WATERMELON JUICE RECIPE|SUMMER DRINKS

Watermelon juice is an effective thirst quencher and coolant to beat the summer heat with amazing health benefits.Though i know this very well,I have never bought this fruit as i had an aversion from my childhood.But now,being a food blogger,i love to try and taste recipes with all vegetables or fruits.So this year i bought watermelon for the first time and prepared this juice.Its basically a low calorie drink but its filling and keeps us energetic & active for hours.Its always good to eat a fruit as it is instead of making juice adding sugar and other sweeteners.We too like that way.But for blogging purpose,i made this simple juice recipe .Soon i’ll post an easy salad for summer with watermelon.

Watermelon juice recipe

Watermelon juice recipe to beat the summer heat !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Juices

Serves: 2-3 cups

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Watermelon - 1/2 no (medium size) Ice cubes – as needed Sugar or honey - as needed (optional) Pepper powder or chat masala pwd – a pinch

METHOD

Cut the watermelon into slices and remove the seeds.Cut into small cubes and grind it along with sugar or honey if desired.I din’t use sugar as my watermelon itself was very sweet.Add a pinch of chat masala or pepper powder if u wish.Strain the juice and enjoy adding ice cubes!! Enjoy !

Note

Its always better to have this fruit as it is.Some kids don’t like to eat.So u can make this juice and try.. Consume the juice immediately after u grind. Addition of chat masala or pepper powder is completely optional. I have seen some recipes adding mint leaves,lemon juice and ginger along with watermelon.Do try for variation if u like that flavor.

Serve chilled and fresh ! Enjoy !!

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MUSK MELON JUICE RECIPE|KIRNI PAZHAM JUICE-SUMMER DRINKS

 

Musk melon also known as Cantaloupe/Honey dew/Mash melon in English, Kirni pazham/ muzham pazham in Tamil, Kekkarikke Hannu in Kannada and Kharbooja in Telugu and Hindi. It is low in calories and a best summer drink.
Last year I posted musk melon @ Cantaloupe juice recipe from my Mil’s hands.This year, I tried on my own. Here in Bangalore,we get orange colored musk melon. I love that color a lot. As summer is almost in peak, we really feel like having a fresh fruit or juice/ice creams in the noon. So I am trying   lot of juice recipes and planning to share them in my space.

To start with, musk melon is one of the best coolants for summer and a great thirst quencher too. Its health benefits are innumerable. The biggest advantage is that it is low in calories, low in saturated Fat and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Niacin, Vitamin B6 and Folate and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Potassium. It is good for asthma, diabetes, arthritis, High BP, heart disease and heat strokes. But the only bad thing is that a large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars. So its better to add less sugar while you make the juice to cut down calories. If you feel the sweetness of muzham pazham is sufficient enough, you can completely skip adding sugar OR replace with jaggery / honey. Do try this yummy & healthy summer drink recipe. U’ll feel refreshing ..

Musk melon juice recipe

Musk melon/Cantaloupe/Kirni pazham juice recipe - Summer special drinks

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Drinks

Serves: 4 cups

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Musk melon - 1 no (medium) Sugar or jaggery or honey - 1 tbsp (optional) Lemon juice - few drops (optional) Water- as needed Ice cubes - optional

METHOD

Wash and cut the musk melon into two halves. Scoop the seeds out. Remove the pulp using a ladle. Take them in  a mixie jar, add sugar/ jaggery/ honey and lemon juice(if using, optional). Beat well. Check the consistency and add little water if needed. Serve in  a glass adding ice cubes. Enjoy !

Note

For variations replace water by boiled and cooled milk to make a milkshake. But add more sugar or palm jaggery. Tastes rich. If you add milk, do not add lemon juice. Use cardamom powder if needed.

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BANANA SMOOTHIE RECIPE–SUMMMER RECIPES

Its almost summer in Bangalore. We feel like having some juices/ drinks in the afternoons. So to start with Summer drinks recipes, I thought of making this easy & simple banana smoothie recipe with milk. I really din’t know the difference between a milkshake and smoothie until I tried this. After googling, I found smoothie is just a blend of fruits, honey and Milk whereas Milkshake is made by pulsing milk, sugar and ice cream with an essence or fruit. Ice cream is very important for Milk shakes.

