Choco-Nut Kheer

A never before interview with a chocoholic nutritionist !

Q : Pray, what are the four food groups ?
A : The four basic food groups are: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles.
Q: Is Chocolate bad for health ?
A: OMG! Absolutely not ! On the contrary, Chocolate is a Vegetable: chocolate is derived from cocoa beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived from either sugar cane or sugar beets. Both are plants, which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable. To go one step further, chocolate candy bars also contain milk, which is dairy. So chocolate is health food.
Q: How does eating chocolate help ?
A : Chocolate causes certain endocrine glands to secrete hormones that affect your feelings and behavior by making you happy. Therefore, it counteracts depression, in turn reducing the stress of depression. Your stress-free life helps you maintain a youthful disposition, both physically and mentally. So, eat lots of chocolate.
Q: According to you, what is a balanced diet ?
A: A balanced diet is a chocolate in each hand!
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Dear Chocoholics, perish the guilt and now indulge in this chocolaty Kheer that is truly low-calorie.
An Indian kheer with a choco twist and crunchy nuts to top it.
I have adapted this recipe from my friend Deepali’s chocolate-walnut rice kheer.

Ingredients

¾ cup dalia (broken wheat)
1 lt milk (skimmed)
1 heaped tbsp vanilla custard powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
½ cup Sugar
8 cashews (roasted and broken into tiny pieces)
5-6 almonds (blanched and broken into tiny pieces)

Method
Mix the custard powder and cocoa powder in ½ cup cold milk
Pressure cook the broken wheat with 2 cups milk
Add sugar and remaining milk to this mixture and bring it to a boil , stirring all the way
Add the custard, cocoa mixture and let it cook for 5-8 minutes. Keep Stirring.
Add the nuts and take it off the stove
Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

You will be surprised that this creamy kheer is made without butter, ghee or full cream milk ! Enjoy it without a pang of guilt!