Quick N Easy Desserts - Mango Mousse

Summer is here and everyone is in the mood to party and making plans for a party. Every party needs to be planned. Whenever my mom and I plan parties, we brainstorm ideas for the menu as per the occasion and the company. Sometimes when the menu has a lot of dishes, we make sure the dessert is simple enough so we don't stress out. 

My favorite part of every meal is the dessert! I will sometimes even eat the dessert before the actual meal if I can't wait. 

Mango and mousse is always well liked, so why not put them together? We searched online and found a couple of different recipes for Mango Mousse. We combined the recipes and below is the result of our efforts.  

Serving size: 1/2 cup / Serves: 12 to 14 people 

Ingredients 

- 1 can mango puree 

- 1 can condensed milk (14oz)

- 1 packet, 6oz orange gelatin

- 10 oz whipped cream

Procedure

Dissolve gelatin in one cup of hot water and mix until it dissolves. Next, in a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together gelatin mixture, mango puree, condensed milk and whipped cream. Then pour the mixture into a clean air tighter container or glass baking dish. Cover with the lid or aluminum foil. Let it set in the fridge overnight. 

Once it was set, we scooped it into single serving cups and garnished it with Cool Whip and sliced strawberries. You can also top the mousse with chocolate chips or shavings and/or other fresh fruit. You can't go wrong with toppings. 

You'll guests will come back for more...

Simple Guvar Beans Stir Fry

I visited my parents this past weekend and enjoyed some good ol' home cooking. I love simple stir fry dishes especially if those stir fries are made with guvar, tindora or snake gourd. 

It can be difficult to find these vegetables in the fresh produce section in supermarkets. That's why we buy them frozen in the Indian supermarkets. Check out the recipe below for simple Guvar Stir Fry.   

Ingredients

- 12 oz packet of Cut Guvar beans (frozen)

- 2 green chilies or per taste, chopped finely

- 3 gloves of garlic, sliced finely

- 1 Tbsp brown sugar

- 1/2 Tbsp salt

- 2 Tbsp sesame powder (sesame seeds roasted and powdered)

- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Ingredients for seasoning

- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 Tbsp Urad dal (also known as black gram lentil)

- 1 tsp whole cumin

- 1 tsp mustard seeds

Procedure

In a small pressure cooker, heat oil on medium and when you feel heat on your palm, add the seasoning ingredients: urad dal, cumin, and mustard seeds. 

When the dal is roasted and the mustard seeds splutter, add the green chilies and garlic. Toss until the garlic aroma comes out (about 1 minute). 

Now add turmeric, guvar beans, salt and brown sugar. 

Mix well and add 50 ml of water and pressure cook on low to medium heat until 3 whistles. Wait until the pressure is released from the pressure cooker and heat the curry on low heat to allow the extra water to evaporate and then add the sesame powder. Mix well and serve hot. 

You can serve this stir fry as a side dish or with rice. I like eating it with warm rice, topped with ghee (clarified butter). 

Quick Tips

- If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can make this dish in a skillet as well. Cook under tight lid mixing intermittently until the beans are cooked well and soft. Add sesame powder, mix well and serve hot.