As I din’t have ice cream in my hand, I tried smoothie.The consistency of smoothie should be thicker than milkshake. So I followed my Sharjah shake recipe to make it thick. It was very tasty and filling. We just loved it. With the smell of bananas and flavour of cinnamon, it was awesome. Do try this simple, easy to make, healthy banana smoothie. U’ll love it !

Banana Smoothie Recipe

Easy,healthy summer drink with the flavour of cinnamon

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Summer Drinks

Serves:3

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes
Total time: 10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Banana -2 nos (long) Milk – 2 cups (frozen) Honey or sugar –2-3 tbsp Cinnamon powder - 2 pinches Vanilla essence - few drops

HOW TO MAKE BANANA SMOOTHIE - METHOD

Peel the banana and cut into thin slices. Spread in a plate and freeze it for two-three hours. Freeze the milk along with banana. I used unboiled milk. U can use boiled milk too. Now in a mixie jar, take the frozen banana slices. Crush the frozen milk and add to the jar. Add honey and essence as per ur taste. Blend it well without adding water. It will become a thick paste. Add little water if necessary to loosen it. Pour in a glass and serve chilled. Sprinkle some cinnamon powder , mix well and drink.

Note

For variations,use sugar instead of honey. U can also use a tbsp of drinking chocolate powder to get chocolate flavour. If you don’t want to use frozen milk, use ice cubes along with milk while blending. It will be too cold when u drink immediately. So you can make it 30 minutes in advance & keep it too. Chillness would be just right when you drink. Adding cinnamon powder gives a nice flavour to smoothie.so please add.

Enjoy this smoothie along with breakfast. Its very healthy, filling too !

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Thandai Recipe - Maha Shivaratri Prasadam Recipes, Holi Recipes

Maha Shivaratri 2024 falls on 8th of March. So I thought of sharing this yummy, healthy Thandai as Shivratri prasad recipe which is famous in North India.We South Indians, usually make Sweet puttu with rice flour and jaggery on this day. This time I tried thandai as well as arisi vella puttu for a change. Please find the updated Sweet puttu recipe here if interested.

For this recipe, I referred  Sanjeev kapoor and Tarla dalal’s site. I just combined both the recipes and tried. It was very tasty. We loved it a lot. I have used Melon seeds and other nuts & spices. If you don’t have them in hand, you can make it very simple by making Thandai powder using almond, Cardamom, fennel seeds and peppecorns. I used Rose essence instead of Dried rose petals. I read bhang is mixed with this drink. But this one is bhang free/ no alcohol drink. 

Do offer this healthy, tasty drink for Maha Shivaratri and get the blessings of Lord Shiva!!

Thandai recipe

Thandai recipe for Maha shivratri prasadam

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Dessert

Serves: 3

Prep time: 2 Hours

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 2H20Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To soak in water Almond/Badam - 8 nos Cashews - 4 nos Pistachios - 6 nos Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp Melon seeds - 1 tbsp Water - as needed To powder Green cardamom - 3 nos Fennel seeds - 1 tsp Peppercorns - 10 nos To boil Milk - 1/2 liter (500ml) Sugar -1/3 cup Saffron - to garnish Rose essence – few drops Or Dried Rose petals – few

HOW TO MAKE THANDAI - METHOD

Soak all the nuts, poppy seeds, melon seeds in water for two hours. Grind it to a smooth paste adding the required water. Boil milk , add sugar, dissolve and set aside. Add the ground paste to the milk and boil for 3-4 minutes in medium flame. Now grind the ingredients given under “To powder”. Mix this powder to the milk and boil for a minute. Add few drops of rose essence and mix well. Let it cool down well. After it completely cools down, strain the milk and discard the residue. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight and serve chilled !

Note

Skip melon seeds if you don’t have. Poppy seeds and badam is more important. Poppy seeds is the best coolant too. Adding rose essence gives a nice flavor. So please add it Pepper corns gave a mild spicy taste to the milk. Do not add more.

