CASHEW FRUIT JUICE

Cashew fruit juice is made out of the cashew apple or cashew fruit it is known as it  is a delicious drink.  But let me tell you one thing that it may not be liked by all as it has got an astringent taste in it and you have to develop the taste for it.

The preparation is very simple and the same has to be served very chilled.  In order to remove the astringent taste, either you can steam boil or boil it with bit salt in the water.  It contains vitamin C.  The fleshy fruit is eaten as it is,  again you should develop the taste else you will feel bit itching in the throat and some are allergic to it.

Since the same may not be consumed by my family members, I made the juice only with one fruit which I could serve for two.

FRESH MANGO JUICE

The season is of mango and it is too hot every where and the DIL mange something thanda, thanda, cool, cool.  During this hot season, everyone should make it a point that they hydrate their body.  Must drink lot of water, tender coconut etc. to avoid any heat related issues.

During the recent visit to Kerala, I happened to drink this fresh mango juice and decided to make it at home after returning  and post it as I liked it very much and would like to share with you all as you should not miss the seasonal drink.

It is very simple to make and you will definitely ask for more.  We are familiar with aam panha during the season but this drink too is tasty like aam panha. Only difference is that this is fresh and in aam panha, we boil it.

Now let us look at the recipe 

MANGO MASTANI

Mango mastani is a drink with a dollop of ice cream and chopped nuts which is quite filling.  During mango season, do not miss this drink as you would love to make it again and again.  

Infact, this post is lying in my draft for the past one year and some how I could not publish it.  Now the mango season is on,  and the heat also, a drink like this is awesome to satisfy/quench your thirst and hunger.

As I was going through the draft, I saw this today and decided to publish it.

Let us look at the recipe now:

HORSEGRAM SHARBAT

Today I had cooked the kulith sprouts for making pani poori.  Instead of the normal ragda or moong sprouts or white watana, I tried the kulith sprouts and it tasted good.

After cooking the sprouts, I had 1/4 cup of stock of the same which I did not want to throw away.  So I made sharbat out of it and it tasted good.

Since the summer is on and it is very hot, this drinks is quite good for health.

Horsegram is or kulith or muthira it is called, is  rich in B-complex vitamins,  proteine and  highly nutritious. 
It is  commonly prescribed in ayurvedic medicine for conditions like difficult breathing, cough, gastric problems, ulcers, worm infections and excessive perspiration. Some alternative medicine experts even consider horse gram as a good remedy to control joints pain. It can be also used as a natural health tonic.    It tones up the digestive system and prevents acidity and flatulence. 
People suffering from spleen enlargement, colic and weak liver can also benefit from this plants medicinal properties. People with kidney stones, hypertension, gall stones also benefit from its intake.   


  Let us have a look at the recipe now

 

HORSEGRAM SHARBAT

PUDINA SHIKANJI

Few minutes back I posted Nimbu Pani  or Nimbu Sharbat which we make very often especially after coming home from hot sun. I added few mint leaves, ginger and subja in it to get more cooling effect as it was very hot today.  

Mint leaves I always have fresh one at home which I grow in my balcony garden.  So whenever I want I pluck it from the pot freshly.  Dried pudina also used for culinary purpose.  We can make paratha, chutney etc with pudina.

Since summer is set now and it is very hot, all are advised to hydrate themselves with lots of water, coconut water, nimbu pani etc.  Ofcourse, do remember to keep a pot of water in the balcony for the birds.

Let us look at the recipe now

NIMBU SHARBAT, SHIKANJI

The health benefits of lime include weight loss, skin care, improved digestion, relief from constipation, eye care, and treatment of scurvy, piles, peptic ulcer, respiratory disorders, gout, gums, urinary disorders, etc.  It is a wonderful source of antioxidants & detoxifiers (vitamin-C & Flavonoids) which reduce the number of free radicals as well as detoxifying the body.

When you come home during the day in  summer or if you are tired or your BP is low, a glass of nimbu sharbat keeps you hydrated as well as energetic.  My children always prefer to drink this during the summer.  This is also known as Shikanji in North India.

I always add a bit of black salt,  cumin powder, black pepper powder  in addition to the sugar   but some people prefer to drink this with sugar and salt only.

It is a very simple preparation and can be served at room temperature or chilled as you wish or can add ice and serve.

AJWAIN PATHA DRINK

THIS IS A HEALTHY SUMMER COOLER.  Summer is on.  We have to hydrate our body to escape from the scorching sun.  Your intake will be less and feel like having something cold always.

