Thai Mango pudding or Custard

Thai recipes use coconut milk in abundance. Now that I've tried my hand on Malaysian food, Thai seemed a close counterpart. I got this recipe off the internet while searching for ways to put to use the left over coconut milk I had from the Malay curry. Coconut milk in dessert sounded like a good idea because I am not a lover of the texture and taste of coconut milk in curries. Plus, I had to go to a relative's house and wanted to take a token of warmth and sweetness with me. Home made desserts are received with a smile.
Coconut milk is lactose free and contains healthy fats as compared to whipping cream or evaporated milk. Unlike dairy products, coconut milk brings out and enhances the taste of the mango, plus adds that touch of richness you're looking for in a pudding. This recipe was easy to make and I knew I could never go wrong with a recipe that has a combination of mango, sugar, and milk!

Serves 3-4. No preparation required.

Ingredients:
1. 1/4 cup water.
2. 1/2 cup coconut milk.
3. 3 tablespoons sugar.
4. 3/4 cup kesar (saffron) mango pulp, sweetened.
5. 2-3 tablespoon corn starch or gelatin or agar agar to thicken the pudding.
6. Fruits (optional).

Instructions:
1. Mix water and cornstarch in a cup and then boil it.
2. Mix sugar into the boiling water to dissolve.
3. Add coconut milk and mango pulp and simmer to thicken.
4. Cool and set aside.
5. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Add chopped fresh fruits and mix well.

Scoop and serve in decorative dessert glass bowl. If possible, allow to sit in the fridge for another few hours, covered with cellophane wrap. Serve chilled.

P.S. This was a hit but I realized that some more coconut milk would not have hurt.

Malay Yellow Curry with a Vengeance

So I was out for longer than I have ever been and I was more sick than I ever knew. This is a fresh start for me and hopefully I have met if not exceeded my 2 year quota for getting sick. I watched more TV than ever while I was bedridden. That was the only thing my body allowed me to do and was the best (or should I say only for someone who despises books) source of entertainment with a weak body and lone mind. I happened to watch a Sanjeev Kapoor cook show which is very popular in India - Khana khazana. The feature was Malaysian food and I've tweaked the recipe to suit my mom's palate and use the stuff I already had in my pantry. It only took me 10 minutes to cook this which was a delight. Simmered with cottage cheese in spicy turmeric coconut sauce made with tamarind, galangal, crushed peanuts, lemon grass & ginger, Malay Yellow Curry is sunshine in a bowl.

Ingredients:
1. A handful of peanuts
2. 1/2 inch ginger. Use galangal if available.
3. 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
4. 1 dried red chili
5. 1 cup cocunut milk
6. 1 cup water
7. 1/2 onion. Use shallots if available.
8. 2-3 tablespoons oil
9. paneer or pineapple or tofu :-)
10. Black pepper, ground
11. Salt to taste
12. Coriander powder
13. Turmeric powder
14. Tamarind pulp

Instructions
1. Mix ingredients 1 to 7 and blend in a mixer
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and sautee the blended mixture and bring to a boil
3. Add paneer pieces, black pepper, salt, turmeric, coriander powder and cook until the paneer pieces are tender
4. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk and tamarind pulp to this. Add lemon grass if available.
5. Simmer on low heat for another 2-3 minutes. Remove lemon grass if added.

Serve hot with fragrant Thai Jasmine steamed rice. If you like the taste and texture of coconut milk, you will love this.