5 Drool worthy mango dessert recipes that you need to try this season

The arrival of summer in an Indian's life is a matter of cosmic significance, as the hot season brings with it the king of fruits- mango. Probably due to the timing of its arrival or probably due to its heavenly taste, mangoes are strongly connected with good times and nostalgia. With the first pack of the raw green tangy mangoes to the ones that are fully ripe and sweet, nothing can beat the joy of eating this summer fruit. Their divine sweetness is the source of happiness and a symbol of gastronomic delight for most of us. And while you may not be able to step out this season to feast on some mango laden delicacies, you can still bring the flavor of this magnificent fruit home with these super simple mango dessert recipes.

1. Mango Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup mango puree
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions:

• Melt butter in the microwave for 30 seconds and keep aside.
• In a medium-sized bowl, add cup mango puree. Then add egg, milk, and butter. Whisk everything together until well combined.
• Pour flour and baking powder into the liquid mixture. Mix everything together with the help of a whisk. Make sure there are no lumps. But do not over mix the batter. It should have a thick and creamy consistency.
• Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the pan with oil. Pour a 1/4th cup of batter onto the pan and spread it out into a round shape.
• Cook each side for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat the same process for the rest of the batter.
• To make the mango sauce, take the remaining 1/2 cup mango puree. Add honey and water. Mix well with the help of a whisk.
• Serve the pancakes with mango sauce and top it all with a few chopped mangoes pieces.

2. No-Bake Mango Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 150 g  Marie Biscuits, or Parle-G or any other plain sweet biscuit
• 100 g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 700 g  mango flesh (2 large mangoes) 
• 4 1/2 tsp gelatin powder 
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml cold water
• 500 g cream cheese or 1 cup hung curd +1 cup cream
• 150g powdered sugar
• 300 ml whipping cream- optional
• 3/4 tsp gelatin powder 
• 65 ml cold water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large mango, cut into cubes

Instructions:

• Pulse crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor. 
  
• Add butter and sugar, blitz until combined. Pour into a well-greased cake pan. Press down firmly.
• Put water in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over the surface (don't dump in the center). Stir to partly dissolve. Set aside 5 minutes - it turns gelatinous.
• Microwave 15 seconds on high x 2, stirring in between. Stir until dissolved. Cool 5 minutes. Place mango in the food processor. Blitz until smooth. Measure out 3/4 cup and reserve for mango jelly, set aside. 
• Add cream cheese (or hung curd+cream), sugar, and gelatine mixture into the food processor, blend for 30 seconds, or until smooth.
• Pour into the cake pan. Refrigerate 3+ hours until the top is set.
• Pour water into a bowl, sprinkle over the gelatin. Leave 5+ min. Microwave on high 2 x 10 sec, stir well until granules dissolved. Set aside 5 minutes to cool.
• Place reserved mango puree and lemon in a bowl. Pour over gelatin and whisk well. Pour over cheesecake filling. Tilt cake around to spread. Refrigerate 12 hours+. 
• Once set, carefully slide cheesecake from the cake pan onto a serving plate. 
• Decorate with whipped cream/chopped mango pieces/ dried flower petals. Enjoy!

3. Mango Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour or 120 grams whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• a small pinch of salt, if using salted butter skip adding salt
• ½ cup tightly packed chopped mangoes
• seeds of 2 or 3 green cardamoms
• 2 pinches nutmeg powder-optional
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup roughly chopped, chilled butter
• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:

• Add the mango cubes in a blender. Also, add 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar, add cardamom seeds, and nutmeg powder (if using). You can also add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract instead of cardamom and nutmeg. Blend to a smooth puree. Keep aside.
• Place muffin liners in a muffin pan or grease them well with oil. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees C.
• Take roughly chopped butter in a pan. Keep the pan on a stovetop and on a low heat melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, add 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk. Stir well using a wired whisk.
• Add the mango puree. Mix again. Now take 1 cup whole wheat flour/atta, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda, a pinch of salt in a sieve.
• Sieve directly in the mango mixture bowl. With a spatula fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
• Scoop the batter in the muffin liners more than 3/4 volume of the liners. Gently even the top with the spatula.
• Place the muffin pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick or wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted.
• Remove the muffins from the pan and place on a tray. Let them cool.

4. No-Churn Mango Ice-Cream

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1 mango, pureed

Instructions:

• Whip the cream till you have soft peaks.
• Combine 1/2 cup mango puree and condensed milk. Add some more condensed milk if you want it sweeter.
• Mix in the whipped cream with the mango puree and condensed milk mixture. Pour the mix into a loaf tin/cake tin and freeze for at least 3 hours.

5. Mango Phirni

Ingredients:

• 45 grams rice or ¼ cup basmati rice
• 1 cup chopped mango 
• 3 cups full-fat milk 
• 4 tablespoon sugar or add as per taste
• ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
• ½ tablespoon sliced or chopped pistachios or blanched almonds 
• 5 to 6 dried rose petals or ½ teaspoon rose water- optional

Instructions:

• Rinse 1/4 cup basmati rice for a couple of times in water and then spread it in a plate and let the grains dry.
• Once dry, put them in a grinder jar. Grind till you get a semi-fine granular consistency. Keep aside.
• Add the mango cubes in a blender or grinder. Blend till smooth. Keep aside.
• Take 3 cups full-fat milk in a thick bottomed pan and heat it over a low flame while stirring occasionally. When the milk begins to boil, add the ground rice. Stir very well.
• Next, add 4 tablespoon sugar. Stir well and cook the mixture on a low flame.
• The milk will thicken as the rice gets cooked. Keep on stirring in breaks so that lumps are not formed. Also scrape the sides often and add it to the simmering milk.
• By the time the rice granules get cooked, the phirni would have thickened considerably. At this stage, you have to stir continuously, so that the phirni does not burn and stick to the base.
• Switch off the flame when you reach the desired consistency and the rice is cooked.
• Add 1/2 tablespoon sliced or chopped pistachios, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder, and 1 teaspoon chopped dried rose petals or rose water (if using). Mix well. Cover the pan and let the phirni cool at room temperature.
• Add the mango puree and mix very well to a uniform consistency. If you feel the mixture is too thick, then you can add 2 to 3 tablespoons of warm milk to it.
• Now spoon the mango phirni in bowls. Garnish with 1 tablespoon of sliced nuts.
• Cover the bowls and refrigerate mango phirni for 3 to 4 hours. Serve cold.

FAQs

Q1: How to pre-heat my Microwave?

A: You need to place a slatted rack that comes with a microwave to pre-heat it. Now, choose the convection option. Once you set it on the convection mode, your microwave’s digital display will reflect the minimum temperature setting available, you can just increase or decrease it according to your requirement and press start.

Q2: How to make condensed milk at home?

A: Simmering milk and sugar on a low, controlled heat will yield you thick, syrupy milk. Once it cools it will thicken and be ready to use. It will last in the fridge for weeks if you don’t need it straight away.

Q3: How to blanch almonds?

A: Place your raw almonds into the boiling water. Let them boil for exactly one minute. Don't boil for any longer than 60 seconds, or your almonds will start to soften. Drain the almonds immediately in a colander or strainer and rinse them with cold water to cool them completely before using.