Mango Mood #2 - Mango Spread & Mango Halwa

Yellow Yellow Yummy Fellow :) Mangoes don't bore me at all. Soooooo many varieties and soooo tasty :)

Next on the Mango Mood series would be Preservable Mango spread and Mango halwa. Absolutely scrumptious :)

Preservable Mango Spread would be a super hit among kids since it can be a fantastic side dish for poori, chapathi, idly, dosa and bread :)

Mango Halwa is a sure treat to mango lovers :) Cubes of yumminess :)

Mango Spread

Ingredients:

Mango pulp - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup

Method:

Peel and chop mangoes roughly. Drop it in the mixie and puree the fruit without adding water.

Take a pan and add the mango pulp and sugar to it. Mix well in medium flame until the sugar dissolves completely and the pulp becomes slightly thick and jammy. It should be easily spreadable.

Remove from heat and allow it to come to room temperature. Fill it in a sterilized bottle and store it in the refrigerator and use. This can be preserved for 6-8 months.

Serve this is a sidedish with poori or spread it on chapathi and roll it.

You can also spread it on your toast or eat it along with dosa :)

Its very versatile and yummy. Kids would surely love it with anything :)

Making halwa is similar to the spread with just one more step in excess. I added double the quantity of ingredients as mentioned and collected the spread in between the process and continued to make halwa. You can also do that to save time and make two varieties of delicacies with mango at one go :)

Mango Halwa

Ingredients:

Mango pulp - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 2 tblsp

Method:

Peel and chop mangoes roughly. Drop it in the mixie and puree the fruit without adding water.

Take a pan and add the mango pulp and sugar to it. Mix well in medium flame until the sugar dissolves completely and the pulp becomes slightly thick and jammy. At this stage add the ghee and mix well. Keep stirring for about 15 mins to make a thick paste. It should come to halwa consistency. Once you reach that stage, switch off the stove and pour the halwa on a well greased square mould.

Allow it to set for an hour atleast at room temperature. Later cut squares and decorate with cashews.

This quantity would make around 9 large squares.

Store in refrigerator and consume it within 15 days.

You can also serve it chill along with vanilla ice cream :)

Enjoy eating :)

Tips:

Avoid using hands while you handle mangoes that are to be stored for long. Use kitchen gloves while chopping the mangoes.

Sterilize the bottles that you use for storing the spread.

Use the same quantity of sugar even if your mangoes are sweet. The sugar acts as a preservative here. But if your mangoes are not sweet you might need more sugar.

I used Banganaballi mangoes for making these. You can use any mango that is fleshy but not fibrous. For eg. varieties like Malgova will not suit such preparations.

Written by: Nithya
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Mango Mood #1 - Mango Yoghurt Parfait

Mango Mood!!! Yup its the right season to go Yellow :)

Mango Mood is going to be an ongoing series in my blog which will features recipes using Mango as the main ingredient :) Yupeeee! I'm excited to showcase my most favorite fruit this season :)

I have got 100+ fresh mangoes at home and no wonder I dream mango all the time :) All thanks to my sis and her family for delivering the mangoes to me :) Will dedicate this series to them :)

Parfait is a dessert with layers of fruits and other ingredients :) Layering always give a great look to any dessert and I get instantly attracted to them. So thought of starting of my "Mango Mood" series with a simple yet stunning dessert - The Mango Yoghurt Parfait :)

Ingredients:

Ripe mangoes - 3
Yoghurt(curd) 1 cup
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Powdered sugar - 2 tblsp
Mango Jam - 2 tsp
Corn flakes - for topping

Method:

Peel one mango and chop them into small cubes and keep it aside.

Puree two mangoes and spoon it into your serving glasses to form the first layer and reserve the rest.

Hang the yoghurt(curd) in a muslin cloth for a while to drain excess water. Collect it in a bowl and add the vanilla essence and powdered sugar to it and beat well to make a smooth paste. Spoon this into the glasses to make the second layer and reserve the rest.

Again spoon the mango puree followed by vanilla yoghurt alternatively.

Now just add a spoon of mango jam and line a layer of chopped mangoes over it. Finally drop a spoon of vanilla yoghurt and top it with mango flavored cornflakes :)

Mango Yoghurt Parfait is ready :)

Doesn't it look yummy!! Enjoy eating :)

Tips:

If you can find vanilla yoghurt ready at store then use it and skip the yoghurt procedure.

You can make such parfaits with your choice of fruits.

You can replace yoghurt with fresh cream too.

Enjoy the homemade simple yet stunning parfait :)

Wait for the other exciting mango delicacies coming up in the series.

Written by: Nithya
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Palm Fruit / Nungu Desserts

I have spoken enough about the tortures of summer and scorching sun. Nothing has changed even though the peak of summer called as Agni Natchathram is over.

We have been feeding on loads of mangoes and also try to balance it with natural body coolants like butter milk, cucumber and palm fruit to beat the heat.

Palm fruit is a very delicious jelly like fruit which is highly nutritious too.

They are seasonal fruits that we find in summer. I have loved them since childhood and have had them in many ways :)

When they are freshly cut open from the shell, they can be consumed as it is without pealing the skin. The skin would be almost white when it is fresh and would turn to pink or brown after a while.

