Chinese · Authentic-ish Chinese
Mango Pudding
135 kcal a serving, against 263 for the traditional version. That is 128 kcal off, or 49%, with 10.3g of protein. Serves 6. 4 hours.
What the traditional version is
A silky, rich set dessert made by pureeing ripe mango and mixing it with dissolved gelatine, a heavy pour of double cream, evaporated milk and plenty of white sugar. The mixture is left to set until firm but meltingly soft on the tongue. Often served with a little extra evaporated milk poured over the top.
What changed, and what each change costs
150g of double cream and 200g of evaporated milk for 400g of fat-free Greek yoghurt and 100g of semi-skimmed milk
Cream and evaporated milk deliver pure fat and thick sugar syrup. Fat-free Greek yoghurt brings bulk and a massive hit of lean protein, while a splash of semi-skimmed milk helps dissolve the gelatine smoothly.
What it costs you. Yoghurt carries a sharp, lactic tang that fights the sweet mango slightly. You lose the luxurious, tongue-coating dairy slick that only double cream provides. The texture is undeniably denser.
100g of caster sugar down to 30g
Dim sum desserts are famously sweet, masking the actual fruit. Cutting the sugar lets the natural flavour of the mango do the heavy lifting.
What it costs you. The final pudding tastes more like a sharp breakfast pot than an after-dinner sweet. If your mango is even slightly underripe, the whole dish will taste flat, sour and entirely disappointing.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 263 | 135 |
| Protein | 5.9g | 10.3g |
| Fat | 11.9g | 1g |
| Saturated fat | 7.4g | 0.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 35.7g | 23.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.3g | 7.6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Chinese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk.
The method is in the book
This is the second dessert I ever bothered trying to fix. The original is a masterpiece of texture, and I am the first to admit that Greek yoghurt does not mimic double cream. The mouthfeel here is slightly chalky compared to the dim sum classic, and the tang of the yoghurt changes the whole profile of the dish. But as a trade, it works brilliantly. You get a massive bowl of sweet, fruity pudding that genuinely fills you up thanks to the dairy protein, for a fraction of the original fat. Buy the absolute best, ripest mangoes you can find, because they have absolutely nowhere to hide.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Chinese, along with 55 more. Buy the paperback