Kesar (Saffron) Shrikhand

This is a favourite Indian dessert especially from Western states like Gujarat and Maharashtra. It is a must have sweet dish, eaten mostly as part of main course along with puris ( fried and puffy wheat bread) at weddings and festivals in many communities. I love to eat this dish as is (without bread) , whether its a festival or not and especially while we are away from our home land this luscious saffron yogurt makes any day a celebration.

Its Mahavir Jayanti today ( Jain Festival) and I had to stirr up this dessert to celebrate the day.

Ingredients ( makes 4 bowl)

- Plain yogurt made out of 1 litre low fat milk ( or get ready made plain low fat yogurt)

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 tsp roasted and powdered/pounded saffron

- 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
- 5-8 raosted and slivered pistachios for garnish

Alternate flavours

- Saffron and roasted almonds

- Mango pulp instead of saffron and cardamon

Steps

- Take a muslin cloth, place yogurt in the center and tie the ends of the cloth.

- Hang this cloth bag somewhere in the kitchen so that the water from the yogurt can easily strain out. Hang it for atleast 5 - 8 hours. You can also keep it overnight.

- After hanging you will get a heavy yogurt ( In India we also call it chakka, it is also yummy to eat it as is, with sugar or topping on fruits )

- Now take a big strainer and put a serving bowl below it. Add the heavy yogurt, sugar, saffron and cardamon powder in the strainer and start to slowly mix it while putting a gently pressure so that the mixture goes through the strainer.

- Taste the mixture below and add more sugar if you prefer.

- What you get below in the serving bowl is a smooth, luscious Saffron Shrikhand.

- Chill it in the fridge for few hours for better taste.

- Garnish with chopped pistachios.

yumm!

Lavender Yogurt

However cliched it may be but lavender flowers leads by huge margin amongst other herbs and flowers when it comes to imparting relaxation. lavender oils, incense and teas does wonders and takes you to a very soothing world after a long day. I came across very good quality dried Lavender flowers in the local produce market recently and I thought why not pick it up and stir up some recipes and get the spa sesation right at home.  

First recipe out of this batch of lavender is Lavender yogurt. We are a big consumer of low-fat home made yogurt and it helps us a lot to curb this summer heat in addition to being our protein source and aiding in digestion.

Ingredients

- 500 ml low-fat milk

- 1 tbsp yogurt

- 4 tsp sugar ( or sugar substitute)

- 1 tsp dried lavender flowers

- 2 tsp skimmed milk powder

- Fruit such as peach, mangoes, berries or make a fruit compote ( optional)

Steps

- Boil the milk in a thick pan

- Reduce the heat to medium, add laveder flowers and sugar to the milk and stir

- Let the milk boil for 5-7 mins at medium heat.

- Turn off the heat and let the milk cool for 15 mins

- Strain the milk and pour it into your yogurt bowl or individual serving bowls. Do not throw away the lavender flowers as you can use it again for other recipes.

- Mix yogurt and skimmed milk powder to the milk. ( skimmed milk powder gives thick texture and adds protein).

- Let it set for 6-8 hours in a warm place ( oven, incubator, or simply on a kitchen platform if you live in a warm place)

- Once the yogurt is set you can put it in the fridge for couple of hours before serving.

- Garnish it with your favourit garnish such as mint leaves, lavender flowers, fruits or fruit compote.

Relax and Enjoy!

Ricotta Pudding with Saffron and Pistachio

This dessert is rich in flavor and texture. It is my perfect fix for Indian sweets that we miss here in Far East. Preparation time is less than 10 minutes and non-fat Ricotta cheese in the recipe makes it guilt-free. So no excuses tonight for making delicious dessert :)

Ingredients ( for 4 bowls)

250 gms fat free Ricotta cheese (drained)
5 tsps sugar ( or sugar substitute per your preference)
1 Tsp of skimmed Milk powder ( optional)
1 tsp warm milk
pinch of cardamon powder
6-8 strands of saffron
1 Tsp pistachio toasted and chopped

Steps

Soak 5-6 strands of saffron in a 1 tsps of warm milk for 10 mins and let saffron bleed its colour.
Now put drained ricotta cheese with all the other ingredients except pistachio in a bowl. Mix it well till cheese is consistently saffron colored. Scoop out this mixture in 4 desert bowls and level it with a spoon. Garnish with pistachio and leftover saffron. Cover the bowls and place it in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour.

Indulge in this yummy guilt-free dessert!

Silken Tofu Tropical Parfait

Delicious protein packed dessert or breakfast!

I particularly like this recipe as you can throw in whatever tropical fruits that you may have at home. This dish is very refreshing and irresistible with fresh fruit that explodes in your mouth with creamy silk tofu.

Ingredients: for 2

1/2 Cup bite sized chopped nicely ripe tropical fruits - mango, peach, papaya etc

300g Silken Tofu

2 tsp honey

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp shredded coconut / dessicated coconut

2 tsp of water 

Steps
Take a heavy pan, add water and 1 tsp of sugar and heat it on a low flame. Stir the mix until sugar melts completely. Add chopped fruits and gently coat them in the sugar syrup. Keep it on the low heat for couple of minutes until fruit softens a little. Switch off the heat and let the fruit sit. You can also prepare this in advance and keep it in fridge for couple of days for later use.

For the tofu cream, put the silken tofu in the blender with honey and 1 tsp of sugar. blend it for 1-2 minutes, it will become smooth and fluffy in no time.

Now place few spoons of fruit in two transparent bowls or broad based glasses till they are 1/3 full. Gently pour the tofu cream over the fruit and fill the glass just below the rim. Top it again with some fruit cubes, cover it with some plastiwrap and keep it in the fridge for at least 1 - 1.5 hrs.

At the time of serving, sprinkle shredded coconut. You can beautify the dish further with a sprinkle of some chopped mint or basil if u like.

Enjoy!

More about Tofu:
Tofu is a low calorie, high protein Asian cheese. Chinese discovered tofu 2000 years ago and have been a staple source of nutrition in Asian kitchens in form of amazing recipes from soups, salads, main course to dessert. Now Tofu is popular worldwide and an excellent choice of nutritional food worldwide.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=111
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnutrition/p/tofunutrition.htm

Peaches:
I think Taiwan has one of the best quality peaches. They are big, luscious, succulent and super sweet!
Tracing back the history I found that peaches actually originated in China ( not in Persia, not in US) in as early as 10th century BC! This was an emperor's fruit for centuries and only immortals were to eat this fruit. Only in recent era this fruit was made available to the local people. Once Persians brought this fruit to Europe, it quickly spread across the world and gain popularity. It is the second largest commercially produced fruit in US after apples.
Even today, peach has a significant place in Chinese culture and still holds its status for longevity. Friends and family exchange peaches in the summer time to wish each other long life in Taiwan. I was lucky to receive a huge box of peaches from a local friend. Even peach blossoms are very beautiful, I can definitely say that they are as pretty as cherry blossoms. There are festivals held to enjoy the beauty of these blossoms which still does not fail to inspire artists and poets.There are very famous paintings, plays, poems and art in Chinese cultures with peach blossoms as its central theme.
Another interesting fact about this Asian fruit - Young and beautiful new bride was often called peach in China as a slang because of fruit's velvety, smooth and sweet characteristic. Apparently, in English, word peachy came from this slang.
Hope you feel peachy when you enjoy this emperor's fruit next time:)