The Big Sweet Tooth: Rose Milk Pudding

The weather seems to be changing rapidly and all you can see around are people who are either coughing, sneezing, or both!!! The days are foggy, which normally indicates weather changes in this part of the world. This change causes a lot of havoc with the health of people. The nights are starting to get less cold and becoming more better for walking, though I am not doing that! After work, it gets difficult to even find some time for myself and with the kids alone at home, I don't feel like doing it. The time I get to spend with them is always the best relaxation I can get once I go home, so I really don't want to miss out on the time I get with them, so my walks take a backseat for the time being. :)

Another pudding to the list of my easy-to-make lazy-head ideas - I was tempted to make this as a part of a bragging session in our office. A colleague had spoken at large on how lovely rose milk tasted when hardened by china grass. He kept saying the same thing for almost three days, and finally, not being able to hold my temptation, I went ahead and made it. Yes, very easy and very simple... and tastes good too... I shared a couple of moulds with the colleagues who had endured his speech and him as well, and everybody loved it...

Rose Milk Pudding

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500 ml milk

1/2 can condensed milk

1/2 cup water

5 gm agar-agar strands (china grass)

3 tbsp rose syrup

Method:

Soak the agar-agar in the water for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the milk and condensed milk in a saucepan and cook on low flame. Microwave the agar-agar for around 3 minutes, 1 minute at a time and stirring in between till warm. Add this mixture into the milk mixture and continue cooking till the agar-agar dissolves. Cook on low flame so that the milk does not get stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Finally add in the rose syrup, cook for another 5 minutes and switch off. Pour into moulds or into a small glass pan, and allow to cool. Cover and leave it in the fridge for minimum of one hour to set.

Cut into pieces and serve with extra rose syrup, nuts, chocolate chips or anything you like to!

Notes:

One thing I forgot to do was to sieve the mixture before pouring into moulds, that's why you can see those strands at the top of the pudding when inverted. Though it looks beautiful, I really wouldn't prefer it! So it is better to strain the mixture and then allow it to set.