Mango and saffron complement each other so beautifully that each makes the other richer. Ever since I saw this lovely Mango Fudge on the my very talented friend, Sonal Gupta’s page, I knew I had to make it! I luckily managed to get some excellent dussehri mangoes in the midst of heavy monsoon. Biting into this was pure heaven- and such a simple recipe!!


Ingredients

Mango Pulp- 2 cups
Paneer/cottage cheese, grated coarse- 1 cup (the coarsely grated paneer gives the fudge a lovely bite. You may grate it fine to get a smooth and fine texture)
Mawa/Khoya,grated- 1 cup (in case not available, you may make using the instant mawa recipe below)
Sugar- ½ cup
Cardamom powder- 1 tsp
Mixed nuts, chopped- 3 Tbsp (I used just cashews)
Saffron- a fat pinch (grind it well with a tsp of sugar and soak in a Tbsp of warm milk)

Mix the mango pulp and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan or kadhai and cook till the water lessens and the mango pulp is cooked. This takes about ten minutes. Keep stirring and keep the flame medium.

Add the mawa and paneer and cook the mixture stirring continuously till it leaves the sides of the pan. Remove.


When it cools down to warm, mix the saffron and chopped nuts.
Meanwhile, grease some paper cups lightly with ghee or unsalted butter.
Put a tablespoon of the fudge into each cup and top with chopped nuts.

Chill for 5-6 hours and serve.

I am sharing my friend Jaya Amit’s recipe for Instant mawa/khoya.She does it in the microwave. The same can  be done on stove-top in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat.

Fatafat/Instant Khoya

3 cups full cream milk powder (about 475 gms)
250 ml double heavy cream/ heavy whipping cream
1 can evaporated milk (375 ml)

In a large microwave safe bowl, whisk all three till smooth and creamy.
Cook on High in a microwave for 3 minutes. Stir and start again for 3 minutes.
Stir well to break any lumps and cook again for 5 minutes.
Check for consistency and cook for 3-5 minute depending on what texture you desire (slightly gooey / more solid.)
The total time will depend on your microwave’s power and capacity so stick to 3 minute cooking time to ensure desired consistency. If in the initial stages the milk mixture seems likely to overflow then stop the microwave for ten seconds and then start again.

In case evaporated milk is difficult to find, there is another Instant Mawa/Khoya recipe here.