar could impact your weight and heart health. 

2. French Fries

If you are craving for French fries, it is probably because you feel it is your comfort food. It has a high calorific value as it is rich in fats and carbs. Eating carb-rich food secretes Serotonin that gives you a satisfied and calming effect. Just be sure not to eat more as a large bag of French fries could account to calorific content of a full meal. Try seasoned fries or baked fries instead as they would reduce nearly 200 calories less a serving.

3. Pepperoni Pizza

Pepperoni pizza is usually remembered as a food that is linked with fun times spent with your loved ones. If you do not watch your toppings wisely, a slice of pizza might be high in calories. Do not say no to your pizza, switch to healthier options in your pizza. You could go for a whole-grain pizza base, add more vegetables, reduce the cheese to make it more healthy. You could still add a few slices of pepperoni to satisfy your cravings.

4. Potato Chips

A bag full of potato chips becomes almost inseparable from TV times. The crunchy potato chips have made a classic mark in the cravings list. What makes it worse is its high-calorific value and less nutrition value. The processed chips now have better alternatives. You could go for baked chips, popcorn or a simple bowl of nuts. Intake of processed potato chips on a regular basis could lead to obesity. 

5. Rich ice-cream

Treat foods like creamy ice cream on a warm day is something to naturally crave for. The combination of fat with sugar gives a soothing effect to the person. It is good to have a tiny half-cup serving of rich vanilla ice cream but the difficulty lies in stopping yourself from eating more. You could freeze whipped fruits or smoothies to give a similar texture and taste, and they have no saturated fat content!

Final thoughts:

Nutritionists believe that food can make or break a healthy body. You could use your cravings to positively impact your health. At times, you might not realize that you are gaining weight as you are giving in to your temptations. It is not easy to say to some cravings that demand a specific taste. If you are not able to please your cravings with alternate food, go for bite-sized treats of your cravings. The most important thing to remember is that moderation is the key to success. Do not deprive yourself too much of any cravings as it could lead to negative results. 

Paneer Biryani - Pulav Style!

Paneer Biryani - Pulav Style, simple and quick!

Today was rainy and dull, wanted something quick to boost my sleepy spirits! Here goes, Paneer Pulav, such a simple recipe and perfect every time. I had added a carrot and a handful of peas, which you can keep or skip when you make. You could adapt the same recipe with other vegetables, baby mushroom (you can add it whole - no chopping) or Chicken.

I used no tomatoes in this recipe. If you have a pack of fried onions, you could skip it as well. Kids loved the carrots and called it carrot coins :)

Here goes, do try and let me know!

Ingredients:

Paneer - 250gms (cubed to bite size)
Onion - 2 small chopped
Carrot - 1 sliced as rings
Peas - handful
Curd - 2 Tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tandoori masala - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Chilli Powder - to taste
salt to taste
Oil - 2 Tbsp
whole spices (Bay leaf, cinnamon stick, sombhu, cardamom, cloves)
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups

Method:

1. Soak Basmati rice in water
2. In a bowl add curd, turmeric powder, tandoori masala, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and beat to mix
3. Mix in the paneer, the curd mix, the chopped carrots and peas
4. In a cooker/rice cooker/pan add the oil, add chopped onions and fry till brown.
5. Remove onions in a plate.  
6. Add the whole spices and let the spices release the fragrance in the same oil
7. Add the paneer/veg mix in the oil, let it cook for a minute. 
8. Add soaked rice, and water.
9. Adjust salt to taste and lemon juice
10. Finally add the fried onions and let it cook for 20 minutes in low flame. 

My notes!

If you are in short of time, you could do it in pressure cooker and cook to one whistle (Just add 3 and a half cups of water for 2 cups basmati rice)

If you have more time, cook till step 7, and layer it with cooked Basmati rice. I add 5 cups of water if I am cooking the rice separately and would drain excess water in a sieve. It might take about 10 minutes more than this recipe, considering the cooking time of rice. 

Green prawns fry

Green Prawn Fry - Prawns mixed in a green sauce and shallow fried.

Prawns are my favorite kind of seafood - No bones and easy cleaning. I learnt to clean prawn myself only after I really had to. Back in Chennai it is usually cleaned in the fish market. It was the same picking up the pre packed cleaned ones in supermarkets. In London, however, I sort of felt it was a bit off-taste in the prepacked ones. I sort of felt it lacked flavor. In Leeds market, the prawns come as cleaned or with shell and I think both taste yumm. 

