Christmas Carrot Pudding and Happy New Year

Now that merry, terry and humari Christmas fever has subsided and with epiphany near, I thought perhaps it’s time to take off the festive spirited or the ”brandy”-dized hat and welcome on board a brand new year. So, here wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and peaceful new year.

This Christmas pudding recipe was made on Christmas Eve. I know its way back, but with last day of the 12 day celebrations, I thought it should finish on a sweet note, and also as a welcome post for a new year ahead.

We have always bought the store-bought Christmas pudding, but some how I was looking to re-create that magic in my kitchen. Yes, I wanted a genie who can churn out this magical recipe in my home. And in this case, the genie was Google, as I looked, read and searched Christmas pudding recipes in the internet, it left me confused. But at the end of all those searches like “Bharat ek khoj” …. I came up with this recipe, as I haven’t strictly followed any recipes out there; this has become almost our version. And that is what, recipes can do, once you share your version, there will be many other version- 2.1, 3.1, 4.1 etc ……

If you are prepared for high power bills and if it’s ok for you to run your kitchen gas for 4- 4 ½ hrs, then I should say please, read ahead , otherwise there are plenty of well decorated and pre- made Christmas pudding bowls, available in grocery shops.

If you still want that “ghar –ka” flavor type of Christmas pudding, then go ahead and do make, recipe has been shared with you.

Christmas carrot and raisin pudding

Recipe requirements

• 1 cup of plain flour
• 4 whole meal breads or 2 cups of bread crumbs
• 30 to 40 gms of butter
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1 medium free range egg
• 2 tsp of cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp of nutmeg powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 2 cups of assorted dried fruits- almonds, walnuts, dried craneberries, currants, glazed cherries
• 1 ½ cup of raisins
• 2 cups of tightly packed shredded carrots
• 2 tbs of brandy/orange juice
• ½ tsp of orange zest
• ¼ tsp of salt

Method

• Before you start making Christmas pudding, soak the assorted dried fruits and raisins in orange juice for 3-4 days. If you are comfortable with using alcohol, you can use that as well – like brandy or rum, otherwise soaking them in orange juice is still manageable. I have used up –chopped walnuts, almonds, dried currants, cranberries, candied orange etc as assorted dried fruits.
• Now toast 4 whole meal breads well, making it very crisp, cut off the sides and pulse in a mixer to get fresh bread-crumbs. You can use the store-brought bread-crumbs as well.
• Take 2 medium size carrots, and shred them with steel boxed shredder. This should come to 2 cups of tightly packed shredded carrots. Carrots give nice moisture to the overall flavor of pudding.
• Now in a big mixing bowl, take plain flour, bread crumbs, and baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon powder. Mix in all the ingredients.
• In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.Add in one egg also.Mix in well.- ( Add in muscavado sugar for better taste.)
• Add in shredded carrots, soaked dried fruits, raisins, chopped glazed cherries, orange zest and brandy. Start mixing all very gently, it should collect well and should be of dropping consistency.If required add in little bit of more orange juice, to get that dropping consistency.Add in orange zest also.
• Now mix in all the wet ingredients of this bowl with the other mixing bowl of flour , bread crumbs etc.
• Now take two bowls, or pudding moulds if available. Grease the bowls with some oil.
• Now cut greaseproof paper in two rounds, just to cover both pudding bowls. Similarly, cut out aluminium foil in two rounds, as just to cover the bowls.
• Divide the batter into two portions. Drop the batter in to the greased bowl, and cover it with first greaseproof paper and then top of it with aluminium foil. Secure the bowl by tying thread around it.
• Take two big enough saucepans, where you can safely place these two bowls. I have used pressure cooker vessel and one large saucepan.Use the vessel and cover with the lid, taking off the whistle, no need to lock the pressure cooker vessel with lid.
• Place two small can –lids (jam can lids works fine) in the middle of each saucepan. Fill the saucepan with water up to 1/3 of the area.
• Now, start the gas and let the water come to a boiling temperature. Now very carefully place the two pudding moulds into the saucepan, over that jam-can lids.Cover the saucepans with lid and put the flame to low heat. Let it steam-cook, covered for about 4 – 4 ½ hrs. Once it’s done, let it rest for a while.

Serve warm and with caramel sauce or cream. We had this with ice-cream as well. Trust me every bite that you take in, is filled with that heavenly flavor and aroma. This pudding stays fresh for 2-3 days.

happy cooking friends and a happy new year .....