Summer Special: Mango Burfi

Summers are for mangoes and nostalgia!

It is mango season and for my family, this is a HUGE deal. I have extensively chronicled both mine and my family's love for this tropical fruit in previous blog posts so I won't go there today. 

You might be aware that I have an annual summer tradition of posting a mango-based recipe don't you? Well then here it is 😋

I usually don't kick off mango season by incorporating the much-anticipated fruit in my cooking and baking endeavors. I first make sure I have face-planted into as many bowls of different varieties of fresh mango goodness as I can and only after I have had my fill do I start contemplating using it in drinks, dishes and desserts. Tee-hee

This year I have gone out of my comfort zone and made Mango Burfi which is an Indian sweet. I am heaps better at making Western desserts when compared to traditional Indian sweets so the past several years, that is what I've done. You can check out my Mango Panna Cotta, Easy Mango Sorbet, Tropical Mango Cupcakes, Mango Chia Pudding, Fresh Mango Cake with Whipped Cream and Dark Chocolate Collar and Pavlova with Mango and Passionfruit. 

It has been two weeks of enjoying mangoes in their glorious native form. We have had Thai mangoes, Australian mangoes, Indian Alphonso and Banganapalli mangoes so far. I am yet to explore what other types are currently available. That said, I miss being in India during summer because of how many local varieties of mangoes flood the markets. You will truly be spoilt for choices.

This year I made a pledge to try out more types of Indian sweets and savories to get better at making them so I have made a start with these delicious Mango Burfis.

So lets talk about this particular Mango Burfi recipe. While trawling the internet for ideas, I came across many Mango Burfi recipes that called for desiccated coconut. I wasn't too keen on using coconut since I occasionally make coconut burfi and apple coconut burfi so I felt it would taste similar. I saw some recipes that used khoya and milk powder. I had both at home but I decided to use up the milk powder since it was inching towards the expiration date. 

This recipe is actually quite easy. All you need are fresh mangoes (Alphonso would be preferable) or canned mango pulp, full-fat condensed milk, unsalted butter, whole milk, cardamom powder, milk powder and pistachios. Seven simple ingredients and half an hour of your time is all it takes. You do have to keep and eye on it and there is some stirring involved but if you follow all the instructions properly, it is pretty much a fool-proof recipe. 

I let the mango burfi set properly in the fridge overnight and the next day, cut it into clean squares with a sharp knife. With the pale orange hue and the pops of green on top, they looked quite pretty. Everyone at home liked the mango burfis. The mango flavour was subtle, the sweetness just right and it had a nice melt-in-the mouth texture. The pistachios added a pleasant crunch and color. I have been adding them to my snack box and my children's yum boxes and I'm sure they will disappear in no time.

If you have any celebrations coming up, you should try this recipe. I guarantee you will love it 😊

Sun, Sand & Sea: Kids Day Out at Tanjong Beach, Singapore

I'm pretty sure I've already outlined my 6-year old twins' fascination with going to the beach. If I start any sentence with "what should we do this weekend?", the answer will inevitably be "let's go to the beach!". If there is any talk of arranging a playdate, they will chime in with suggestions of going to the beach. If I ask them how they want to spend their birthday, there will be some mention of going to the beach on their elaborate agenda. They wait for their school holidays solely for the prospect of spending a day at the beach. They sometimes even offer me bribes in the form of artwork for an exchange trip to the beach. My husband and I were discussing this in tones of amusement and we realized that our last 5 family holidays have turned out to be beach holidays. Such is our offspring's love for sun, sand and sea.

When you think of Singapore, you tend to picture the spectacular skyline, the iconic Merlion, the world-class Singapore Zoo, the futuristic Gardens by the Bay or the more recent marvel, Jewel Changi. A beach does not come to mind at all. I think it is a well-established fact that Singapore does not have good beaches to its credit. If you look at neighboring Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand which are all well-renowned beach destinations, then Singapore falls short. But then again, the island does not promote itself as a beach destination (and rightly so). 

Singapore is one of the world's busiest ports and extensive land reclamation has resulted in many man-made beaches. In any beach on the island, it is common to see numerous ships and vessels dotting the horizon, the waters are not as clean or clear, the sand isn't as fine or powdery as you would hope for, the waves are virtually non-existent and there have been reports of jellyfish sightings. As a result of all this, water sports aren't all that popular and neither is sunbathing. 

But as is human nature, we make do with what we have and so, trips to the beach are a popular weekend activity with Singaporean families especially those with young children. 

Of all the beaches in Singapore, my favourite would have to be Tanjong Beach, tucked away on Sentosa Island. This beach happens to be a family favourite as it serves as a secluded getaway from the hullabaloo of the city. 

The placid sea, tame waves, relatively clear waters, shady palm trees and surrounding greenery makes it a picturesque spot. Don't you agree?

Unlike the other two Sentosa beaches, Siloso and Palawan, Tanjong beach has fewer commercial activities, making it the perfect destination for people who like to take a dip in the shallow waters, laze around, read a book, or take as leisurely stroll along the coastline.

