Mango Shrikhand a.k.a Aamrakhand | Mango dessert

In our part of the world, Mangoes are probably the only joys of summer. The blistering hot climate and frequent power cuts make this season totally an unpleasant experience in India. But on the brighter side, summer offers surplus of mangoes in myriad of varieties. And that equals many  heavenly mango desserts for the summer time :) Aamrakhand is very famous in northern part of India and loved by most people. This post is my take on this dessert and its finger-licking good! Plus, you will just need 3 ingredients to put together. 

For this recipe, I recommend using two different kinds of mangoes : Alphonso, for its orangish color and Himayat/Himampasand for taste.
If you can't find these, it is still okay to use any variety of mango provided it is flavorful and sweet.
Those who can't source mangoes in their region, can enjoy making this with store bought mango pulp.

 Alphonso Mangoes

The simplest, absolutely mango-licious dessert, Aamrakhand recipe as follows...

Preparation time: 3 hours 
Cooking time : Nil
Serves: 5 people

You will need:
4 medium sized Alphonso Mangoes (or) 2 Cups of Mango pulp
1 large Himayat/Himampasand Mango
400 ml Curd for hung curd (or) 1.25 Cups of greek yogurt
Powdered sugar or Honey to taste

Procedure:

To make hung curd: Line a strainer with a clean piece of cotton/muslin cloth. Pour the curd onto it and gather the edges of the cloth to squeeze gently the excess water from the curd. You can tie the ends of the cloth together to hang them to drain the excess water out for an hour.(Just like making Paneer at home). Then refrigerate with the cloth wrapped for another hour. There you have it- 'hung curd'.
If your super market carries, greek yogurt then you are lucky. Just use that in place of hung curd.



Peel the alphonso mangoes and remove the flesh off the seed. Throw them in a blender and puree them smooth.



Transfer the mango puree in a bowl. Stir in the hung curd/ greek yogurt until well combined.
The mixture should be smooth. To ensure there are no curd lumps, you can pass through a strainer.



The mangoes sweetness can vary depending on the variety used. So taste the mixture and add the sweetener of your choice accordingly. I usually add approximately 2 tbsp of powdered sugar for the proportion given in this recipe.



Peel the Himayat mango and dice them into cubes. This is a extremely sweet kind of mango and the flesh is nice and firm. Fold the mango cubes into the mango mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least for an hour before serving.

Custardy Mango delight with bites of fresh mango pieces in it. It sure deserves the name 'Death by Mango'

Enjoy this season's mangoes to your heart's content...

Chilli Bajji with Salad Stuffing

Who doesn't love Bajjis? Especially Chilly Bajji.. I am sure there are many out there who are staunch fan of this fiery hot snack. This snack is simple and easy to make. It is too good on its own. But if you want the extra little something, then I would suggest stuffing it with some salad. The freshness from the salad pairs beautifully with the hot Bajji. I have had these Bajjis in many different ways, with Gongura chutney, green chutney, ketchup, coconut chutney and even stuffed with masalas. The best one is with some fresh indian salad and a nice squeeze of lime. The flavors of raw vegetables in the salad counter balances the heat and heaviness of the fried food.

Preparation time: 15 Minutes

Serves : 2-3 people

Calories: 142 / piece

You will need:

10 Chillies,the large ones (Banana peppers are ideal)

6 tbsp Besan/Chickpea flour/Kadala mavu

4 tbsp Rice flour

1 tsp red chilly powder

1/2 tsp amchoor powder, optional

1 tsp salt

Oil for deep frying

For the stuffing:

1 small carrot,peeled and shredded

1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped finely

1 tomato, chopped finely

1 onion, chopped finely

few sprigs of coriander leaves, chopped finely

1 lemon

Salt to taste

Chaat masala to taste

Procedure:

Wash the chilly peppers and pat them dry.

Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan for frying.

In a bowl, mix the besan, rice flour, salt, chilly powder and amchoor. Add about 1/4 cup of water and stir well to create a lump free mixture. Add a tbsp or more of water to make the batter similar to that of idly batter consistency.

The oil should be hot but not smoking. Dip a chilly pepper into the batter and drop in the oil gently. Fry till golden brown in med-low heat. 

Prepare the salad by mixing all the vegetables together. Add salt, chaat masala as per taste. Squeeze half the lemon and mix well.

Slit the fried bajji in the middle and stuff the salad inside. Squeeze more lemon on top if desired. Enjoy immediately!

If you feel the peppers have got more heat, I'd suggest to remove the seeds in the fried bajjis before stuffing the salad.

