BeatTheHeat! – The Secret Ingredient

Beverage & Drinks

Mango Chamomile-Mint Tea Lemonade | Mango Green Tea Lemonade

By anshu July 11, 2016

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Last week was Mangolicious! First my uncle sent over a box of mangoes and we were eating them day in and day out in order to finish them before they went over ripe. We made so many mango dishes that it was insane. The Mango Saffron Phirni I had posted was result of the same insanity 😛 But this did not end here. My cousin sister visited us and guess what she got for us? Another box of mangoes!! which means another 10kgs of mango madness!!

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I decided not to give up and kept trying more Mango recipes. I came up with this Mango Chamomile-mint Tea Lemonade. It was refreshingly delicious. I still have a few kilos of Mangoes left. Lets see where would this insanity take me 😉 Expect a few more mango recipes in the times to come 😛 If you are suffering from the same mango syndrome as me then do try out these Mango recipes on my blog.

Directions:

1. In a saucepan boil some water and throw in a teabag of Chamomile-Mint. If you cant find chamomile you can use any other green tea of your choice. Let it stay in for a couple of minutes till you see the water is well infused. Add sugar. Let it cool down.

2. In a blender add mango Pulp, Lemon Juice and sugar, depending on the sweetness of mangoes. Blend well into a puree.

3. Add the Green tea to the mango Puree. Mix Well.

4. Throw in some ice and Transfer them to serving glasses. Enjoy!

Other Mango Recipes you can try are: Mango Saffron Phirni, Spiced Mango Lassi, Raw Mango Garlic Spicy Chutney, Mango Tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream, Fresh Turmeric Pickle with Green Mangoes, Raw Mango Rice, Fresh Mexican Black Bean & Mango Salad, Plum Mango Punch, Aam Ka Panna, Raw Mango Chutney with Mint and Coriander, Khatti Meethi Kacchey Aam Ki Chutney, Kacchey Aam Ka Achaar, Coconut Milk Mango Pudding.

Other Refreshing Drinks you can try are: Peach Lemonade, Plum Smoothie, Aam Ka Panna, Ginger Papaya Mint Smoothie, Litchi Lemonade, Musk Melon & Cucumber Smoothie with Mint, Spiced Mango Lassi, Kafal Ka Sharbat.

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[whohit]MangoIcedTea[/whohit]

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Food without Onion Garlic

Aalubukhara Smoothie | Plum Smoothie | Plum Mango Punch

By anshu June 23, 2015

I live in the hills where the backyard of every house is occupied by the fruit trees and those trees are laden with ripe fruits. This time of the year we get plums or Aalubukhara in abundance. Although they are easy targets of monkey menace but we manage to get some fruits for ourselves.

I am not very fond of plums as a fruit per se, but love to make delicious pies and chutney out of it. I finished making a batch of Plum Chutney and I still had a few lying unused. I decided to make a quick plum smoothie. I added some mango pulp to balance the tartness of plums. Ohh it was amazing and so very refreshing and not to mention how it helps to regulate High Blood pressure and Improves Bone Health.

Directions:

1. Pick some ripe plums and wash them thoroughly.

2. Cut the plums into slices and discard the stone. Also scoop out pulp of a ripe mango.

3. Put the plums and mango in a blender and add brown sugar or mascabado sugar. You can even use jaggery powder.

3. Add a pinch of salt and add water.

4. Blend it together to form a smoothie. Serve chilled and enjoy this summer drink.

You can try other thirst busters from The Secret Ingredient: Musk Melon & Cucumber Minty Smoothie & Aam Ka Panna.

[whohit]PlumSmoothie[/whohit]

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Beverage & Drinks

Aam Ka Panna | Raw Mango Drink with Mint and Roasted Cumin

By anshu June 20, 2015

Indian summers are scorching and can take a toll on you. So it is very important to keep your self hydrated and take all necessary steps to fight against the intense Indian Summer heat. One such way is to drink Aam Panna, it is a healthy drink made from the pulp of raw green mangoes, sugar and assortment of spices.

Aam Panna not only quenches your thirst but also helps prevent excessive loss of sodium chloride and iron in the body resulting due to heavy sweating. Its my favourite drink since childhood. You can make a concentrate of Aam Panna and keep it refrigerated. Simply add cold water to it and enjoy this refreshing summer drink with the goodness of Mango.

Directions:

1. Wash and peel raw mangoes and cut them into small pieces discarding the inside seed. I have used slightly ripe mangoes but they were still quite tangy. You can even directly boil the mangoes with the peel and later separate the peel and pulp. But it gets messy so I prefer to simply boil the pulp.

2. Transfer the chopped mango pieces in a vessel.

3. Add water and let it come to a boil.

4. Put the lid on and let it simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the mangoes have become soft. I inserted a knife to check its doneness. Turn the flame off and let it come to room temperature.

5. Transfer the cooked mango pulp with its water into a blender. Add sugar and roasted Cumin Powder.

6. Also add washed mint leaves and Black Himalayan Salt , also known as Kala Namak.

7. Blend Together to make a smooth liquid Concentrate. Pour a small portion of it in tall glasses and add chilled water as per your taste. Store rest of the concentrate in a container and keep it refrigerated.

You can try other Raw Mango recipes on The Secret Ingredient: Raw Mango Pickle South Indian Style, Raw Mango Sweet and Sour Chutney and Raw Mango Chutney with Mint and Coriander.

Other refreshing things you can try to beat the heat are: Mango Coconut Milk Pudding, Musk Melon Cucumber and Mint Smoothie and Quick Pista Badam Kulfi.

