Caramel Pudding

Caramel Pudding is the  easy-to-make pudding , very popular all over India but made especially well by the Parsis, Mangaloreans (both from Western India) and the Anglo-Indians. It can be steamed in a pressure cooker or baked in the oven.

INGREDIENTS
For Caramelized Sugar

• Sugar - 4 tbsp
• Water - 1 tbsp

For Pudding

• Milk - 250 ml
• Large eggs - 3
• Sugar - 4 tbsp
• Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Unsalted butter - for greasing

PREPARATION

• Combine the sugar and water into a pot and place it on medium flame.Stir the mixture continuously till the sugar completely caramelizes and changes its colour to dark golden in colour.
• You can see big bubbles,when sugar starts to caramelize, to avoid those bubbles you  can add few drops of water.
• Grease the small bowl with the unsalted butter and then pour about 1 tsp of caramalized sugar into each bowl.Keep it aside.

• Whisk all the eggs in one bowl.Keep it aside.
• Combine milk and sugar in another pot and place on the low flame only to dissolves sugar completely in milk.
• Then mix in the milk mixture into egg mixture.Add vanilla essence and mix everything well.
• Strain the mixture to avoid any egg white strands.
• Pour the mixture into greased bowl with the caramelized sugar at the bottom of the bowl.
• Seal all the bowls with the aluminium foil.
• Steam the pudding bowls on low -medium flame for about 20 minutes. I steamed them in the simple non stick pan with the water in it.You can also steam them in the pressure cooker without the whistle.
• When done, unseal  the bowls and allow the pudding to cool down.
• Refrigerate the pudding bowls for about 4 to 5 hours.
• When the pudding is set, take it out of the refrigerator, using the knife loosen the edges of the pudding and turn over on to the plate.
• Caramel pudding is ready to serve.

Note

• When caramelized sugar is cooked, at that instant pour the caramelized mixture into the bowls or ramekins. Because there are chances of the caramelized sugar to get harden.
• Unsalted butter prevents the sticking of the pudding to the bowls.
• Do not the steam the pudding on high flame, this may leave the pudding uncooked.