BlackBerry Milkshake

I was introduced to this fruit called Blackberry 2 months back when we visited city of Bensheim in Germany. This city is famous for wine grapes and there were plenty of blackberry trees bordering the grapeyards.. Until then, I used to look at these as some wild fruits but when my friend just grabbed some and started feasting on them, I had to try it! And once I had some (luckily I found a big colony of sweet ones), there was no stopping.. I ate many along the way and also admired the lovely clustered structure till my husband declared that I unknowingly had 2 glasses of wine :D

Last week I found a pack of fresh blackberries at the fruit market and couldnt stop myself from buying them.. The plan was to prepare something for Meeta's monthly mingle.. But I ate some and then realised there were very few left for trying anything.. So on weekend, back I went to the fruit market and prepared blackberry milkshake the same day.. The end result aeemed lovely not just due to the tatse, but due to the lovely color! I am not sure if I can call this milkshake as I added some yoghurt as well alongwith milk.. But I surely cant call this lassi as there is more milk than yoghurt :D This blackberry Milkshake goes to Meeta for Monthly Mingle, this month's theme being "Liquid Dreams"

BlackBerry Milkshake

Preparation Time:

5 mins

Serves:

2 glassfuls

What you need:

1 Cup Blackberries
3 cups Milk
2-3 tbsp Beaten Yoghurt
2-3 tbsp Sugar

How to proceed:

1) Mix all ingredients in a blender
2) Place in refridgerator for sometime
3) Serve cold!

* I used Yoghurt to thicken the milkshake.. It can be left out to have thin milkshake!
* Chop few blackberries and put some pieces in milkshake
* Add 2-3 mint leaves to give a twist in the taste!

Lychee Grape Drink

Lychee on its own has a lovely taste... But when it comes to Lychee Juice, its just a few drops from a single Lychee fruit... I decided to mix grape juice to it, to make a lovely drink.. The end result was awesome.. Both tastes preserved and a refreshing drink ready!


This is my second entry for AFAM-Lychee, hosted this month by Sig.

Lychee Grape Drink

Preparation Time:

5 mins

Makes:

1 drink

What you need:

4-5 Lychees, peeled and deseeded
A bunch of seedless Grapes
(Juice of Lychee and Grape should be in 1:3 proportion)
A pinch of Black Salt
Few drops of Lemon

How to proceed:

1) Blend Lychees and Grapes in a Blender
2) Sieve the juice and add black salt and lemon juice to it
3) Refridgerate for some time and serve cold!

Jaljeera

Summer here is coming to an end.. And so is my entusiasm to try my hand at summer drinks.. But Sunita inspired me to try this summer cooler when she started a lovely Spice-driven event called Think Spice.. Think Cumin! Cumin is one spice that is used daily in every household.. Whole cumin seeds or cumin(jeera) powder.. Its an absolute must in my masala dabba! Another speciality of tis spice is that I can use it in fasting foods.. Maharashtrian fasting foods allow the use of cumin seeds and hence sabudana khichadi and batata bhaaji can taste so yummy on these days. :D As a kid, I couldn't distinguish cumin from fennel seeds (saunf) and once ate jeera after dinner.. I had stopped eating saunf for years after that.. Mom explainedme the difference in their sizes and taste... After that I got back to eating saunf, but only the roasted one which had distinguishable yello color :D Now I wanted something some recipe for this event which was rich in cumin.. Though I use cumin in lots of things there are other spices used alongwith which dominate the taste.. Then I thought of the lovely summer cooler- Jaljeera.. A drink dedicated purely to the real taste of Cumin.. And a lovely appetizer to excite the taste buds!

Jaljeera

Preparation Time:

8-10 mins

Makes:

2 glassfuls

What you need:

2 tbsp Cumin seeds, roasted and powdered
11/2 tbsp Mint(pudina) leaves paste
1/2 tbsp Corriander leaves paste
1 tbsp Dry Mango(Amchur) powder
1/2 tsp Black Salt
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 glassful Water(normal/cold)
1/4 tsp Salt
Salted Boondi for garnishing

How to proceed:

1) Mix all the ingredients except water
2) Add water and put in fridge to cool (Optionally add cold water if you wish to serve immediately)
3) Garnish with boondi and serve cold as an appetiser.

* Sieve the jaljeera if you wish to.. I prefer having it with the masala layer on top alongwith boondi! :)

Xtra Rich Patiala Lassi

Patiala Lassi is a rich Punjabi drink prepared from Yoghurt. It probably gets its name from the place where it came from originally, Patiala, a district in Punjab. It is usually served in long steel glasses. This lassi(like others) is a filler, as its difficult to finish a glassful even after a light meal. Weight watchers.. Beware.. This is absolutely not recommended for you guys.. This is just for carefree people like me :) This Xtra rich Yoghurt Drink makes its way to Nupur’s “X of Indian Vegetables” and Richa’s "RCI Punjabi Cuisine"!

