Mango Kulfi Panna Cotta

The mango season is on and I was instantly taken back to the mango kulfi cake that I baked last year. The memory of that cake was impossible to let go of so this time around , I decided to do a no-bake classic by incorporating the incredible flavors of mango , cardamom and saffron. Never count calories with mangoes though - this is one hell of a sinful dessert.

INGREDIENTS

Mangoes - 4 to 5 big

Saffron - 3 pinches

Cardamom powder - 2 tsp

Milk - 2 cups

Pistachios - 10-15

Agar agar - 1/2 tsp

PREPARATION

1. To prepare mango puree , dice the mangoes into 1 inch cubes , steam for 5-7 minutes and blend them until the liquid is without chunks. Pass this liquid through different sieves until you get a lump-free puree. Add one pinch of saffron into the mango pulp.

2. Split the mango puree into two parts and the agar into three parts. Dissolve one part of agar in 4tbsp of hot water and combine with one part mango puree.

3. Once this hits room temperature , pour the mango puree into serving cups and refrigerate until set.

4. In the meantime , boil milk with pistachios and allow to reduce to 2/3rd of initial quantity. To this , add cardamom powder and one pinch saffron. Strain the milk and set aside.

5. Combine the second part of agar with 4tbsp hot water. Once the agar dissolves , combine with the milk. Allow this to come down to room temperature.

6. Pour the milk mixture on top of the mango layer and refrigerate until set.

7. Incorporate the final part of agar into the remaining mango puree and pour the mixture on top of the already set layer of milk and refrigerate for 2 hours.

8. Garnish with the final pinch of saffron and pistachios. 

Veggie Casserole

After a five week vacation in India filled with binge eating (How can I ever say no to the best South Indian food I can ever hope to get ?) , I realized that I had to start watching what I ate. As someone who is unwilling to compromise on the taste of a meal , I decided to start exploring low-cal versions of popular foods. The first one in the series is a baked veggie casserole that yields less than 120 cal per serving but tastes just as amazing as a traditional casserole would. 

INGREDIENTS

Baby Spinach - 3 handfuls roughly chopped

Corn (steamed) - 1/4 cup

Mushrooms (diced) - 1/2 cup

Onions (sliced) - 1 medium

Bell peppers (assorted and sliced) - 1 cup

Olives - 2 tbsp

Scallions (chopped) - 1/4 cup

Whole wheat pasta - 1 cup

Vegetable stock - 1/4 cup

Skim Milk - 1/4 cup

All-purpose flour - 1/4 tbsp

Olive oil - 2 tsp

Mixed herbs (Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Chives, Rosemary and Sage) - 1tsp

Garlic powder - 1tsp

Salt (as required)

PREPARATION

1. Boil the pasta until it loses some stiffness. Do not boil it all the way to an al dente consistency.

2. In a frying pan , add 1/2 tsp oil and saute the spinach and corn until well cooked. Set aside. In the same pan , saute the mushrooms with 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and set aside.

3.Add 1/2 tsp of oil and saute Onions , Bell Peppers and Scallions until they are completely cooked. Combine the pasta with this mixture.

4. Add the olives to the mixture of cooked onions and bell peppers and set aside.

5. Add 1 tsp olive oil and roast 1/4 tbsp of flour. To this , add 1/4 cup of vegetable stock and the skim milk. Add the mixed herbs and 1/2 tsp garlic powder and bring to a boil. Add salt as required and remove from heat.

6. In a glass baking dish , add a layer of one half of the pasta. Spread the spinach and corn mixture over this and then spread the sautéed mushrooms. Top it off with the remaining pasta. Garnish with one tbsp of skim cheese.

7. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and bake for 10 minutes or until the sauce starts to bubble.