A simple dessert with MSCG (Milk, sugar, coconut, ghee) - no, not MSG!

This is probably the first dessert I made on my own as a teenager.

It was easy for me to make because there was no guesswork invloved - the ratio of ingredients is 4:3:2:1. (Needless to say, just make sure all ingrdients are measured using the same measuring cup!)

In other words, these are what you need:

Milk - 4 cups
Sugar - 3 cups
Grated Coconut - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 cup

In my family as I am sure in many other families, I have never seen anyone tasting any dish during the cooking process. My mom, father, (he is an expert cook!) grandmother, aunts, could easily tell there was not enough salt (or sugar, or anything) in a particular dish by just the aroma floating around when it cooks. This was critical in our tradition because pooja & naivedyam(offering to the deity) are so a part of our every day lives.

Eagerly starting to cook as a teenager, I used to have a hard time in the kitchen with my grandmother watching me and gently reminding me, making sure I don't taste anything. So, no wonder in those days my dishes turned out either saltless (or saltful, for that matter) or very bland or realllly spicy. As I recall now, the best part is, she would give me tips to fix my dishes. As most grandmas, she didn't have a recipe book, she just made finger licking food!!

So this recipe was a godsend for an eager and amateur cook like me. This was taught to me by my great aunt who visited us from Delhi.

Method:
Measure all ingredients into a thick bottomed pan. Mix well to flatten any lumps.
On the hot stove, keep stirring it so it does not stick to the bottom. When it all comes together and the ghee starts separating, remove from fire.
Sprinkle powdered elaichi (cardamom) if you'd like. I love cardamom!

That's it. You could add fried cashews, fried raisins, unsalted pistachios, etc to make it more festive (and rich!). I like to make the basic recipe every once in a while, because I can really make as little as I want.

Talking about not tasting while cooking, I lost those talents acquired from my moms' kitchen (or the kitchen my mother and grandmother shared) as soon as I arrived in my own kitchen. This I attribute to all the new ingredients I started experimenting with all of a sudden. These days, I'd have a general idea but definitely check for salt/sugar or anything before I serve.