Patiala Lassi

Makes:

1 glassful

What you need:

2 cups full Yoghurt
2-3 tbsp Milk
2-3 tbsp Sugar
½ tsp Cardamom Powder
¼ tsp Nutmeg Powder
½ cup Crushed Ice
4-5 Saffron strands
Chopped dry fruits like pistachios, almonds, cashews

How to proceed:

1) Beat the yoghurt until smooth
2) Mix all remaining ingredients except Dry fruits
3) Blend again to dissolve sugar
4) Serve fresh topped with chopped dry fruits!

* You can optionally add vanilla /rose /pista essence!

Mango Mastani

Today I prepared Mango Mastani specially for my best friend Shill.. Its her "quarterly engagement anniversary" today.. Other than Gujju n mexican food, she n her wud be better half love milkshakes.. Shill wanted me to prepare something for her and I cudnt find any other day better than this [Now am free to forget other important days;)].. So here's wishing Shill n Jiju a happy engagement anniversary with one of Shill's favourite Mango Mastani! I know there's nothing like quartely annivs and that too for engagements.. but we can celebrate events anytime we want to by just creating some! :) This day (5th July) has a lot importance in my life.. I joined my first job on this day and two years later resigned on the same day.. Also the date(5th) is pretty important and lucky for me... Two of my best friend's (Shill n Vish) bday falls on this date, I got married on this date, my friend got engagaed on this date etc etc...

Anyways getting back to the post.. Anybody from Pune will surely talk about one of the most famous dessert here- Mastani. Although its nothing very special than milk shake topped with Ice-cream, its historic name and its unforgettable taste and the fact that it gives you an extremely full feeling makes it even more memorable. Mastani was believed to be a very beautiful woman and mistress of the great maratha warrior, Bajirao Peshwa. She was believed to be so fair that when she ate a pan, one could see it clearly moving down her thought... Now now now..This is height of exagerration :D Read more about Mastani here.

Mastani in Pune is mostly associated with Kondhalkar's and Sujata. Kondhalkar opposite Saavan on Kumthekar road (parallel to Laxmi Road-the most famous shopping road for ladies in Pune) is probably the oldest of mastani shops in Pune. Sujata Mastani (acc to my knowledge) are their cousins who moved out to start their own chain of Sujata Mastani House in Pune.. I love both the places and Kondhalkar's used to be a must visit while shopping on Laxmi Road. A glass full of Mastani makes a good lunch. Better have it before shopping to shred off the extra calories! ;)

Mango Mastani is thick Mango milk shake topped with Mango Ice-cream. Other Mastanis include Orange Mastani, Pineapple Mastani, Rose Mastani, Custard Apple Mastani, Pista Mastani, Badam Mastani, Khus Mastani etc. I have tried almost each of them but Mango Mastani is my favourite. None of the others can match its taste. Another famous joint was Kasturi Mastani on Karve road since it was near to our college.. We friends visited this quite a few times for the Mango Mastani here.. The Bun Wada (dont remember if this is what exactly its called) of Kasturi Mastani is a must must must eat once.. You'll always want more n more of it.. Turning into too much of marketing :D Lets get back to my dear Mango Mastani!

This will be my entry for Meeta's Monthly Mingle- Scream for Icecream. I made Mango Ice-cream as well at home.. but since this was my first try, it was all trial and error with the measurements. The ice-cream turned out really soft n yummy. So will prepare another batch of Mango Ice-cream in a day or two (asa I get another Mango pulp can) and post the Mango Ice-cream recipe for you guys.. Till then enjoy this dessert in the hot summer.. I bet you'll love it!

Mango Mastani

What you need:

1/2 can Kesar Mango Pulp
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 liter Milk
1/2 lit Mango Icecream

How to proceed:

1) Mix mango pulp, sugar and milk in belnder to make mango milk shake
2) Defreeze it for 15-20 mins
3) Now again blend it well. This will make the milk shake thick!
4) Serve in a large glass topped with a big scoop of Mango Ice-cream!

