aam malai | a mango and cream dessrt

now this one dish is special to banaras as mangoes of banaras are quite famous and we eat mangoes in many ways..........n keep finding new ways to eat'em..........aam malai is something like a perfect comfert food for all of us siblings and arvind is kind of addicted to it.........he loves sweet dishes n this is one creamy n flavorful dish.....no cooking involved, just 3 ingredients and it takes just 5 minutes to chop the mangoes to make it...........chill n serve........great for big get togethers as i have always found that this dish becomes a central talking point as soon as it is served...........i am more happy to serve it cuz it is quick n easy n brings me lots of praises ....everytime, without fail..............it is a high calorie dessert ( arvind can have it for all meals ) and you can limit the portion size , though it is almost impossible to do that......

for making it ..just chop the ripe n aromatic mangoes ( alphonso, or langra in india are the best suited..any lavorful variety is good for this) into neat cubes.....i used alphonso this time.

add 3-4 tbsp of sugar to 2 cups of chopped mangoes n let it sit for 5 minutes till the juices of mango come out....lightly mash with the back of a spoon if you like it more gooyi or runny

now add a cup of heavy cream or fresh malai( fresh cream skimmed off from fullcream milk kept in the fridge).........mix well n chill ..if you want a thicker dish , whip the cream before folding lightly into the mango mixture.........i like it with malai and a bit runny cuz this is the way i have eaten it right from my childhood.

i make low fat versions of this dish too n will post those on my healthy food blog soon..........till then enjoy this........

besan ka halwa

The husband grew up eating halwa for breakfast, snacks and even for his lunch box many times. His mother never had enough time but preferred to cook nourishing meals with minimal efforts for the two brothers and they grew up eating a limited variety but delicious food nonetheless.

Even now the husband demands either atte ka halwa or besan ka halwa sometimes when he comes back from office. Being quite easy to make I just cook halwa while the chai boils on the stove. Both of us are a contrast when it comes to taste. While I always have something savory  with my tea but the halwa is just right for him after the day's work. It gets repeated often and I even have started appreciating halwa more now..

This besan ka halwa I made in a new cast iron kadhai as the tradition is to make a sweet halwa when cooking in a kadhai for the first time.

As I said the recipe is easy and though I go by instinctive measurements, I am writing down the quantity by cup measures.

Heat 1/2 a cup of desi ghee into the kadhai and tip in 1 tbsp of rawa or suji into it and then quickly tip in 1/2 cup of besan. 

Now if the besan is coarse, no need to add suji, but fine besan needs some suji to make the texture more enjoyable, the suji besan ratio may be variable though.

Keep stirring the flours on low to medium flame till deep pink in color and aromatic with a well roasted smell. I normally don't use cardamom powder, but it can be used, 1/2 tsp if desired. I like the besan aroma to dominate so don't add any other flavor.

When the besan is nice and brown, add some chopped nuts of your choice and keep stirring till the nuts are roasted too, taking care not to burn them.

Add 1/3 cup of sugar (a little more if you like it more sugary) mix, and pour 1/4 cup of water.

Take care to pour the water in a thin stream and keep stirring the mixture with the other hand, till a crumbly soft ball is formed. Keep stirring for a few more minutes if you like thin pieces of crust into it. Yes if you keep bhunoeing it more and don't urn that often, small crusty bits of halwa get caramelized and some people really love them.

Cooking it more after adding water allows crust formation which is liked by some people as I mentioned, and that's it. Serve hot, no garnish needed.

the besan ka halwa can be made a little softer too by adding a little more water if you like. I like the softer version more so sometimes make besan ka halwa like this.

 

I suggest to keep the portions small as it is heavy on the digestion as well as calories, keeps well in the fridge for a week...just microwave and serve hot again.

Nuts can be added if required, but besan ka halwa is great as it is.