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Orange-Saffron Pudding
by Molly O'Neill
Suneeta Vaswani, a chef, cooking instructor, and cookbook author who lives in Houston, tempts her picky-eater grandchildren with this wonderful pudding. Its delicate flavor is a welcome counterpoint to a meal of spicy tandoori chicken.
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon slivered almonds
1 tablespoon raisins
1/3 cup cream of wheat cereal
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed with the side of a heavy knife
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 (10-ounce) can mandarin orange slices, drained
1. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave 1/4 cup of the milk on high until very hot. Add the saffron and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Melt the butter in a wok or large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and raisins and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the cream of wheat and continue cooking and stirring until it turns golden, about 2 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the saffron milk, cardamom, orange rind, and remaining 1 3/4 cups milk, whisking until there are no lumps. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is about as thick as pancake batter, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Stir in the sugar and orange juice; the mixture will thin and curdle slightly, but will become smooth again as it cooks. Continue to stir and simmer until the mixture thickens again, 6 to 8 minutes more. Pour into a heat-safe serving dish and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes more. Decorate the top of the pudding with mandarin slices before serving.
Makes 6 servings.
Adapted from Suneeta Vaswani's Complete Book of Indian Cooking (Robert Rose, 2006).
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