Here is a slight tweak to the usual prawn recipes. 

Do try and let me know!

Ingredients:

Prawn - Cleaned, shell removed - 200 gms

Green Chillies - 3

Pudina - half a bunch

coriander leaves - half a bunch

corn flour - 1 tbsp

Sombu - 1 tsp

Curry leaves to taste

oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Make a paste of Mint leaves (pudina), green chillies, coriander leaves, few curry leaves
2. Add cleaned prawn, one tablespoon corn flour and mix well
3. Let it marinate for 10 minutes
4. In a kadai heat oil and sombu and curry leaves
5. Add marinated prawns and let them curl
6. Serve hot!

My notes:

You could also grill this prawn recipe. Sometimes, I add onions, capsicum as well along, marinate, and grill them in skewers.

Kari Kulzhambu aka Mutton Kurma

Kari Kulzhambu aka Mutton Kurma

Mutton Kurma - Mutton cooked with rich cashew coconut gravy and potatoes, best served with idly, Dosai, Chapathi, or rice! 

Most weekends at my mom's home start with a hot steaming plate of idly with this Mutton Kurma for breakfast. Well, I would be mostly waking up on the aroma of this gravy only! Lunch would be again this mutton gravy with steamed rice and chicken or mutton dry fry for the side. Well, I should say the Mutton gravy will taste awesome even with a little mango pickle. If there by any chance the Mutton Kurma is left over, it will be again happily there for dinner with hot piping dosa or Chapathi. Really it tastes great with anything! Best part, you don't easily get bored of its taste!!!

Even those who don't prefer eating mutton will surely enjoy eating this gravy. This recipe is my mom's specialty.

Do try and let me know your feedback!!!

Ingredients:

For pressure cooking:

Mutton - 3/4kgs

tomato - 1 chopped
Potato - 1 chopped

Ginger Garlic Onion Paste - 3 tbsp

salt to taste

For Grinding finely

Coconut - 1

Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp

Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
Red chilies - 3
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Whole Black pepper - 1 tsp
Saunf/Sombu - 1 tsp

For Frying:
Onion - 3 chopped
Green Chillies - 2 slit
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Whole spices
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
1 green cardamom
1-inch pattai
Cooking oil

Method:
1. Wash mutton clean until there are no traces of blood. The fatty white parts of the mutton should be retained for taste. If you would prefer having lesser fat, you can remove it partly.
2. Pressure cook the mutton with chopped tomatoes and ginger garlic paste. Depending on the age of the meat, it would be tender. I usually let it cook for 10 whistles in the cooker. If the meat is not tender, cook it again till it is soft. The meat should not be chewy
3. Once cooked, place the cooker to release the pressure on its own. Meanwhile, grind the coconut, cashew nuts, and poppy seeds. Make it to a fine paste.  Add the spices under grinding and make it to a smooth paste
4. In a kadai, add one tablespoon cooking oil, add the whole spices listed in the ingredients, let it release the fragrance. Now, add chopped onions and green chilies. when it is golden in color, add the cooked mutton with the liquid. You could strain a cup of the stock and use it as a soup. Add enough soup to keep your preferred consistency
5. Add the ground coconut mixture to the kadai once it starts boiling.
6. Add salt to taste
7. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves for an extra zesty flavor.

My Notes!
If you have someone who doesn't like mutton, you could add more potatoes along with the mutton. It gives a fantastic combo. The mutton cooked with potatoes will also give you a thicker gravy. You can omit the potatoes as well!
I have always loved this gravy and would be ready to have it anytime. Have tried it for potlucks with friends and they were absolutely delighted with the Kari Kolambu taste :) Hope you have fun making it as I did! 

Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna - Layered Pasta with vegetables in a delicious
cheese sauce

I have always loved the smell when I bake pasta. The aroma of rich cheese melting in the warmth of the oven fills your home in no time. Lasagna was one recipe that I tried to avoid as it has always seemed too complex. I couldn't resist trying it out after I had it in a Pizza Express when I visited the Cambridge. 

Watched lasagna making videos online on youtube and finally mustered the courage to try out this delicacy at home. I did not want to make it a non-veg pasta and chose vegetables instead. You could easily alter the recipe with chicken or cooked meat instead of the vegetables.

Here is my super easy recipe for lasagna. 