Choose soft and tender palm fruit kernels when you buy them. Remove the skin and enjoy them in various ways as said below :)

Palm fruit cardamom delight

Ingredients:

Palm fruit (Nungu)
Milk
Sugar
Cardamom powder(Elachi)

Method:

Peel the outer skin of the palm fruit and chop them into equal sized cubes.

Boil the milk along with cardamom powder and allow it to come to room temperature.

Add the chopped palm fruit to the milk and refrigerate for a while.

Serve chill :)

Kesar Badam Nungu

Ingredients:

Palm fruit(Nungu)
Milk
Sugar
Saffron strands(Kunguma poo)
Almond powder(Badam)

Method:

Peel the outer skin of the palm fruit and chop them into cubes.

Boil milk with few saffron stands and allow it to come to room temperature.

Mix in sugar and almond powder to it and add the chopped palm fruit to it.

Refrigerate for a while and serve chill.

Tips:

You can use the ready made kesar badam mix to make the base.

Use condensed milk to make a thicker and richer dessert.

Palm fruit rose milk

Ingredients:

Palm fruit(Nungu)
Milk
Sugar
Rose milk syrup or essence

Method:

Remove the outer skin of the palm fruit and dice them in cubes.

Boil milk with sugar and allow it to come to room temperature. Mix in the rose milk syrup and the chopped palm fruit and serve it chill :)

Palm fruit and mango salad

Ingredients:

Palm fruit(Nungu)
Mangoes
Honey

Method:

Peel the skin of the palm fruit and chop them into cubes.

Peel and chop the mangoes into equal sized cubes.

Toss chopped palm fruit and mangoes together and drizzle some honey.

Serve chill :)

Tips:

You can add some milk to this and make it a dessert as well.

You can add condensed milk to make it a richer dessert.

Written by: Nithya
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Eggless Custard Powder Cake

Most of you would have already known the fact that I'm a cricket freak and enjoy the sport to the fullest :)

I have been enjoying this season of IPL and yup with no doubt I support my home team Chennai Super Kings :) They have been rocking and are all set to fight in the finals this Saturday :) So doesn't that demand for a celebration by itself?? :)

Now this post of a yellow cake is a dedication to the team in yellow and I'm wishing them all the best to bag the trophy again this year :)

Let the Mighty Lions roar again!! :) Good luck CSK :)

Custard powder cake is one of the most popular cake that I have been seeing among co-bloggers and has been rated to a favorite of many.

Aparna of Diverse kitchen was the one who initially tried it out and tempted all of us too much :) She is one of my most favorite among food bloggers. I was just waiting for an occasion to try this cake and here it comes :)

The flavor of custard powder makes this cake unique and tasty too :)

Ingredients:

All purpose flour(maida) - 1 1/2 cups
Custard powder(vanilla flavor) - 3/4 cup
Powdered sugar - 3/4 cup
Baking powder - 2 1/4 tsp
Butter - 3/4 cup (150 gms)
Milk - 1 cup

Method:

Sift maida, custard powder and baking powder together.

In a bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add the sifted flours to the butter sugar mixture and mix well. Add the milk gradually and beat slowly until everything comes together.

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line the muffin tray with liners.

Fill muffin cups with batter upto 3/4th and bake it for 15-20 mins at 375°F or 190°C. Adjust the time according to your oven settings.

I baked 6 muffins and the rest in my 4" Silicon mould which took around 50 mins to bake at 180°C.

Check if cooked by inserting a skewer in the center. Once done, allow it to cool on a wire rack for a while.

Delicious and pretty looking custard powder cake is ready :) Enjoy eating :)

Tips:

To make different flavors of cake, replace the custard powder with respective flavors and enjoy :)

You can replace the custard powder to corn flour and add few drops of vanilla essence to it to make the same cake too.

Written by: Nithya
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Raw Mango Rice / Maangai Sadam

Me and dad rate rice varieties more than sambhar and rasam. So atleast 2 days of a week would surely have some kind of rice variety in the lunch menu.

Raw mango being in its peak season surely deserves to be cooked in as many ways as possible. So out of the infinite varieties it can add taste to food, this is one among my most favorite :)

A tangy and spicy rice with potato chips made my day :) It would surely make yours too :)

Ingredients:

Raw Mango - 1
Green chillies - 2
Red chillies - 2
Asafoetida - a pinch
Jaggery - 1 tsp
Salt - for taste
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
Channa dhall - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves

Method:

Peel the skin of the mango and chop them roughly.

Grind the chopped mango pieces with green chillies, red chillies, asafoetida, salt and jaggery into a smooth paste.

Take a pan and add 5 tsp of oil. Splutter mustard, urad dhall, channa dhall and curry leaves. Now add the ground paste and fry for five minutes. Switch off the stove and collect it in a clean bottle.

Add few tspn of this paste to cooked rice and mix well to make raw mango rice. Serve with potato chips.

Yummy and tangy raw mango rice is ready :)

Enjoy making :)

Tips:

You can store the prepared raw mango paste in the refrigerator for 10 days and use.

Written by: Nithya
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