Water Chestnut Panna Cotta {Recipe}

Diwali is getting closer! I am keeping away from the tempting mithai’s  that are being displayed at the sweet shops. I have a sweet tooth and when I start eating the mithai’s, it is really rare that I stop after eating just one. But of course, this is not a healthy habit. I was looking for some easy recipes that I could make without spending too much time. I was actually looking at something that was beyond the conventional sweets served for Diwali. And I managed to convince Sangeeta to make one guest post for my blog, one of her super awesome creations that you all can try.

 

 

Healthy living and well-being is a million dollar industry selling us products labeled with fat free, sugar free, cholesterol free and low sodium tags. We buy these products without reading fine prints and never realize that these are ‘food like objects’ our body is not designed to metabolise normally. I say ‘food like objects’ because some food ingredients are first stripped off of their natural odors and flavours and chemical additives are added to them to taste like the next best thing in the market. The same old ingredients keep coming to our table with latest fad flavours being advertised loudly on the television.

So when this Diwali you buy a box of mithai or donuts they might be the same bleached all purpose flour, sugar, trans-fats labeled cunningly to sound like a high tech supplement and loads of sugar, flavored and colored differently and finished to look like different desserts. Please take out some time to cook a few healthy and real desserts for the family and enjoy the festivals in a wholesome manner.

I am sharing one such easy dessert made with seasonal produce here on Pratibha’s blog as I like the way she writes about natural living and shares tips on how to manage natural living in a highly synthetic world.

 Water Chestnut Panna cotta recipe

Ingredients

• Fresh *water chestnuts (peeled) 200 gm or about 2 dozen large nuts
• Heavy cream 80 gm (or use light cream if you wish)
• Sugar (unbleached preferably) 50 gm
• Rose water 2 tbsp
• Chopped pistachios and dry rose petals to garnish

Procedure

1. Liquidize the water chestnuts in food processor without adding any water. Pour the contents into a thick bottomed pan through a strainer to avoid lumps.
2. Add the heavy cream and sugar and start cooking the mixture on low flame. Stir all the time as the mixture starts bubbling lightly. It will thicken and the bubbles will be less numerous and would start plopping with a sound. Add rose water at this point and let the bubbles plop once again.
3. Ladle the panna cotta into shot glasses or any convenient serving bowls. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and rose petals and refrigerate after cling wrapping them all.
4. It sets within an hour and cane be served chilled or at room temperature.

Note: Add 2 tsp of corn starch if the water chestnuts are tender. Tender WC nuts have lesser starch and do not set well for a panna cotta but the mature and hard WC nuts have enough starch to set it perfectly. Use hard and mature ones if possible.

 Serving Suggestions

Serving such desserts in attractive glassware adds to the festive mood and the excitement of the family waiting for a dessert. Simpler recipes, attractive garnish and stylish serving will be the tricks of the trade for a busy parent to able to whip up a healthy yet tasty dessert and keep away from the crap the markets dole out during the festivals.

*Water chestnut in Hindi is known as singhada. 

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*All of my reviews are based on my own personal experiences with the brand/products. If it is a sponsored post, it is indicated. Most of the brands and products reviewed are what I have tried and tested and truly recommend! All Photographs are (C) Pratibha unless stated otherwise.*