Ingredients

For Bechamel sauce

2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon plain flour
150 ml milk
salt and pepper to taste
spices, if preferred

For the vegetable sauce

2 cups chopped vegetables
1 cup pureed fresh tomatoes 
1 onion chopped
salt and spices to taste


For assembling
Instant lasagna sheets
Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoon
Grated mature cheddar 2 tablespoon


Method:

For lasagna, I made two sauces. One is bechamel sauce and other is a mixed vegetable sauce. The basic steps of making lasagna are:

1. Prepare your sauces
2. Layer them with the lasagna sheets
3. Bake it
4. Relish! 

For bechamel sauce, take a spoon butter in a pan and add one tsp flour, add the milk n let it thicken. Add salt, spices and pepper to taste. I added a pinch of dried basil.

For the vegetable sauce, saute onions n chopped vegetables. I used carrot n  beans but you can add any veggies. Add pureed fresh tomatoes and let it simmer and thicken. when the sauce is thick, add salt and spices. Remove from fire.

Layering:

When you choose a baking pan, choose something that would fit your lasagna sheets without breaking them. I used a loaf pan as I cooked just for the kids. First, apply some butter or oil to make sure that the pasta would not stick to the pan. Add the vegetable sauce and keep the first layer of pasta. Then, add a layer of bechamel sauce and add vegetable sauce over it. Add the grated cheese and cover it again with a pasta layer. Layer it again till the pan is 3/4th full.

Now, top it with a layer of freshly grated cheese. Cover it with foil and bake it for 20 minutes on 180 deg.

After 20 minutes, remove foil and bake it for another 15 minutes to make it bubbly and crisp on top.

Vegetable Lasagna is ready to relish!

Notes:

Many recipes on the internet seem too complex. I have tried to simplify it by making a single sauce with the vegetables and tomatoes. You could even make the sauce a single one by adding cream to it.

If you are concerned about calories, you can substitute butter with oil and milk with fat free milk.

Creamy Mushroom Curry

Yummy Mushrooms Served With Rice

I come from a family where they don't cook mushrooms! My Granny thinks that they are only part of the fungus group that grows in a dirty way! It was funny making her understand that mushrooms were edible and can be cooked into a very tasty dish. I told her my recipe on the phone and she was excited about it.

Here is my recipe for the Creamy Mushroom curry:

Ingredients

Mushroom - 1 Packet

Onions - 1 small, finely chopped

Green Chillies - 3 or 4 (Reduce it if you cannot take spicy food)

Butter - 1 tbsp

Three Cream Pasta Sauce - 2 Tbsp

Oil - To sautee

Oregano, salt and pepper - To Taste


How To Proceed

• On a pan, add oil and heat it to medium
• Add the green chillies and onions. Saute it till they brown at the edges.
• Add the mushrooms (I cut them into two halves, you can chop them into smaller pieces or add them as whole if they are button sized)
• When the mushrooms brown, and water oozes from them, reduce the heat.
• Add 2 tablespoons of Three cream pasta sauce and one tablespoon of butter
• Let it cook till the you get a nice aroma of creamy mushrooms. 
• Add Oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve it hot with rice or roti or bread of your choice

Note

I love them when they are hot. It tastes very good on a cold winter afternoon. If you do not have the pasta sauce, you can add shredded cheddar cheese and a little milk mixed with cornstarch. It will give you the same taste. If you do not have cornstarch, you can add a little all-purpose flour as well. 

Carrot n cheese muffins

Delicious Carrot and cheese muffins - A great evening snack!

If the smell of baking makes you go crazy, but you do not have a sweet tooth, then this is a perfect recipe for you!

Savory muffins are one of my favorite breakfast options as they are liked by all, especially the man of my house who doesn't enjoy a baked treat, would be happy to indulge on these lovely muffins.

If you are bored of the usual sweety and gooey muffins, give these lovely muffins a try. You will sure impress!

It will in no time become a family favorite!

These Muffins can be had both hot and cold, and can even be stored for a few days too. Try them out and do let me know!

