‘EAST MEETS WEST’ DESSERT – VANILLA PANNA COTTA WITH GULAB JAMUNS

Before I leave for my much deserved yet much delayed family holiday here is a dessert which I recently tried. Yeah, I know it sounds somewhat wacky but that is what it really is!  And isn’t this what cooking is all about!! The flavours are contrasting but they somehow gel together and work pretty well…at least we loved it. So, here is a dish to enjoy this Diwali which is an amalgamation of flavours from east and west J

 



Gulab jamuns are a versatile Indian sweet, which taste yummy whether you have it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or you have it with Rabdi (thick reduced milk). So we thought, why not with custard? My family loves both these dishes so we loved the combination too – the smooth custard and the syrupy gulab jamun.

 
 
You will find the recipe for gulab jamun here. The changes that I made were that I made them much smaller in size , which was actually for presentation purpose, and fried them till they acquired a darker shade of brown. You can choose the size/colour for yourself. Also, I warmed the gulab jamuns in the micro-oven and served them with the chilled custard pannacotta. The contrasting temperatures and textures were ultimate palate teasers!
 
For the custard pannacotta, you would need:
850 ml full cream Milk
1 tbsp Sugar (or to taste)
2½ tbsp Instant Vanilla Custard Powder
1¼ tsp Gelatin powder 
2 tbsp of warm water
 
Take ½ cup of milk and add the instant custard powder to it. Mix it well
Heat the milk
Lower the flame and add the custard powder mix to the milk.
Stir well till the custard gets cooked (about 2 minutes)
Remove from the heat and let it cool
Stir in the gelatin in warm water and mix it well
Add the gelatin to the custard and put the custard in the mould in which you intend to serve it or you can remove them from the mould and then serve 
Keep the individual moulds in the refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours or till the custard sets. (I let them sit overnight)
Serve with gulab jamuns!
 
Serves 4-5


Note: If you wish to remove the pannacotta from the mould, rub your hands around the mould to loosen it and then gently turn over the mould in the serving plate

Wishing you all a Very Happy and safe Diwali! 


Thanks for stopping and see you again!
IT IS ALWAYS ENCOURAGING TO HEAR FROM FRIENDS AND READERS. I CAN ALSO BE REACHED AT: easyfoodsmith@gmail.com

15 thoughts on “‘EAST MEETS WEST’ DESSERT – VANILLA PANNA COTTA WITH GULAB JAMUNS

  1. thats really a cool way to celebrated diwali, loved your idea of fusion..pannacotta with gulabjamus..too good to resist

    thanx for sending us your lovely entry to healing foods

  2. Panna cotta custard is on the never ending list for me to make and yours does look delicious. I popped on over to see about that gulab jamuns and it looks to be a tasty topping to the custard. Well done.

  3. My favorite Indian dessert has to be Gulab Jamun and these look tantalizing! Also loving the warm and cold contrast! I’m going to give this a try.

    Also have a Happy Diwali 🙂 xx

  4. What a delicious looking pannacotta! I love how you combined the Asian flavor into this western dessert. I’ve never had gulab jamun before but I’d love to try it. Looks yum! Happy Holiday to you!

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