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ABC JUICE(APPLE,BEETROOT,CARROT) RECIPE – MIRACLE DRINK

ABC juice,also called as miracle drink is a very powerful and healthy juice recipe.I wanted to try this since i saw in some websites.This juice is naturally sweet by itself and hence no need to use sugar at all.The recipe is very simple which u can guess easily from the title.This juice is packed with the power of two vegetables and one fruit.It is enriched with all the important vitamins, minerals and fiber content.Before u try this recipe,just go through its amazing health benefits.U would love to have this juice at least once .Its really a miracle drink.For best results,it should be consumed in empty stomach on a long term basis for a minimum of  1- 3 months.

Health benefits

It is one of the best supplementary drink for our brain.It enhances the function of brain and sharpens the memory. The drink has a soothing effect on the eyes too. Working for long hours on computers can cause the dryness of the eye. This drink eliminates dryness, redness and tiredness of the eye. It also sharpens the vision. It reduces BP and suppresses the stress harmones. It helps the women in lots of ways.It gives a spotless skin.Helps to reduce pimples and black spots in face.It delays the aging of skin and gives a fresh,radiant look.Women suffering from menstrual pain can take this drink to get relieved of pains and cramps. It effectively maintains the important organs of body such as liver,kidney,eyes,heart,lungs and pancreas. It helps to detoxify the liver,purifies the blood and increases the RBC counts. It is good for cancer patients too. As we all know,carrots and beetroots promote heart health.So these two vegetables along with apple helps to lower the levels of bad cholesterol. It is also good for digestive system.It helps to protect from stomach ulcer.It also regulates the bowel movements and relieves constipation. It boosts the immune system and protects the body from allergies and infections. Above all,this juice is good for weight loss.It gives maximum energy with minimum calories. How to consume miracle drink It should be consumed in empty stomach and breakfast should be had one hour after consuming this drink.One can even take it twice a day.One glass in the early morning and one glass in the evening before 5pm.The time period for the miracle drink to work varies from person to person. In some cases taking the drink for a month is enough while in other cases 3 months time is required for the drink to actually start its work. You can make it a part of your daily diet for long term health benefits. Source: http://www.humannhealth.com

   

 

ABC juice recipe

ABC juice/Miracle drink with 'n' number of health benefits

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Juice

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To grind Juicy apple - 1 no (big) Carrots - 1 no Beetroot - 1/4 no

METHOD

Wash and chop the vegetable and fruits into small pieces. In a mixie jar,grind everything to a smooth paste adding the required water.Do not add more water because the sweetness may reduce. Strain the juice completely and discard the residues.Drink immediately!

 

 

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OATS MASALA MORE – SPICED BUTTERMILK RECIPE

Last month when i went for grocery purchase , i happened to see this recipe in quaker oats packet.I memorized the recipe & came home  ..But i couldn’t try immediately.Yesterday,suddenly i reminded about this & tried with the recipe i had in my mind vaguely.I am not sure whether this is the exact recipe given in the packet.But it came out very flavourful , yummy & tasty.So i thought of posting here.Addition of oats made it more healthy.Do check out my Neer more/spiced buttermilk recipe in interested.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml

Instant oats – 1/4 cup  Thick curd – 1 cup Water – 3 - 4 cups ( add more if needed) Roasted jeera powder – 1/4 tsp Salt – as needed To grind Ginger – 1 inch piece Mint leaves & coriander leaves – 2 tbsp  (together) Green chilli – 1-2 nos To temper Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Coriander leaves – to garnish

METHOD

Grind all the ingredients given under “to grind “ to a smooth paste adding required water.Dry roast oats for 2-3 minutes & powder well. In a wide bowl,take the powdered oats , curd , salt , ground paste , jeera powder and water. Mix it well with a whisk..Temper mustard seeds .. Garnish with coriander leaves if desired ! Serve chilled !

Note

• For variations u can use either coriander leaves or mint leaves alone for grinding.
• Adjust the amount of curd & water as per ur liking.
• U can also add more chillies if u want it more spicy.