[whohit]AamPanna[/whohit]

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Beverage & Drinks

Musk Melon & Cucumber Smoothie with Mint

By anshu June 9, 2015

Summers in India can be treacherous. You have to constantly hydrate yourself specially if you are going out any good day. I am lucky to be living in the hills where the temperature is still tolerable, Where the plains have transformed into furnaces hills are a soother. To keep yourselves cool we regularly need something to drink and if it is healthy, its an icing on the cake.

Last week when my parents sent us musk melons or as we call them kharbooja in hindi, we had to finish them before they start perishing. I decided to do this smoothie. I wasn’t sure if it will taste right, but anyways I went ahead and tried it. It tasted just wonderful and guiltfree. Since then it has been a regular feature in my daily routine.

Directions:
1. Wash and peel a cucumber. Take a small bite to check for bitterness. It should not be bitter as it will spoil the taste of smoothie.

2. Cut it into half and further half and scoop out the seeds with the help of a spoon. Cut it into cubes.

3. Cut open a musk melon and dice it into cubes.

4. Place the cucumber pieces and melon pieces into a blender along with few leaves of mint.

5. Add a drizzle of honey.

6. Squeeze in juice of a lemon and blend it into a smoothie.

7. Pour it into glasses and serve cold.

You can try other things to beat the heat like Mango Coconut Pudding, Quick Pista Badam Kulfi.

Other Smoothies and Beverages you can try are: Plum Smoothie, Raw Mango Drink with Mint and Roasted Cumin, Ginger Papaya Mint Smoothie, Central Himalayan Wild Bayberry Syrup, Litchi Lemonade, Mango Chamomile-Mint Tea Lemonade, Kiwi Chia Pudding, Peach Lemonade, Spiced Mango Lassi

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Dessert

Darsaan | Honeyed Noodles With Vanilla Ice Cream | Chinese Wonton Strips Dessert

By anshu May 10, 2015

Darsaan is a popular Chinese Dessert made with fried wonton noodles. The noodles are drizzled with Honey and Sesame seeds and accompanied with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream . I remember eating this dessert at Berco’s, time and again. Infact me and my husband loved eating this during our dating time 😉

Out of the blue one afternoon my husband said we have ice cream in freezer lets eat Darsaan, I was zapped by his unexpected ~~request~~ demand. I did a quick google and found it can be made readily without much effort. If you have wonton noodles you can make it in a jiffy but nevertheless wonton noodles can be made from scratch. Within no time it was ready to be devoured and it tasted cent percent like the way they serve at Chinese restaurants, On the occasion of Mother’s day make this for your mommy and express your love to her.

Directions:
1. In a bowl add some, all purpose Flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Add oil and water and knead a soft dough. Let it rest covered for 20 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into half. Roll each dough into 9 inch circle using a roller pin. You may use dry flour to ease rolling.

4. Cut it into thin strips. Make sure the strips are thin otherwise they will puff up and will not be crunchy.

5. Heat the oil in a wok and gently put the stripes to fry on medium low flame. Once they have achieved golden colour remove them on a paper towel to absorb extra oil.

6. For the honey sauce add water and sugar in a sauce pan. Bring it to a boil.

7. Once the sugar syrup comes to a boil add honey and sesame seeds. Turn the flame off. Do not heat further for the sauce can thicken very fast.

8 . Place the fried noodles on a serving platter and pour the honey sauce over it. Serve with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream.

You can even enjoy more summer delights like Mango Coconut Milk Pudding. Pista Badam Kulfi.

[whohit]Darsaan[/whohit]

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Dessert

Quick Pista Badam Kulfi | No Whip Just Blend Quick Almond Pistachio Popsicle Flavoured with Cardamom

By anshu May 4, 2015

Kulfi is a traditional popular frozen dairy dessert from Indian Subcontinent. This ice cream is much more creamier and denser than usual ice creams and can be made in variety of flavors like Mango, cardamom, saffron and many many more.. The distinct feature of kulfi is that it is not whipped during making so it has much longer melting time. I have always enjoyed eating Kulfis all my life. I prefer them over regular ice creams any day.

Traditionally Kulfi is made by boiling and reducing milk for long hours and then flavoured using rose, cardamom and saffron. It is a a time consuming process and a tedious one for sure. When I was in Mexico I was introduced to evaporated milk, which is reduced milk without sugar in a can. This changed my life forever. You can make kulfis in 5 minutes.. yes 5 minutes! Just put all the ingredients in a blender, pulse, pour in moulds and freeze. Its that simple. Even a kid can do it,

No one on earth could say they were not authentic in taste. I grabbed the evaporated cans from the INA market in Delhi and have stacked them in my pantry for the summer season ahead. Afterall our house hold is a kulfi freak!

Directions:
1. In a blender add a can of condensed milk.

2. Also add evaporated milk. You can buy Evaporated milk from our The Gourmet Shop.

3. Add cream.

4. Add some Almonds and Pistachios along with Cardamom. You can even use cardamom powder if you don’t like the shell of cardamom in your mouth.

5. Add two slices of bread. Yes any normal bread, don’t frown, trust me.

6. Blend this all together into a fine runny mixture.

7. Add saffron strands and mix.

8. Pour them in Kulfi moulds, or popsicle moulds or even small earthen pots. I used age old kulfi moulds gifted to me by my dear Mother in law 🙂

9. Cover with its lid or cap or you can even use a aluminium foil to cover it. Dont forget to insert a popsicle stick or wooden stick for ease of handling and eating it later.

10. Freeze for 2-4 hours. It took me 2.5 hours.

11. Run them under or dip them in hot water for a few seconds and pull out the popsicle out of the mould. You are ready to enjoy your kulfi. We like to eat with rose sugar syrup. It tastes divine!

You can even try our Mango Coconut Milk Pudding.

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