Malabi Pudding With Red Beet Syrup

Malabi pudding is the perfect cold, summer dessert. Not only is it delicious and special, but it’s also fast and simple to make. It’s a unique dessert, perfect for celebrating a birthday. Its versatility makes it a crowd pleaser. There are endless regional variations; change the toppings to suit yourself or the preferences of those being served. Best of all, it can easily be made ahead.

There is a gorgeous visual contrast between the white pudding and bright syrup, as well as a fabulous contrast of flavors and textures that delights and surprises. Our favorite toppings are a bright beet-and-rosewater syrup with crunchy, creamy pistachios. It is popular with orange or pomegranate syrup, flaked coconut, and other nuts.

Don’t worry—this pudding recipe doesn't require any scrubbing, peeling, slicing or beet cooking required.

We will get the vibrant color of fresh beets from Red Beet Crystals, a convenient crystalline powder. Because it is made from pure organic beet juice, it has a light, sweet flavor, not as earthy as you might expect.

With its aroma of roses, this dessert seemed just perfect decorated with roses. They are lovely and in season in spring but would be well suited to Valentine’s Day as well. Of course, this is made to contain an ingredient you are sure to want if you are celebrating a milestone birthday: beets! Beets are a must-have for those hitting big birthdays since they are a FANTASTIC source of nitrate.

When we chew, swallow and digest foods high in nitrate, they can create nitric oxide, which does some neat things in the human body, and we can feel the lack when our body’s own production slows. Our levels tend to peak in our 20s, then drop off. Some sources say that our bodies’ levels can be three times lower by our 50s and eight times lower by our 60s.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is some plant foods provide natural nitrates that can be turned into more nitric oxide through digestion. This is very exciting since, as you can imagine, we usually feel better, and younger, when our levels are better. Nitric oxide helps blood vessels to relax and dilate, and it can replenish energy, both mental and physical.

This is why getting some extra nitrate might make us feel more like our younger selves. In fact, Examine.com, a source of unbiased scientific information, states that “beetroot has so much nitrate that it can serve as a potential ergogenic aid and pre-workout supplement in the form of beetroot juice.” This dessert might be the ideal pick me up!

Seek out high nitrate/nitric oxide foods if you are:

• Over 50 or are starting to feel old and tired
• An athlete who likely is depleting their stores quickly

Best practices to get the most benefit from food sources of nitrate:

• Consume a few hours before you want increased mental and physical energy
• Try combining sources of nitric oxide (like beet juice) with an herb that ensures it stays bioavailable (like hawthorn) which also happens to be delicious
• Aim to chew the food, even if it is a drink; your saliva helps to activate the nitrate and to produce nitric oxide

Here is the malabi pudding recipe—we know you’ll enjoy it:

Dana Green Remedios, RHN, RNCP, NNCP, is a Vancouver-based educator and coach. She is a regular contributor to the Flora Health blog and can answer your questions in English, French, and Spanish as a Product Information Specialist at Flora.