Ingredients:

For making 6 medium Muffins

Cake flour/Maida - 1 cup (makes 6 medium muffins)

Grated carrot - 3 tbsp

Grated cheese - 3 tbsp

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Milk - 2 tbsp
Curd - 2 tbsp
Sugar - A pinch

How to Proceed:

• First take 2 bowls, in the first bowl, measure 1 cup maida or all purpose flour
• Add baking powder and salt and sugar
• Add grated carrot and Cheese and gently mix
• In the second bowl, add Oil, Milk, Curd and Sugar
• Mix well until it is frothy, use a hand blender for best results
• Now, add the liquid mix into the dry mix
• Mix gently to combine, a spatula will help
• Grease Muffin trays or place parchment paper in the muffin tray
• Fill out 2/3rds of the muffin holder
• Preheat the oven to 200 C for 15 min
• Bake on a preheated oven for 15min or until done
• Serve after it has cooled down a bit

Notes:

You can add any vegetables or even cooked meat while you make them. Broccoli, cooked peas or even nuts of your choice can be added.
Goes well with a hot cuppa chai on a rainy evening!

Peas Pulav

Peas Pulav - Basmathi rice cooked in coconut milk and flavored with spices and cashewnuts

Peas Pulav is one of the easiest and quickest rice dish that anyone would love! It tastes great with Chicken or any spicy vegetable curry. My mom used to make it regularly for my lunch when i was in college and school.. It is always fun to eat a tasty lunch box!!!

Instead of Peas, we can add vegetables of our choice and make it too.. Do try and enjoy!!!


Ingredients: 

For 2 people 

Basmathi rice - 1 cup (presoak for about half n hour in water before cooking)
Onion - 1 (sliced into lengthwise pieces) 
Green chillies - 6 (slit lengthwise, I usually add 2 or 3 more, add less if you prefer it less spicy) 
Peas - 1 cup full (if using vegetables add carrots, beans, cauliflower, brocolli, capsicum, babycorn etc diced into small chunks, 1 cup full)
Cashewnuts - 1 handful (add more for nut lovers!!!)
Cooking oil - 3 tablespoons
Ghee or butter - 5 tablespoons
Jeera - 1tsp
Pattai - 1 small piece (cinnamon stick)
Brinji leaf - 1
Green cardamom - 2 pods
Cloves - 1 or 2 
Mint leaves - 1 tablesppon (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Coconut milk - half a cup (thick milk) (u can substitute with full fresh cream or even milk, but the flavor would be different for each)
Salt - per taste
Lemon - to taste

How to Proceed:

• Add cooking oil in a pressure cooker pan and add Pattai, Brinji leaf, Green cardamom, cloves and Jeera
• Add sliced onions and green chillies and fry till the onions turn glassy (do not let the colour change)
• Add ginger garlic paste and chopped mint leaves and saute well.
• Add the peas and let it mix well, do not let the peas cook! (if your adding vegetables, add them and do not let them cook either!)
• Add the Basmathi rice draining all the water. Mix well
• Add half a cup coconut milk (or fresh cream or plain milk) and add salt and squeeze half a lemon
• Add 1 and half cups water and check for salt (it should be a little salty as rice cooks, it will be perfect)
• Add a tablespoon of Ghee or butter before closing the lid (will make sure the rice doesn't stick)
• Let it cook for only one whistle
• Add ghee or butter in a pan and roast the cashewnuts, add to rice once pressure is released (if your lazy, saute the cashews while you add spices itself, but the cashews will be cooked lightly in the pulav! Its tasty either way)
• voila! your Peas pulav is ready

Notes:

I usually add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of Basmathi rice, so make sure the water to rice ratio is correct, that is count coconut milk also as water (so for 1 cup rice its 1 n half cup water : Half cup coconut milk) 

When your cooking for 2 cups rice, add one cup coconut milk and 3 cups water.
Serve hot with a spicy gravy and plain raitha!

Parupu Kolambhu

Parupu kolambhu- a must in every authentic Parakai meal!

Parupu kolambhu - a usual dhal gravy with an unusual twist with coconut paste.. I believe my native cooking cannot exist without coconuts! No need to worry on calories, really doesn't affect you when you have these cooking combinations.. Do try and enjoy!!!

Ingredients: 

For 2 people 

Moong dhal - 1 cup (dry roast in a pan for about 2min until raw smell goes before cooking)

To temper

Cooking oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1tsp

Curry leaves few

Red chilly - 1

To grind

Jeera - 1tsp

Dry red chilli 3 or 4 per taste

Coconut - half a cup

A pinch turmeric

A pinch of Hing

Salt - per taste

How to Proceed:

• Pressure cook the moong dhal with sufficient water
• Put all the ingredients under to grind in a mixer and make it into a paste. It should be a mild coarse paste and not very smooth.
• Mash up the moong dhal once it is cooked with the back of the ladle.
• Add the ground mixture to this
• Bring this to boil and keep stirring occasionally
• Once it starts to boil up, turn off the stove
• In a Kadai, temper mustard seeds and curry leaves with one red chilli in a little oil 
• Add the tempering into the dhal gravy
• It is ready. Serve Hot

Notes:

Parupu kolambu- It goes best with a dollop of ghee and a murumuru crispy Papad. Usually, this is served first in every wedding meal. It is a loved dish at home. Kids just love the flavour!

