Cool Quotient

Diet consultant,nutritionist and health educator Aditi A Mehrotra runs health carts around the city and recommends yoghurt. “The calcium content of yoghurt is more than that of milk; it takes three hours to digest milk but only one to digest curd. It is effective in dealing with digestive disorders and its active bacterial culture makes it a great starter. Plus,it contains high levels of folic acid,Vitamin B12 and protein,” she says,adding how curd is a must ingredient for oil-free and low-oil cooking.

This summer,at her Health Cart at the Lake,Mehrotra is using hung curd instead of cheese for cheesecakes,freshly flavoured fruit yoghurt instead of ice-creams and puddings and smoothies in place of milk shakes. “Our low-cal shrikhand,made with gur and hung curd is a big hit. I pepper it with nuts,bite-sized fruits and cinnamon,” she says. Often,she makes a one-dish meal of fruits,veggies,celery,nuts,raisins,boiled chana and muesli,all ducked in yoghurt. “It’s cool,fibrous and good for kidneys. Those on a diet can have it as a snack.’’

Frozen yoghurt chains like Froyo and Cocoberry offer an array of delectable choices like the natural fruit flavoured frozen yogurt,with a variety of toppings including blackberries,raspberries,blueberries,almonds,marshmallows and choco-chips. A popular,healthy and guilt-free dessert option,these are creamy and natural. At Barista,the refreshing mango smoothie contains yoghurt while most Indian restaurants have variants of the lassi,topped with natural coolers like cumin,khas-khas and mint.

At Flame Bois in Sector 35,the dessert menu has the innovative baked yoghurt. Light,flavoursome,creamy,it is a big hit,says Karan Suri who is generous enough to share the recipe. “We whip up the curd,add some condensed milk,a hint of cream,mix it well and then bake for 20-30 minutes. It is then chilled and topped with seasonal fruit,’’ he says.

At many restaurants in the city,smoothies— made with yoghurt,fresh fruits and sometimes milk— rule the summer drinks menu. According to restaurateur Priya Jagat,her chefs have whipped up some interesting drinks. While Backpacker’s in Sector 10 has a unique blend of banana and chocolate called London,Colombo is a perfect mix of yoghurt,mango,honey and lemon juice. Tokyo combines yoghurt,orange juice,diced banana and peeled oranges. At Cafe Nomad in Sector 7,the must-haves are the strawberry,banana cherry,chocolate mint,cherry berry,banana caramel flavours. “These are guilt-free indulgences. We use high-quality fresh fruits and low-fat yoghurt,with sugar according to taste,’’ Jagat adds. Oven Fresh in Sector 26 has introduced smoothies which are made with probiotic yoghurt. The recommendations: banana caramel and pinacolada smoothie. Very cool indeed.