My aunt Anita makes an awesome chocolate pudding. Every summer during our annual school vacation we visited our grandparents in Bangalore. A visit to Anithatte’s house was always on the cards too and more often than not we would be greeted with this wonderful chocolate concoction after a sumptuous lunch. When I saw this recipe online and translated it into English using the google translator, I was immediately transported into my childhood and vivid memories of sitting with a bowl of “chocolate delight” with my cousin Amrita formed in my mind.

I looked through my recipe files since I remembered having jotted down this recipe when I visted Anithatte for lunch, some years ago, and found a page, yellow at the edges, mellow with age. My aunt’s recipe was a tad more tedious than the online version and involved cooking the chocolate milk mixture over a double boiler.

I was pleasantly surprised to note that this international version had no eggs which made it acceptable to my style of cooking. This makes for such a wonderful dessert. And who doesnt like chocolate? The ingredients are few and can be easily found in most homes.  And it is also easy to put together.

When I made this for my family, I had everyone asking for seconds and each bowl was scraped clean. With a little planning and preparation, this simple dessert is sure to win the hearts of those who try it.

Eggless Chocolate Custard Recipe

Adapted from food & cook.

You can vary the milk and cream ratio in this recipe. Use 50% milk and 50% cream for a creamier version. This recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:

500 ml (2 cups) milk
200 ml (3/4 cup) fresh cream  (I used 25% fat fresh cream)
100 gm (1/2 cup) sugar
30 gm (1/4 cup heaped) cocoa powder
30 gm (1/4 cup) cornflour or cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
Extra cocoa powder for sprinkling

Method:

In a saucepan, mix the milk and cream together. Take 1/2 a cup of this mixture in a small bowl and mix in the sugar, cornflour and cocoa powder to make a smooth paste and keep aside.

Heat the milk in the saucepan over a medium flame. When it comes to a boil, lower the flame and stir in the cocoa/cornflour/milk mixture and cook until thick and creamy. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour into ramekin bowls or cups. When the custard comes to room temperature or cools down,  chill in the refrigerator for atleast 3 hours before serving. Sprinkle with cocoa powder before serving.

Serves 6