The girls had their term break holidays and on a impulse, I and my husband decided to take the day off and turn it into a family outing. Knowing our daughters proclivity to go to Sentosa, we decided to take them to Tanjong beach. 

The sun was out in formidable force but despite the risk of sunburn, I was mostly glad because the past few weeks had seen gloomy skies and incessant rain. All of us slathered on liberal amounts of sunblock and took full advantage of the sunny day.

Create Your Own Signature Scent at Maison 21G

Invited Review

I was recently invited by Maison 21G (Singapore) to attend a haute perfumery workshop at their Duxton flagship boutique. I love perfume and use it on a daily basis so the idea of creating a bespoke fragrance appealed to me. Not to mention, I was keen to learn about the art of perfumery so I gladly accepted the invitation. 

The power of our sense of smell is incredible. Smells can capture the imagination, ignite the senses, shape perception and conjure up a wide range of emotions. 

Personally speaking, the smell of jasmine instantly transports me back to a small town in my home state of Karnataka in India. To the home of my grandparents where I spent many pleasant evenings in the front yard plucking jasmine flowers alongside my cousins and grandmother. The smell of sandalwood takes me back to my beloved hometown of Mysore which incidentally, happens to be called the "Sandalwood City". It brings on a powerful wave of nostalgia that is associated with sandalwood soap and incense sticks. A more recent smell association comes from being an avid baker. The tantalizing scents of vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest are all too familiar to me and truth be told, I wouldn't mind smelling like a bakery!

Did you know that the pH balance of your skin, how dry or oily your skin is, your hormone levels, your hair color and even your diet are all believed to affect how your body reacts when perfume is applied? A perfume may smell fantastic on your friend but smell not as nice when the same amount of the exact same perfume is applied to your own skin. There is no point of loving a fragrance if it doesn't love you back. That's why it is recommended to check the effect of a fragrance on your skin before parting with your money.

I have been using different brands of perfume for so many years (leaning more towards light floral fragrances). But honestly, I never thought much about what goes into the perfume I am using. Many perfumes contain potentially hazardous synthetic chemicals (such as preservatives, GMOs, CMR substances, or phthalates) which can be detrimental to human health. Since the past decade or so, people are becoming more conscious about the personal care and cleaning products they use and now "safe", "eco-friendly" and "cruelty-free" products are preferred by health-conscious as well as environmentally-conscious folks.   

Maison 21G is a French brand that specializes in personalizing clean perfume with a minimum of 90% biodegradable material. The brand aims to be transparent and sustainable in the sourcing of natural ingredients to create potent and high-quality perfume essences. Every tailor-made perfume is freshly blended. The perfume bottles are refillable with reusable packaging and the fragrances are preservative-free, cruelty-free and vegan which makes them ideal for people with sensitive noses, allergy-prone skin as well as pregnant women and nursing mothers. 

Maison translates from French as ‘home’. The name mirrors the brand's concept of welcoming guests to step inside their home of fine perfumes, where the the power and freedom to craft a signature scent lies with the guest. Since every person is unique with respect to style, personality and passions, the brand seeks to empower guests to design their own perfumes with the freedom to reflect their individual preferences. As for the second part of the name, according to a study conducted by the physician Duncan MacDougall, a person's soul weighs exactly 21 grams. Inspired by this, Maison 21G promises to encapsulate the scent of a person's soul in a 21 grams bottle of perfume with 21% of perfume essence. 

That's quite clever don't you think? 

Johanna Monange is the Founder and CEO of Maison 21G. The brand reaps the benefits from her invaluable two-decade experience in perfumery. Working with various fragrance powerhouses as a scent designer and a creative director in top cities as well as contributing to the creation of some of the worldwide best-selling fragrances, Johanna has a passion for injecting much-needed soul into scents. 

Maison 21 G offers an array of perfumes and products, ranging from exquisite solo scents, miniature perfumes, and hand sanitizers to uniquely blended perfume creations. If you are looking for custom perfume in Singapore then look no further! From the Maison 21G website, you can choose from 3 ways to create your signature scent: 1. Based on your personality by taking a fun AI-powered personality quiz 2. Based on your favourite perfumes by finding the closest match or 3. Based on your favourite ingredients. 

It could be for yourself or serve as the perfect gifting idea for a loved one. 

Or if you prefer a more interactive experience, you can uncover the art of perfumery by creating your own signature scent at their atelier workshop. The 1-hour interactive workshop offers a great opportunity to turn scent designer for a day, and get acquainted with a range of alluring ingredients, secret techniques, and discover which scent suits you best. During the workshop, the in-house expert scent designers will guide you as you create your own scent, and you’ll be able to take home one 30ml personalised bottle filled with your own creation of Eau de Parfum to cherish. The workshop would be a fun, engaging and educational activity for a solo guest or for a couple to do together while on a date or to mark a special occasion and for families or small groups of friends to bond together. 

I reached the Duxton road flagship boutique on a weekday evening. I found the interiors to be chic with pristine white walls, gleaming glass, black accents and pops of greenery from the indoor plants. I would say that it looked like a sparkling clean and uber cool chemistry lab. I was greeted by the friendly staff and spent a few minutes checking out the space.