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PUNJABI LUNCH MENU | NORTH INDIAN VEGETARIAN THALI RECIPES

Its been a long time I posted other state lunch recipes in my blog. So I tried this Punjabi lunch menu last weekend. After trying this Punjabi platter , I got tempted to try more North Indian vegetarian thali recipes as we loved this platter a lot. In this post, I have given the recipes of Amritsari aloo kulcha , dahi kadhi , Punjabi chole, jeera rice , restaurant style dal tadka and sweet lassi.. Everything came out very well even though its my first attempt. I forgot to keep a papad and pickle which makes it a complete punjabi lunch. Aloo kulcha tasted very soft and its the best kulcha I have ever had. Thanks to “The Hindu” food safari section from where I took this recipe. It was awesome in taste. For Punjabi chole and dal tadka, I referred veg recipes of india blog. For jeera rice, dahi kadhi and sweet lassi, I referred many blogs and made with some combinations. Its a very lengthy post, please excuse me.. I have given step by step pictures for some recipes. Please click on the title below to view a specific recipe.. Hope you’ll read , try and enjoy these recipes…

Amritsari aloo kulcha Dal tadka Punjabi chole Dahi kadhi Jeera rice Sweet lassi

AMRITSARI STUFFED ALOO KULCHA

I took this recipe from “The Hindu” food safari section and this is a fool proof recipe. Actually kulchas look very thick and round. I have made it thin to suit my husband’s taste. It was very soft and delicious when served hot. I dint follow tandoori cooking. I just used my tawa to cook this kulcha. Cook the kulchas till golden brown and brush it with butter.

INGREDIENTS 2 cups maida (All purpose flour) 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 3 tbsp oil 1/4 cup yogurt 1/4 cup warm milk 1/4 cup Warm Water Butter – 2 tbsp ( for brushing the kulcha b4 serving) For potato stuffing 1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes ( use 3 potatoes) 1 finely chopped green chilli 1 finely chopped onion 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 1 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp garam masala masala 1/2 tsp crushed kasoori methi 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves METHOD Sieve the maida and then mix it with the baking soda, baking powder, oil, yogurt, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the warm milk and knead into soft dough. Make sure to add the milk gradually.Mix well & add water slowly.Do not make the batter sticky.Cover the dough with a damp cloth and keep aside for an hour minimum. For the Filling: Take mashed potatoes, chopped onions and green chillies, red chilly powder, cumin powder,garam masala masala , kasuri methi and coriander leaves in a bowl, mix everything and make medium sized balls and set aside. Take out the dough, make a medium sized ball, flatten it and place the potato filling ball in the centre. Fold this ball again into a ball, with the filling at its centre, and dust the dough with flour. With a rolling pin, flatten this ball out into a thick disc. Heat few drops of oil in a deep frying pan, and gently drop the flattened kulcha in the hot oil. Cook on both sides until the kulcha turns golden brown. The kulchas are ready to serve!!.Brush it well with butter …It can be served with raita & pickle or punjabi chole. But serve it hot !!

JEERA RICE

INGREDIENTS 1 cup basmati/ jeera rice 1 tsp shahjeera or caraway seeds (black jeera) 1 green cardamom 1 no star anise 2-3 black peppercorns 2 cloves 1 no biryani leaf 1 inch cinnamon 1 tbsp ghee 2 cups water METHOD Soak basmati or jeera  rice for 30 minutes. In a pan , heat a tbsp of ghee , add the cinnamon , cardamom , cloves , mace biryani leaf , pepper corns and shah jeera.. Roast them well and add to rice along with 2 cups of water and the required salt. Serve hot with dal !

PUNJABI CHOLE

Punjabi chole should be dry , I made it slightly watery to suit our taste.  Please adjust the consistency as per ur wish. I used amchur powder instead of anardana powder. I heard adding anardana powder gives the exact flavour of chole. Try with anardana/ pomegranate seeds powder if you have it.

