IndianSummers – Page 3 – The Secret Ingredient

Beverage & Drinks

Litchi Lemonade | Lychee Lemonade

By anshu July 21, 2015

Summer brings in Nature’s bounty in the form of Mangoes, Plums, Cherries, Melons, Peaches and Lychees. I have been busy all summer making something or the other from all these fruits before they disappear for this season. I tried Melon Cucumber Smoothie with Mint and Plum Mango Smoothie for the first time and they were a big hit in my family. So when I had lychees at home and no one wanted to touch it I decided to do this lemonade.

It not only put the lychees to good healthy use but also made a refreshing drink appreciated by all. It takes no time to put this together. So if you have some guests coming home this summer treat them with this tasty refreshing surprise.

Directions:

1. Peel the outer skin of lychees and discard the pits. You will be left with lychee flesh.

2. Add the lychee flesh in a blender and churn it to make a smooth puree.

3. Squeeze in lemon juice.

4. Add sugar to your taste.

5. Add cold water and combine.

6. Serve immediately with a slice of lemon.

Other Summer Beverages you can try are: Aam ka Panna, Melon Cucumber Smoothie with Mint and Plum Mango Smoothie.

[whohit]LitchiLemonade[/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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Dinner

Tori Wadiyan | Ridge Gourd with Spicy Dried Lentil Dumplings | Tourai with Baddi

By anshu July 12, 2014

Turai, tori, thurai, dodka, galka are all different names of Summer Squash known as Ridge Gourd. It is a very popular summer vegetable available in most parts of the country. It has a great nutritional value but not a lot of people eat specially kids for its bland flavour. I have heard many label these summer vegetables as LTT for Lauki, Tinda, Turai :P. My husband was also one of those who would despise tori. When I started cooking tori in the style of my mother he could resist eating it. Infact, I often receive requests from him to make tori, sometimes two or three times a week during season.

Now the question arises what makes my mother’s recipe so special? She makes tori with punjabi wadi, which are dried dumplings made with ground lentils and spices, dried in the sun. I remember as a kid my grandmothers would make them when I would visit them during summer vacations and my job was to keep an eye on them from birds and monkeys while they were being sun dried on the terrace. What lovely days! The fusion of tori and wadi makes this dish delicious. You can use these wadis in this Dal Ghiya recipe also.

Directions:

1. Wash and peel the skin of gourd.

2. Chop Onions, gourd along with green chilies. Keep aside.

3. Take a small sized tomato and chop it. Too much tomato can make the dish more tangy. If you want to taste the real taste of gourd keep the quantity of tomatoes minimal.

4. In a pressure pan pour some oil/ghee. Add cumin seeds. Let them cook and spatter for a minute.

5. Crush one wadi and make small pieces of it. Add them to the pressure pan with onions. Cook it till onions become transparent.

6. Add the chopped gourd along with tomato.

7. Add Salt, Turmeric and Red Chili Powder. Add two spoon of water. Close lid and pressure cook for 5 whistles or anywhere between 10 to 12 minutes.

8. Open once the pressure has released. You will see it has a lot of liquid. Turn on the flame and cook till all liquid is absorbed and evaporated.

9. Garnish with garam masala and chopped Coriander leaves.

10. Serve hot with Rotis.

You can even try Stuffed Touri which is also an incredible way to eat ridge gourd without making faces 😛

You can even try other dishes from Punjabi Cuisine like Bharwan Karela, Dal Makhni, Gobhi Danthal ki Sabji, Aloo Methi, Punjabi Style Shalgam Ka Saag , Dal Ghiya with Punjabi Vadiyan, Punjabi Pethey Ki Sabzi, Punjabi Style Bharwan Tinda, Langar Wali Dal , Punjabi Style Dum Aloo, Punjabi Pindi Choley.

[yumprint-recipe id=’32’] [whohit]ToriWadiyan[/whohit]

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