Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

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Salted Jaggery Caramel Banana Pudding

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Banana pudding is one of my ALL TIME favorite desserts!

It’s pretty standard wherever you go– vanilla pudding mix, sliced bananas, some type of cookie base – usually vanilla wafers – topped with fluffy whipped cream. It’s simple yet heavenly.

My version does something a little special – I incorporate a salted caramel made with jaggery, a molasses-like Indian palm sugar and top with some crunchy peanut chikki – a peanut brittle made of jaggery.

I keep the other elements the same (after all if it ain’t  broke don’t fix it), only I add some cream cheese to the pudding to help balance out the sweetness.

The salted jaggery caramel is simple enough – unlike making regular caramel which is very easy to burn, I make a sauce using butter, water, and some heavy cream yielding a thick and luscious result.

This Salted Caramel Jaggery Banana Pudding is perfect for your next summertime gathering and a fun version of your favorite classic!

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Ingredients

  • 2-3 Bananas
  • 2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
  • 15-20 cookie of your choice (nila wafers, ginger snaps, chessmans)
  • 1 5 oz vanilla pudding mix package
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 8 oz block cream cheese
  • 1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 peanut chikki bar optional

Jaggery Caramel Sauce

  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1/3 cup jaggery (powder or cut very finely)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

Jaggery Caramel Sauce

  1. In a small sauce pan, melt your butter. Add your sugar, water, salt, heavy cream. Combine and stir on medium-high heat. Bring to boil then lower the heat. Cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken while it cools.

Banana Pudding

  1. In a large bowl, empty your pudding mix. Add milk according to package instructions. Combine. Beat in softened cream cheese along with sweetened condensed milk until mixture is smooth and creamy. Set aside.

  2. In a separate bowl, whip up one cup of heavy cream until soft peaks are formed. Incorporate about a 1/3 of the whipped cream into the pudding mix. The rest of the whipped cream will be used to top the pudding at the end.

Assembly

  1. Line a large casserole dish (ideally around 13 X 8), with your cookies. Add your pudding mixture on top.

  2. Add your sliced bananas. Before adding them squeeze a little bit of lemon or lime juice. This will help prevent browning.

  3. Continue layering – I usually get about three. Once you get to your final layer, add your whipped cream. Top with your salted jaggery caramel. Add pieces of your peanut chikki. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours in the fridge before serving.

Thai Beef Salad Nachos

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Nachos are one of my favorite things to make for an iftar party. They are super versatile because literally anything will taste delicious on a hot bed of tortilla chips and melted cheese.  

I created an Indian version last year – my chicken tikka nachos (please do check that out!) that was a real hit, but this time I wanted to do a simple Thai version that required a little less work.  

I came across the dish – Nam Tok a few months ago –  a lovely salad consisting of tender strips of beef seasoned in soy sauce and fish sauce and palm sugar and garlic with a fresh salad consisting of onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, and basil. When turned into a nachos dish, it’s a much lighter take than a traditional beans, ground beef, and cheese combo but still incredibly savory.

Instead of salsa, I top my nachos with a good amount of sriracha for extra heat. You can of course add extra condiments like sour cream, guacamole, etc. But these are great just as written too!

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Thai Beef Salad Nachos

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Beef Marinade

  • 1 lb beef or lamb (cut into strips)
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes or to taste
  • 1 Tbsp chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp palm sugar may substitute with regular or brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1 serrano chilie

Salad

  • 1 green onion
  • 1 Tbsp basil optional
  • 3 Tbsp cilantro
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2-3 small cucumbers (or 1 large)
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 lime
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Nachos Assembly

  • 3-4 cups Tortilla Chips
  • 8 oz cheese of your choice (shredded)
  • 2-3 Tbsp sriracha hot sauce
  • sour cream, guacamole, salsas optional – to taste

Instructions

Thai Beef

  1. Combine marinade ingredients (fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, palm sugar, chili flakes) and mix well. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. You may also leave overnight in the fridge.

