Recipe: Easy Mango Kulfi (Indian style ice cream)

Here in NYC mangoes are in the markets and the fragrant fruit is quite often on sale now that it is Summer. In the supermarkets here, the Indian green mango is often sold. Sometimes it has a reddish pink blush to it. You can also find smaller yellow mangoes at fruit stands and in Asian markets. These tend to be sweeter.

I decided to pull out the ice cream machine to celebrate the first weekend of Summer and make mango kulfi, an Indian style ice cream that is rather simple to make. I was inspired by watching an Indian cooking show and wanted to try making the dessert. I've seen kulfi sold in Little India here in NYC and it can be pretty pricey for a small container so really, you save money making a batch yourself. Scouring the internet came of with quite a few recipes but I spied one that used frozen yogurt.

Yogurt tends to go on sale at 32 oz. (907 g) for about $2 or so and I always stock up on a couple containers to make smoothies (you can find a recipe for that here too). I decided to use the yogurt in place of the frozen yogurt (it's going to be frozen anyway) and add honey to sweeten and further enhance the mango taste. The base mixture can be considered mango lassi and you can enjoy it as a refreshing drink as well.

You'll need a food processor and an ice cream machine to make this.

Here is my version on the classic Indian dessert. Recipe makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe yellow mangoes
• 2 cups mango nectar (you can find this in the Latin aisle of your supermarket)
• 2 cups low fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 tablespoon honey (or more to taste depending on the sweetness of the mango)

Directions

1. Follow the instructions on pre chilling your ice cream maker's tub.
2. Stand the mango up on it's stem end. There is a large pit that run down the middle of the fruit. Carefully cut the mango down both sides of the pit with a Chef's Knife. The meat that surrounds the pit you can nibble on and see how sweet it is.
3. With the knife, score the mango meat and using a spoon, scoop out the meat from the skin and put into a food processor fitted with the blade.
4. Add the mango nectar and process until smooth.
5. Add the yogurt and honey. Process again until fully mixed.
6. Pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream machine and follow manufacturer's instruction.
7. About 20-25 minutes it should be ready. With a rubber spatula, transfer the kulfi into a plastic container (it will be soft serve at this point) and allow to set up in the freezer for a few hours.

Kulfi is pretty dense since it has low fat content and this recipe is no exception. You may want to allow the container to thaw a bit to make serving the kulfi easier or pour the mixture into disposable paper cups and then freeze to make individual servings. To unmold from the cups, dip them in warm water then slide out onto a serving plate.

Recipe: Avocado Shake

I've had this in many Filipino restaurants and discovered that it is quite popular in Vietnam as well!

Avocados are naturally buttery in texture and flavor and are good for you.

Ingredients

1 ripe Hass avocado
1 cup fat free milk
2 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
6 ice cubes

Directions

1. Halve the avocado and remove pit.
2. Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender using a tablespoon.
3. Add the milk and honey into the blender.
4. Add the ice cubes.
5. Cover the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
   
6. Pour into glasses and serve with a straw.

Makes about 2 cups

*Note: You can use any milk and sweetener of your choice (I've used condensed milk and it works wonderfully)

Recipe: Honey Soy Glazed Salmon and Gomae

Here is a Japanese take on Salmon and Spinach. I WAS going to make salmon en croute but that would mean having to buy puff pastry and I just wanted to use what I had on hand. I buy my salmon at Costco and keep it in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. Salmon freezes well! I always buy frozen vegetables when they are on sale and keep them handy in the freezer.


Honey Soy Glazed Salmon

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 6-ounce salmon fillets

• In a small bowl whisk together honey, soy sauce, lime juice, mustard, and water.
• In a small non-stick skillet heat oil over medium high heat and cook salmon 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden and just cooked through. Transfer salmon to 2 plates.
• Add honey glaze to skillet and simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Spoon glaze over salmon.

Serves 2.

Spinach in sesame dressing (Gomae)


1 10 oz. box of frozen spinach
4 Tablespoons sesame paste (tahini found in the Ethnic aisle of Supermarket or Health Food Store),
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoons soy sauce
Splash of water

• Follow instructions on box to cook spinach.
• Put cooked spinach into a sieve to squeeze out excess water or wring with hands.
• Set aside in a medium bowl
• Make sesame dressing by mixing the tahini, sugar, soy sauce, and enough water to make a dressing (thickness depending on preference)
• Toss dressing with cooked spinach and serve at room temperature or cool.

In the picture you can see that I served it with brown rice. Quinoa also makes a nice starch to serve with this dish. Enjoy!

Recipe: Brown Cabbage

Don't know what to do with that extra head of cabbage you bought for making Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day? Here's a recipe that I tried courtesy of Chef Tina Nordström and it is both inexpensive and delicious! The sweet & sour taste is both lovely and refreshing!

In Scandinavia, she says they call it "Brown Cabbage" and it is always served during the holiday season.

Cabbage is almost always selling at an inexpensive price usually a couple of cents per pound and other than turning it into fresh coleslaw or stuffing it with ground meat and simmering it in tomato sauce (that's a recipe I'll save for another time for you all), try this recipe as a side dish with a roast meat. Most of the ingredients you should have already in your well stocked pantry.

Ingredients for serving 8 persons

• 1 head green cabbage
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup or honey
• Butter and oil
• Salt and pepper

This is how you do it...

Heat a large sauté pan and add 2 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup oil. Slice the cabbage thinly and sauté over medium heat together with the onion for a couple of minutes. Mix in the apple juice, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon sticks and syrup. Cover and let simmer until the cabbage softens. This will take about 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and season with salt and pepper.