* I prefer using less Sugar as the pulp is already sweet. Also the ice cream being sweet, the milk shake being a bit less sweet is perfectly allowed! :)

Mattha

Mattha or spiced buttermilk is a very famous drink in Maharashtra. Mattha and Kairi Panha are the favourite beverages of Maharashtrians in summer time. Mattha is usually to be consumed after (heavy) lunch, mostly during the hot summer days.. This drink is prepared from buttermilk or “taak” as we call it in Marathi. The exact proportion of salt sugar n chilli gives mattha the unique taste. This is a must in weddings that usually take place in summers. This drink is good for digestion and is so refreshing that people can easily make some space for 2-3 glasses of Mattha even if they are full. :)

In Maharashtra, most (non working) ladies prepare “Tup” (Ghee) at home. Every day the “sai” (cream) that accumulates on the boiled milk is separately kept in a “chini maticha bhanda” (clay vessel) and once the vessel was full, the process of making ghee starts. The whole lot of saii was churned using a “rawi” to separate the “loni” (butter) and “taak” (buttermilk). This taak was used to make kadhi or mattha. The loni is then heated to prepare tup at home… Unforgettable are those days when the smell of the loni and ghee used to be so tempting that we used to eat dollops of loni as kids. And now, even a bite of it is “full of calories!” :D Anyways, the mattha is just as good for calorie conscious people as well.. So here's a glassful to beat the summer heat and for RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine!

Mattha

What you need:

½ cup Whole Yoghurt
1 cup Water
½ tsp Ginger, minced
1-2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Cumin seeds, roasted and coarsely pounded
Salt to taste
Chopped corriander for garnishing

How to proceed:

1) Beat the yoghurt and add water to it to make buttermilk
2) Add all above ingredients to buttermilk and mix well
3) Add more water if it’s too thick
4) Serve cold

*Addition of pepper n chaat masala instead of chillies gives the mattah another yummy taste!

Refreshing Kairi Panha

Kairi Panha(Green Mango Drink) is my second entry for AFAM Mango hosted by Deepa.

Panha is a drink made from raw mango. It was possibly the first mango preparation every summer at my place. Since this is my first year away from India, I am a bit late in trying out this drink! When I noticed some raw mangoes at the Indian store here in the start of May, I just brought some, called up Mom for her Panha recipe and then enjoyed sipping it in the noon after coming back tired from shopping.. Well, it refreshed me in no time.. And hence the name. :) This will also be my entry for Nupur’s “R of Indian Vegetables”

This drink is prepared using raw mangoes mixed with sugar or jaggery. The addition of fennel seeds and cardamom powder enhances the taste of this drink. A must must must try in summer time!

Kairi Panha

What you need:

1 big Raw Mango
1/4 cup Sugar – powdered
Few strands of Saffron – powdered
1 tsp Fennel Seeds – roasted and crushed
1 tsp ground Cardamon
2 cups water
A pinch of salt

How to proceed:

1) Cook the mango in a pressure cooker until soft (3-4 whistles)
2) When done, peel the mango, discard the seed and separate the pulp/flesh.
3) Remove strands if any from the pulp
4) Place the pulp in a blender; add fennel, saffron, cardamom and salt.
5) Blend well and add water
6) Add sugar and stir till it dissolves completely.
7) Adjust amount of water to have panha of desired consistency.
8) Sieve using strainer and serve cold with crushed ice.

* Sugar can be substituted by jaggery. This will make the Panha thicker.

Quenchy Melon Lemonade

Summer time.. Thirst.. Quench.. Quenchy.. Thats how I discovered the name of today's entry for "Q of Indian Vegetables" for Nupur's A-Z of Indian Vegetables :) Presenting "Quenchy Melon Lemonade" to quench your thirst this summer! :D

This beverage is made from watermelon and lemon juice. The sweet watermelon jucie and the tangy lemon juice gives this drink a distininctive taste!

Quenchy Melon Lemonade

What you need:

1/2 kg Watermelon Pieces
1/2 Lemon
4-5 tsp Sugar
Black Salt for taste2-3 Ice cubes


How to proceed:

1) Deseed the watermelon pieces and crush well in blender
2) Do *not* sieve the juice
3) Add juice of half lemon, salt and sugar to the watermelon juice
4) Serve chilled with ice cubes or crushed ice

Strawberry Lassi

I had prepared this drink for hubby dear on V day this year and it was my entry for Pooja’s Valentine Day Special. Needless to say, my hubby loved it. Thanks to the summer and our love for strawberries, we prepare it every other day now. I thought of re-posting it here for fellow bloggers (and for me as well ;) ) to enjoy summer time with some chilled beverages.

Strawberry Lassi

What you need:

1/2 cup plain Yogurt
1/2 cup cold water
5-6 big fresh strawberries
4 tbsp sugar

How to proceed:

1) Wash and cut strawberries in big pieces. Grind them in a mixer with sugar.
2) Whip yogurt using a blender and add water.
3) Add the strawberry sugar mix to yogurt and mix well.
4) Served chilled with crushed ice(optional).

How about another look???