  2. If using a less tender cut, add meat to pressure cooker to tenderize. Afterwards add to a hot skillet with oil and fry until crispy and caramelized. You may also add a serrano chilie if you like for extra heat. Squeeze some lime juice over the top and taste and adjust for seasoning.

  3. Salad

  4. Dice onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, cilantro, green onion finely. Add salt, pepper, and lime juice. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

  5. Assembly

  6. Set your oven broiler to 500 F. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper, add one layer of tortilla chips.

  7. Toss the meat and shredded cheese evenly. Place in oven for about 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts.

  8. Once the cheese has melted, remove and add your salad. Squeeze some sriracha all over. Feel free to add extra condiments such as sour cream, beans, guacamole, and various salsas and hot sauces. Your nachos are ready to serve!

Low-Carb Pad Thai

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Pad Thai is a phenomenal noodle dish, but if you’re trying to watch the calories it isn’t always the most ideal thing to eat.

Luckily, I stumbled across an amazing solution.

I found these fabulous shirataki tofu noodles that absolutely do the trick. Unlike rice or flour noodles, shirataki noodles are made out of the fiber of yam – which allow them to be a low-calorie option. The trick to preparing them is to not boil them. Just drain and wash under cold water and then allow that water to evaporate over medium-high heat.

A pad thai sauce is a delicate balance of sweet, sour, and salty respectively in the forms of palm sugar, tamarind, and fish sauce. Getting the ratio right can be a bit difficult, especially since brands can vary – so make sure to taste and adjust before adding it in to your stir-fry.

What goes in a pad thai is totally up to your personal preference – some people like egg, some people don’t. Some people do just sprouts, some do carrots, some do both. Pick and choose whatever you have on hand – it will be fine, I promise.

Pad thai is so simple and easy to make at home, please do give these a try even if you are on a diet!

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Low-Carb Pad Thai

A low-carb version of pad thai using shirataki noodles. 

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Shiratake Tofu Noodles (2 8 oz packs) comes in different varieties, feel free to use whichever you’d like
  • 6 oz tofu (or substitute with protein of your choice)
  • 4 green onions
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup carrot (cut into matchsticks of ribbons)
  • 1/3 cup sprouts
  • 1.5 Tbsp roasted peanuts (crushed)
  • 1 small cucumber optional

Pad Thai Sauce

  • 3 Tbsp tamarind concentrate amount needed may vary, depending on brand you’re using!
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 4 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 59 grams palm sugar (3 cubes) may substitute with 2-3 Tbsp of brown sugar
  • 2 tsp red chili flakes (or to taste)

Instructions

Pad Thai Sauce

  1. Combine palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind and water in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Mix. Microwave for a few more 30 second intervals until palm sugar has dissolved. You can also do this over the stovetop. If you are using brown sugar, you can skip the microwave. Just mix until the brown sugar is combined!

    Note – You may need less or more of the tamarind concentrate depending on the brand you’re using! I use the Thai brand pictured above. Make sure to taste and adjust. It should be a balance of sweet, salty, and sour!

Shirataki Tofu Noodles

  1. Drain the noodles and rinse well under cold water. Do not boil. Add to a hot wok or pan on medium-high heat with no oil just so you can evaporate the water and allow the noodles to slightly crisp up. Once the water has been evaporated fully, remove from pan.

Stir-Fry

  1. Add your oil to the wok. Now add in your protein. Cook for a few minutes, then add in you green onions (white ends) and garlic. Cook down. Make sure not to burn the garlic! 

  2. Remove from wok. Then add your noodles back in along with your pad thai sauce. Allow the pad thai sauce to simmer down fully and coat the noodles. The sugar in the sauce will eventually start caramelizing and turn the noodles brown. 

  3. Toss in your carrots and sprouts. Combine well. Top with peanuts, sprouts, sliced cucumbers. Serve with lime wedges.