Mango Paradise

Ripe mango by itself is paradise. When combined with varying textures and tastes - it is divine. I first had it at a potluck when a friend brought this. Since then, I have made it many times during the mango season and its been a big hit every time. The combination of mangoes and yoghurt also makes this a healthy dessert.

Ingredients:

(Serves about 8 generous portions)

Mangoes : 4 medium sized ripe mangoes

Yoghurt : about 500ml thick yoghurt

Cream : 150ml

Sugar : 8tbs or as required

Jelly/Mango Dessert/Jello : 1 small packet 

Digestive biscuits - 12 to 14 biscuits

White butter : 2 tbs

Method:

1. Make the Jelly as per instructions on the packet. Let it cool to room temperature

2. Chop 3 mangoes into small pieces. Alternately you can slice it and layer it in the bottom of your container.

3. Pour the Jelly over the mango pieces and leave it to set in the refrigerator.

4. Now take about 12-14 pieces of digestive biscuits and coarsely powder it.

5. Heat 2 tbs of butter and then add the biscuit powder. Sauté for a minute.

6. Now layer the biscuit mixture on top of the jelly. Return dish to the refrigerator.

7. Beat the cream till it is thick. ( place the container with cream in a vessel with ice cubes and water to prevent curdling. This is needed in hot climates like Singapore).

8. Add the yoghurt and stir. Add the powdered sugar as well. I split the yoghurt into two parts. Added puréed mango to one part. Then used both to create a ripple effect.

9. Later this mixture on top of the biscuit layer.

10. Decorate with mango slices if required.

Optional:
a. Step 8 you can omit the pureed mango to reduce the overwhelming mango taste
b. Top this with other fruits / mangoes if required
c. If you are making for home, you can avoid the cream and just use thick yoghurt or hung yoghurt. The cream makes the top layer thick and gives it a cake like consistency so that it can be cut into pieces. 

Nutrition:

Mangoes : This tasty fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin A, potassium, Vitamin-B6, and Vitamin C among other nutrients.

Yoghurt: is extremely good for the digestive system due to the presence of a number of gut-friendly bacteria. The benefits of yoghurt or curd is immense and cannot be enumerated here.

Diet Restrictions:

Gluten Free ( Replace the digestive biscuits with gluten free biscuits)

Ragi Pancakes ( Finger Millet)

I love Ragi and am always excited when I find a tasty, easy dish made with this. My daughter made this for breakfast the other morning and we really enjoyed them with a topping of ripe Banganapalli mangoes, pumpkin seeds and walnuts. It was healthy and tasty at the same time - all that HaldiKokam stands for. I am sharing her recipe here.

Try it - this is easy to make for breakfast or snack. Let me know what topping and changes you made to this recipe.

Ingredients : (makes about 8 Pancakes)

Ragi flour : 1 1/3 cup

Eggs: 2

Buttermilk : 1 1/4 cups

Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp

Baking powder : 1/2 tsp
Sugar : 2 tsp

Salt: 1 tsp

Butter :  2 tbs

Cinnamon powder : 1/2 tsp

   

Method:

Step 1: Beat the eggs till fluffy ( only whites if avoiding the yellow part)
Step 2: Beat in the rest of the ingredients  and 1 tbs of butter to get a nice smooth batter.
Step 3: Add some butter to a hot pan.
Step 4: Pour some batter and spread it (slightly thick)
Step 5: It will fluff up a bit. Flip it over when slightly brown.
Step 6: Repeat steps 3 - 5 till the batter is over.
Step 7: Enjoy these healthy pancakes with toppings of your choice

Topping options:

• Chopped ripe mangoes, pumpkin seeds, walnuts
• Caramerised bananas ( add sugar to hot pan, add butter , add a little milk - stir, now add bananas)
• Honey
• Yoghurt and honey
• Maple Syrup
• Yoghurt and mixed fruits and nuts

Optional:
1. Instead of using eggs, I used to add stewed / cooked pureed red apples. The pancakes do not fluff up as much as these, however the apple puree add a lovely flavour to the pancake. I will post the variation the next time I make it.
2. Instead of sugar you can add honey or jaggery

Nutrition:

Ragi : Finger millet is filled with nutrition. It is extremely high in calcium and iron. It also has an abundance of other Riboflavin, thiamin and amino acids. Ragi has a low calorific value and aids weight loss. It is Gluten free and also used as baby food.

Eggs : These are also low in calories while being filling. Eggs are again a source of easily absorbed iron, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, B12,proteins and amino acids. It contains 14 key nutrients which are building blocks for the body.

Latest Research on eggs shows that  lutein found in egg yolks also protects against the progress and early heart disease.

Diet Considerations:

Gluten Free