Healthy Recipe, My Way!! Makhana-Kesar Kheer

            Hello Friends! Welcome back to "Healthy Recipe, My Way!!" section of my blog. Today I'm going to share one of my favorite desserts with you all. It is healthy, low-calorie, and easy to make. I always opt for this recipe whenever I have craving for something sweet, as it is also very quick to make. I know most of my Indian friends know how to make it, but this recipe has healthy switches, my way of course!  Lets look at the ingredients now..

Ingredients:

Makhana (Fox Nut)- 1 cup
Milk- 2 and a half cup
Sugar- to taste
Blanched Almonds- 5-6
Kesar/Saffron strings- a few
Finely chopped almonds for garnishing

Method:

•  Dry roast the Makhana in an open pan or kadhai, for 5 min at medium flame till they are crisp. Alternatively, you may microwave them on high in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. For those who know Makhana by some other name, here is the pic of  makhana..                                                                                              

• Heat milk in a separate pan and bring it to boil, turn the flame to medium, add roasted makhanas.
• Let it simmer on low flame, stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook it for 10-12 minutes, or till the makhana are tender and milk is reduced to half.
• Meanwhile peel and grind the blanched almonds to a fine paste (add a little milk if needed).
• Soak Saffron strings in a little (about 2 tsp) milk for 5 minutes.
• Add almond paste and kesar/saffron soaked in milk, to the kheer when the makhana are cooked. Also add sugar to taste. Cook for 2-3 more minutes.
• The Kheer will be thick in consistency, and will have a yellow hue.
• Serve in a bowl and garnish with finely chopped almonds.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Note: 
• The traditional recipe requires the makhana to be roasted in ghee, a step I have excluded. I've opted for dry roasting.
• I've added almond paste and saffron to the recipe to enrich its taste and color, and improve its Cardiac-protective action. 
• Makhana or Fox nut's botanical name is Euryale Ferox.
• According to Ayurveda it is "Sheet", "Snigdha", and "Madhur" (its "guna" or properties), and provides moisture to body tissues. It is best consumed during early winter, when the weather is dry and causes dryness and roughness of tissue leading to "Vata" related disorders. It alleviates "Vata" and "pitta" related disorders.
• It also strengthens the heart and is very useful in treating anemia.
• Combining it with milk enhances its "Vata" relieving properties.
• Almonds further add to the cardiac protecting action of Fox nut.
• Kesar or Saffron is rich in anti-oxidants. 
• This dessert is light and easy to digest.
• BTW Makhana are also known for their Aphrodisiac properties (^_-) .                                                                                                     So try this quick and easy recipe to battle the approaching winter. Linking this post to Patty's weekly link party @ Colours Decor.                                                                  That's all for this post, I will discuss tips to tackle behavioral problems of kids in my next post. So keep watching this space for more. Thanks for visiting my blog. I appreciate your comments and feedback to my posts, so keep giving your valuable comments. Learn to choose well with me and have a smart living!!