Do try and let me know!

Potato and peas masala

Peas and potato masala is one of my family's favorite recipe. It goes well with almost any dish. Be it calorie conscious chapathis or flavor rich pulav. Even with plain sambhar or curd rice this dish tastes divine! 

Now being season for fresh green peas it can easily make your day..

Do try out!

Ingredients:

Potato or baby potato - 250gms 

Onion - 1 big chopped

Tomatoes - 1 big chopped

Green chilli - 2 or 3 slit 

Chilli powder - 1tsp

Turmeric - 1tsp

Coriander powder - 1tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1tbsp

Mustard -1tsp

Jeera- 1tsp

Curry leaves few

Coriander leaves to garnish

How to proceed:

Boil potatoes and peel them. We can add baby potatoes as whole and big ones can be mashed up lightly to make small pieces.

In a wide pan or kadai add cooking oil and temper mustard and jeera and add few curry leaves

Saute onion and green chillies until glassy onion is glassy

 Add tomato and green peas and cook until tomatoes get soft

Now add all powders, viz chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt

when raw smell of chilli powder changes add boiled and peeled potatoes

Mix well and let it cook for few min

Garnish with coriander leaves

Notes:

A little amchur or chat powder can be added for extra zing

When fresh peas are not available soaked up dry peas can be used.

Happy cooking and eating!

Mutaikose thovaram

Muttaikose Thovaram - Mildly spiced Cabbage with coconut , a great accompaniment with rice.

As a child, I really hated cabbage. I did not like the bland taste of Cabbage.. But today I often cook cabbage. This recipe was adapted from my MIL, the usual way of cooking in my native, Nagercoil. It did surprise my city friends too, just like how it surprised me.. Its a try worthy recipe.

This goes well with Sambhar rice or any south Indian gravy with rice.

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 2 cups, cut into thin strips
Fresh Coconut - 3 or 4 tbs
Jeera - 1 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Moong Dhal - 1 Tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Salt to taste

Oil - to saute

Method:

To Grind:

In a small Mixer, grind together coconut, green chillies and Jeera. Do not add water while grinding and grind only until a coarse mixture is formed

To Proceed:

• Pressure cook the cabbage with 1/4 cups water for one whistle. (Instead, we can cook it on stove top also, but it will be more time consuming)
• In a kadai, saute moong dhal and mustard in oil until they splutter and add curry leaves, once it becomes crisp
• Now add the cooked cabbage from the cooker and cook until the water gets reduced. 
• Add the ground coconut mixture and fry a little until the raw smell goes.
• Serve hot.

Note:

Even after the food gets cold, its tasty, so its a perfect lunch box recipe.

You can Substitute cabbage with any vegetable like carrot, beans, broad beans etc..

Enjoy and do let me know how it worked for you!!!

Chocolate Pancake

Layered Chocolate Pancakes - Absolute Delight!

Pancakes are the western version of our beloved Indian dosa. My first experience having a pancake was when we visited the Darjeeling. The menu card sported "butter pancake" and I gladly ordered it as I thought it was some sort of cake made with butter, to my surprise, it was just a maida dosa, which my mom often made, topped with small cubes of butter!
Pancakes are much easier to make than dosa, no fermenting, so can be made anytime. It can be had for breakfast or even a mid evening snack. It has a very good taste too. I don't like to add eggs in my pancakes, which makes them even better, even for my vegetarian friends to relish them.
I have tried making a variety of pancakes including berry pancakes, banana pancakes, plain pancakes and chocolate pancakes. Should say that chocolate pancakes were the best.
These pancakes can also be made without the layers and white chocolate filling. Its just an additional effect to enhance the taste of the pancakes. Its best to stack up two or three pancakes and relish it!
So, here's how I made them:

Ingredients:

For the Pancakes:

1 cup flour [I used half cup whole wheat flour (atta) and half cup all purpose flour (maida)] 

Half cup Chocolate powder (you can use dark/light cocoa powder, or even chocolate mix powders like milo, complan, nesquick)

1 tablespoon Oil (any neutral oil will do)