Perfect snack for a rainy day ..or anyday :) 

Breakfast Ice cream | Only 2 ingredients

Ice cream for breakfast? I know, that sounds crazy. But with the onset of summer, it is totally forgivable to have ice cream for breakfast. Not any ice cream, but this magical, guilt-free ice cream. It is not only vegan, but very low in calories. There is no sugar, butter, cream or any other sort of unhealthy add-ons in it-unless you intend to add them!

No fancy ice cream maker is required. All you need to have is a refrigerator and a blender.
Ice cream junkies, here you go!

You will need : 

2 large bananas, ripened well
1 large sweet Mango



Peel and cut the bananas and mangoes into small pieces. Put them in the freezer for about 3 hours or until they are frozen. Pulverize the frozen bananas in a blender. Add the frozen mangoes into it and continue blending till they become a smooth mixture. Transfer in a freezer safe container and freeze them overnight. Voila! Luscious Ice cream will be ready to scoop in the morning.

Spread them on french toasts for a decadent ice cream sandwich or scoop them over some pancakes or mix in nuts and dried fruits for a power breakfast or just enjoy them plain.

Mangoes are in season so I made banana-mango ice cream. You can add strawberries/avocados/pineapples instead. Banana is the KEY ingredient for this recipe. You can enrich it by folding in chocolate chips or Nutella or Peanut butter. You see, the combinations are endless :)

Hope you enjoy this super healthy ice cream treat!

Pala Musu | Unripe, Tender Jackfruit stir-fry

Few years back in many tamil weddings, Pala musu will have its star presence in the wedding menu. The process of getting the tender, green jackfruit flesh from the goey-glue mess is painstaking and also the availability of this vegetable is rare. Hence, the appearance of Pala musu have considerably reduced in menus these days. I must say, it is indeed a tedious task to work with this vegetable. The white latex-like milk from the jackfruit will cause ample mess. It is important to oil the knifes and your hands while cutting this vegetable. In the end, all this mess will be totally worth it. The cooked green jackfruit will have a texture that is very similar to that of poultry meat. There is no distinct flavor/smell for this vegetable. It is lauded purely for its texture.

As far as I recall, the only person who made this dish at home is my grandma. She always tells me, "Patience is the key when it comes to cooking. A lady in kitchen should never be lazy and uninspired, else the food will never be like food ". Yet another interesting wisdom she shared with me while working with a 'Jackfruit' -A family should be like a jackfruit, the outer hard and rough skin is like the father protecting the family, the yellowish strands that bind on to the sweet fruits is like the affectionate mother nurturing the children, and the sweet, tasty fruits are like the happy children. 

This recipe is from this darling women who not only taught me to cook but also instilled values of life...

Pala Musu

Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Yield: 3-4 people

You will need:
1 small, young tender unripe jackfruit
1/2 Cup split, husked green gram lentils (Moong dal)
1/4 Cup grated fresh coconut
2 dried red chillies
1/2 tsp split, husked black gram lentils (Urad dal)
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 sprig of curry leaves
3 tsp oil
2 pinch of Asafetida/Hing
2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Spread an old newspaper, oil your palm and knife. Cut the unripe jackfruit lengthwise. 

Quarter each half into four pieces. Remove the middle stem portion and the outer thorny skin using the sharp knife.Chop the flesh into smaller pieces. You don't need to chop finely. They can be irregular in size.



Collect these pieces in a large cooking vessel, add 2 tsp salt, turmeric and red chilly powder. Add water, enough to cover the jackfruit pieces.

Boil them for 15-20 minutes.



Drain the water and let it cool for few minutes.



In a food processor/ mixer, roughly mince the cooked jackfruit. Make sure not to puree them.

NOTE: If the size of the jackfruit is large ,you may end up with more jackfruit meat. Use only 1 1/2 cup for this recipe. The remaining stores well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or it can be frozen for year long.

Boil the green gram/Moong dal with 1/2 cup of water till tender.



In a kadai/skillet, heat 3 tsp oil. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the asafetida and black gram/urad dal. Throw in the curry leaves and red chillies once the urad dal begins to change in color.



Add about 1 & 1/2 Cup of cooked, minced jackfruit and the cooked lentils. Saute them for 5 minutes.



Season it with salt and sugar. Stir well. Turn off heat and mix in the grated coconut.



Excellent side-dish in a south Indian meal. Especially, with sambar and rice!

The next day, I used the leftover, minced jackfruit to make a simple bhurji.



Sauteed with onions, green chillies, spices and some green peas. Wrapped them in a chapathi for lunch.