The Bon Vivant’s Nighttime Protein

One of the many cool things about living in downtown Toronto is that wherever you reside, you’re never more than a couple of blocks away from an amazing little ethnic neighborhood, complete with some amazing ethnic food.

In my case, I’m a stone’s throw away from the Coxwell Avenue and Gerrard Street intersection- the city’s Little India district, the largest South Asian marketplace in North America.

If you wander through Little India on a sweltering August day, you’ll notice dozens of streetside vendors selling kulfi, the ubiquitous South Asian ice cream-like desert. When you buy kulfi from a street vendor, it’s usually on a wooden stick and wrapped in wax paper, just like a Popsicle. A restaurant might be more apt to serve it in a ramekin bowl, like creme brulee. Traditionally, kulfi is made by combining sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. This mixture is slowly reduced over heat until it becomes very thick, at which point flour or breadcrumbs are added to thicken it even further. Various combinations of spices, nuts, and fruit are then added, and the whole concoction gets poured into molds for freezing. Because kulfi isn’t whipped and aerated (like western ice cream), the result is something that’s incredibly dense and creamy.

Kulfi is available in a handful of flavours, but if you ask me, the most mind-blowing variety is kesar pista. Kesar is the Hindi word for saffron, while pista means pistachio. Add some cardamom to these two flavours, and you’ve got what’s undoubtedly the holy trinity of Indian desert ingredients.

Now, in terms of the nutritional profile, that’s where things get a bit dodgy. Kulfi may not be quite on par with the deep-fried Snickers bar, but it’s probably not far behind.

I’ve been messing around with some alternative ingredients however, and have come up with this high protein, low carb makeover of kesar pista kulfi that tastes downright hedonistic. What’s more, this simple recipe’s a great alternative to cottage cheese when you need that hefty helping of nighttime casein protein.

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Casein

Eating a bowl of cottage cheese before hitting the sack has long been a ritual for many hardcore fitness buffs. Casein (one of the proteins in dairy- and the one that’s especially abundant in cottage cheese) forms a gel-like blob when it hits the acidic pH environment of your stomach. Because of this, casein can take several hours to fully digest, making it the perfect choice for supplying the body with a slowly-released stream of amino acids while you sleep. Problem is, a lot of folks really can’t stand cottage cheese (usually it’s the texture that’s the turn-off). Pure casein protein powder has been on the shelves of musclehead shops for a few years now, and it’s a great alternative. It comes in a variety of flavours- just like whey protein- and will usually be only slightly more expensive. I’m not a shill for the folks at Optimum Nutrition, but I’ve been using their Creamy Vanilla 100% Casein Protein for the past couple of years, and I think it’s a great-tasting, high quality product. It’s sweetnened (like most low carb protein powders) with Sucralose, and shouldn’t be difficult to find.

As for the more exotic ingredients in this recipe, cardamom pods and saffron can be found at any Indian or Middle Eastern grocery store. If you’ve never been to an ethnic grocer, don’t be wigged out. The people who run these shops are usually incredibly helpful, and they’ll really appreciate your business. And due to the rapid turnover of inventory, you’ll end up with much fresher ingredients than at the supermarket. You’ll spend a lot less money too.

A final note on yogurt: Only people who really hate themselves eat low fat yogurt. Always try and find the good stuff: Greek style yogurt, or anything with a fat content of 6% or greater. Low fat yogurt is usually thickened with modified cornstarch and loads of other crap- not to mention tons of sugar in the flavored versions. Full fat yogurt is actually only nominally higher in calories, is more nutritious, and tastes infinitely better.

Kesar Pista Kulfi: The Makeover

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (about 8 heaping Tbsp) Balkan/Greek style plain yogurt (6% fat or greater)
1 scoop (about 30g) casein protein powder, vanilla flavour
1 small pinch saffron threads
2 green cardamom pods
1/8 cup (2 tbsp or about 20) shelled raw pistachios
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

Method:

In a small glass (a shot glass is perfect), soak the saffron threads in just enough warm water (about 1-2 teaspoons) to cover the threads completely. Ideally, this should be done about 20 minutes prior to preparing the rest of the recipe. This will allow plenty of time for the saffron to fully infuse into the water (the water will turn bright yellow).

Put the yogurt into a cereal bowl. Using a fork, whisk the casein protein into the yogurt until it’s blended smoothly.

Using a mortar and pestle (you’ll need one), crush the cardamom pods and discard the outer shells, so that only the black seeds remain. With a circular motion, grind the seeds into a fine powder. Dump the cardamom powder into the yogurt mixture.

Finely chop the pistachios and add them to the yogurt mixture. Add the ground flaxseed.

Empty the saffron/water into the yogurt mixture. Be sure not to leave any saffron threads behind. Stir everything together thoroughly and put the bowl into the freezer for 10 minutes (don’t forget it’s in there- use a timer to remind you). If you’re doubling the recipe, give it 15-20 minutes in the freezer. Remove the bowl and stir thoroughly before eating.

Calories: 375.. Protein: 34g.. Carbohydrate: 19g.. Fat: 19g

If you find this recipe isn’t quite sweet enough for your liking, add a packet of Splenda or stevia, or if you’re not carbophobic, a bit of sugar to taste. And don’t be afraid to take artistic license. I’ve experimented by adding a couple of drops of vanilla extract, some freshly ground black pepper, and a ground whole clove. Give it a shot and be sure to share your thoughts with us over on the FBD Facebook page.

Filed Under: Nutrition + Recipes