1 tablespoon sugar (can be reduced or even omitted according to taste)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence (it gives a delightful flavor)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk (can be replaced by soymilk or nut milk also, for vegans) 
1 pinch salt

For the White chocolate filling:

Any white chocolate slab (like milkybar or Cadburys Dream - It can be omitted though I recommend adding some for a rich taste)

Half cup grated coconut (can also use dried coconut powder) 
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon milk or coconut milk or cream (I used plain milk)

Method:

For the Pancake:

• Mix the flour, chocolate powder or cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
• Mix the oil, water and vannila essence in a small bowl and mix thoroughly
• Add the liquid mix to the dry mix. Mix well using a spoon. Add milk if required.
• Set aside

For the white chocolate frosting filling:

• In a mixer, blend coconut flakes till they form a buttery texture. Scrape down the sides as necessary.
• Once it gets a creamy form, add vannila essence, any white chocolate slab(a little piece of milkybar will do) and sugar and blend again.
• Add a little milk or cream to make it semi-liquid or spread like consistence

How to proceed:

• In a hot pan, pour a spoonful of pancake mix, making it in a small round shape
• Add butter or cooking oil as desired and flip the pancake once it gets cooked
• Keep the stove in low flame as chocolate gets burned quickly in high flame
• In a plate, place the pancake and layer it with the white chocolate frosting mix
• Make another pancake, roughly the same size of the first one and stack it over the frosting white chocolate mix
• Apply another layer of white chocolate and top it with another pancake

Note:

For vegans, you can avoid milk and add coconut milk or any nuts milk instead. 

The layered Chocolate Pancakes are ready!!!

Enjoy and do let me know how it worked for you!!!

Orange Marmalade

A small bowl of fresh marmalade with fresh orange!!!

This recipe makes 3 jars like these

Last week we got a bag of oranges and I was wondering how to best use them without wasting! Well, got an idea to try out Jam or Marmalade from my dear hubby.. so read recipes online and offline but was not sure if I could really make it. The recipes simply seemed so complicated! but luckily got a simpler recipe which needed no pectin or preservatives and no difficult heart-breaking cooking terms.. so gave a try and was happily surprised to get the marmalade intact!

A must try for all who doubt your cooking skills :) and definitely you will love the freshness in taste compared to the store bought Jams and Spreads. Also, its cheaper too.. about 6 oranges gives you around 3 bottles of Jam.

Ingredients:

Oranges (Any type of orange, bitter ones also can give u good taste) - 6 nos
Sugar                                                                                                    - 1.2 kg (roughly 6 cups)
Lemon                                                                                                  - 1 nos

The orange skin floats atop on the marmalade!

Water (as required)

Method:

• First wash the oranges well in clean water to remove any dust particles
• Drop the oranges in a big pan and add water to cover them. Add a lemon along with the orange and set to heat. 
• Let the oranges simmer for about 2 hours. Do not boil them or cook them. Slow cooking gives the best results
• After the oranges gets bloated up after 2 hours, remove them from the pan and cut into halves and scoop out the pulp along with the seeds (if any) and add it back to the pan and set to boil
• Now wash the orange peels/ skin and remove the white layer inside the skin using a spoon and chop the orange skin into small pieces
• The orange mixture would have boiled by now, remove from fire and let it cool down a bit.
• Place a muslin cloth in a strainer and strain out the juice from the orange pulp mixture. 
• Around 5 cups of concentrated juice will be obtained from the mixture, (if it seems less, add extra orange juice or water to it to make 5 cups) 
• Now put the chopped orange skin, extracted juice and the sugar back to the pan and stir until the sugar gets dissolved
• Bring to boil with occasional stirring to prevent scorching. Make sure the stove is low to prevent over flowing
• After about 20 min, you will find the mixture turning into a darker shade. Boil until you get one string consistency
• To test, place a drop in a cold saucer and place in freezer for 2 min to see if gets set. (If it gets set, you can remove from fire, if not continue boiling till you get to that stage.)
• Let it cool for a minute, stir gently and remove any froth if present
• Pour into glass bottles or jars or cans and leave about half inch head space
• Seal it as you like and let it set out overnight. 
• Refrigerate once you break the seal and start using them.

Note:

This recipe makes about 3 Jars of Marmalade.
The white layer under the orange peel gives the bitter taste, for those who like the bitter sweet taste, do not remove the white part. 


Do send in your feedback and let me know how things worked!