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!

Vegetarian Spanish Paella

This recipe turned out pretty good and tasted really nice to my surprise. True spaniards may disown this recipe but it tasted, looked and smelled nice on my dining table. Ofcourse, I had to use some local ingredients as I could not find the spanish rice and spanish peppers but it was still totally worth it.

Lots of fresh vegetables, exotic herb like Saffron and some tofu makes this dish a complete healthy meal and. fragrance of saffron and cooked Basmati is truly to die for!

Ingredients ( For 4 )

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1-2 green or red hot Peppers ( if you have Sapninsh Pecquillo peppers use that)

1 large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
3 large cloves or garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 - 1/2 tsp paprika

5 - 10 strands of good quality saffron
1 medium zucchini or thick cucumber, trimmed and cubed
4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups Basmati rice
3 cups warm vegetable stock or warm water

1 Lemon wedge for garninsh

100 grams tofu cubes ( optional)

Steps:

 - In a thick bottomed pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.

- Add the peppers, onion and bell peppers. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent.

- Add the garlic, paprika, saffron, zucchini and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes more.

- Add Chopped

- Stir in the rice and mix it nicely with the veggies so that it catches saffron colour evenly

- Now add warmed stock or water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until most of the stock is absorbed. Do not stir.

- Cover with a lid and let it cook for another 10 minutes at medium low heat or until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Do not stir.
- Serve immediately after you garnish with lemon wedges.

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!