INGREDIENTS 1 cup chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans, Kabuli Chana .I used white chana..) Tea bag - 1 no 1 no cardamom 1 no cinnamon 2 medium sized onions chopped 4 medium sized tomatoes chopped 1 tsp ginger paste or coarsely ground ginger 1/2 tsp garam masala powder   1 tsp chilly powder 1 tsp amchur powder/dry mango powder OR anardana/pomegranate seeds powder 2 slit green chillies 1 tbsp oil Salt & water – as needed Spices for the punjabi chole masala 3-4 black cardamoms 1 inch cinnamon 5-6 peppercorns 3 cloves 1 bay leaf 3/4 tsp tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 1 and half tsp coriander seeds (dhania) 1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf) 2 red chillies METHOD Wash and soak the chickpeas  with a pinch of cooking soda in enough water overnight or 8 hours.In a pressure cooker take the soaked chickpeas, enough water, salt, tea bag , 1 elachi , 1 small cinnamon and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles till the chick peas soft..Remove the tea bag , elachi and cinnamon.Drain the excess water which is called broth..set aside. In a pan, dry roast all the spices mentioned above till brown. On a slow or moderate flame you can roast the spices. Keep on tossing it otherwise they may get burnt.Once they are cooled, grind them into a fine powder. In the same pan, add oil. Once the oil becomes hot, add the chopped onions. Fry till they become transparent.Now add the crushed ginger paste.Once the raw smell of the ginger disappears, add the chopped tomatoes and saute till tomato turns mushy.. Add little salt so that the tomatoes gets cooked fast. Add the powdered spices to the mixture. Saute for a minute.Now add the boiled chickpeas with a little quantity of cooked water. You can add more broth if you want more gravy. Check for salt and simmer the gravy for 10 minutes..Finally, add the amchur powder.Garnish with chopped onions and cilantro leaves. Serve punjabi chole with rice,kulchas, bhaturas & rotis along with sliced onions and lime.

PUNJABI DAL TADKA

INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup toor dal 1/4 cup moong dal  OR masoor dal 1 or 2 green chillies, chopped 1 medium sized onion, chopped 2 medium size tomatoes, chopped 1 tsp finely chopped ginger 1 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp garam masala powder (optional, i used it) A pinch of asafoetida/hing 3 cups water 1 tsp crushed kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves salt as required To temper 2 tbsp ghee or oil 1 tsp cumin 5-6 garlic cloves crushed 2-3 pinched red chillies 1/2 tsp red chilli powder a generous pinch of hing To garnish Few chopped coriander leaves METHOD In a pressure cooker base take all the ingredients given above and cook it till the dal turns mushy.Open the cooker and mash everything well..Check for salt. Now temper all the ingredients given under “ To temper” .. Add to dal. Garnish with coriander leaves and Serve hot topped with ghee !

PUNJABI DAHI KADHI

I couldnt take step by step pictures for kadhi. I’ll update it soon..Its very easy to make. It tasted yummy..

INGREDIENTS For the onion pakoras 1 cup of besan /gram flour 1/2 cup water 2 medium sized onions( sliced ) 1/2 tsp ajwain/carom seeds 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 1/2 tsp garam masala powder a big pinch of asafoetida/hing Salt For kadhi 2 cups of sour curd / yoghurt ( more sour curd , more tasty kadhi) 1/4 cup besan/gram flour 4 cups water 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste 2 tsp red chilli powder 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp garam masala powder salt to taste For tempering 2 tbsp cooking oil 1 tsp mustard seeds (optional) 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/4 tsp methi seeds 1 big onion (finely chopped) 2 tsp crushed ginger and garlic pieces 1 sprig curry leaves 1 green chilli  ( slit) 1 pinched red chillies Big pinch of asafoetida Coriander leaves – to garnish METHOD Beat the sour curd well with a whisk and all the ingredients given under “ for kadhi” to make a mixture. Add salt and water.. Now temper all the ingredients given under “ to temper” and saute well.. Then add the curd mixture and allow it to boil well. Be careful it will spill while boiling , so choose a big bowl and also simmer the flame. stand nearby and stir now and then. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until gravy becomes thick. Adjust the water if the gravy is thicker.. In the meantime , mix all the ingredients for pakoras and make a thick mixture. Deep fry them in batches and drop them in the dahi mixture. Boil for a few seconds and switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice topped with ghee !

PUNJABI SWEET LASSI

INGREDIENTS Fresh thick chilled curd – 1 cup Sugar – 1 tbsp (adjust) Rose water or cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp Malai or fresh cream – 1/2 tbsp (optional , i dint use) METHOD Take all the ingredients except malai and whip it well.. U’ll get a thick , frothy lassi. Serve it chilled adding malai on top !!. Garnish with saffron and nuts if necessary .. Note: Add 1/4 cup of water , if u want to make the lassi slightly thin

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