During summer, we must have more salads, fruits, juices and coconut water.  My mother in law will start giving children coconut water right from February till the raining season.   Cucumber, water melon has lot of water contents in it so we must conusme more of these during summer.

Coming back to the ajwain patha drink, ajwain patha is known as oma elai, karpooravalli elai, pani koorka elai which is very good for health and got medicinal values.  We make bhajia, paratha also with these leaves.  I used to put this in for making kashayam too.

Today I made thokku with these leaves and the drink also.  Let us look at the recipe now:

Ajwain patha drink

VAZHATHANDU COCONUT DRINK

During the summer season, my mother in law always give coconut water to drink for my children.  In fact in the month of February itself, she starts giving them till the rainy season starts.  This practice I also follow till today after her death in 2009.

Fresh Coconut water itself is very cooling to the body.  Since I was having vazhathandu after making the vazhandu neer mor, I decided to make it along with the coconut water as I had an extra tender coconut with me.

VAZHATHANDU COCONUT DRINK

Let us look at the recipe now:

VAZHATHANDU NEER MOR

Vazhathandu means banana stem or stalk you can call it has got many medicinal values and good for health.  The juice consumed in the empty stomach early in the morning helps to get rid of kidney stone problems.

We always add this to our menu once in a week.  We can make varieties of dishes out of this, however, this drink is quite good in quenching your thirst during the summer.

vazhathandu neer mor

Let us look at the recipe now:

CARROT JUICE

Carrots are available in India in two varieties  - one is Delhi Carrot and another one is English carrot.  

Most of the benefits of carrots can be attributed to their beta carotene and fiber content.  This root vegetable is also a good source of antioxidant agents.  Further, carrots are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B8, pantothenic acid, folate, potassium, iron, copper and manganese.

My children prefer to eat carrots raw and do not like to cook them.  If I put in kichadi or pulao, they remove them and keep aside.  Hence I always give them in the form of salad only.

My son always prefer to drink something cold always hence I very often make juice out of it.

Since summer is fast approaching, I thought of posting some juice recipes.

ORANGE JUICE

Orange is a juicy fruit  which containts Vitamin C and fiber.  They are good source of folate, Vitamin A (in the form of cartenoids), B1, potassium, copper etc.    It also helps in protecting the skin, fight against viral infections,  helps prevent  cancer, lower cholesterol, regulates high blood pressure, kidney diseases and stones.

The fruit is very juicy and consuming as it is I prefer.  Sometimes my children wants juice so I make juice out of it and give them.  I always give them the seasonal fruits.

It it is sweet, then no need to add sugar, otherwise you may have to add little bit sugar.  The best way to make the juice is through a hand juicer or a plain juicer to get the juice out.  I prefer the plain juicer.

ORANGE JUICE

RIPE MANGO SHARBAT

Mangoes - liked by all is the king of fruit.  Apart from eating mangoes as its is, it is used to make mango pulp means aam ras,  mambazha pachadi, mambazha rasakalan,  mambazha sambar,  mango icecream,  mango jam, mango burfi,  mango chutney,  mango falooda with chocolate, mango kadhi,  mango pak, mango milk shake, mango rasam, mango sheera, mango tender coconut drink, mango lassi,  fruit compote etc. sharbat also can be made with it like we make the aam ka panha with raw mangoes.  many more recipe are there in the blog.

In fact, today, I made mango mastani and after cutting the mangoes for the same, i added 1 cup of water in the seed (gutli) and squeezed out the pulp with hand.  then put in the mixer  along with 3 two tsp sugar and a pinch of salt and got the puree out of it.  strained it, boiled and cooled. then added some ice cubes and served with bit chaat masala and chopped pudina.  it was a lovely drink.  This was made with the best out of waste.  Yield two glasses.  Now let us look at the proper recipe with full mango.

CHUKKU KAPPI, GINGER COFFEE

Chukku kappi or ginger coffee is a speciality of Kerala.  Normally, when we are down with cold and fever, my mother used to make this.  

Instead of using the sugar and normal jaggery, we use karuppatti or palm jaggery or panamchakkara it is known as and the taste is quite different.

Since I was having bit cold and head ache, I thought of making it early in the morning instead of having my normal black tea or green tea.  

ROSE MILK

Rose milk is a simple, easy preparation which can be served during the summer season.  add subja to this makes it more effective in cooling the stomach.  If you have ready made Rose Sharbat  (I used mapro brand), it is easy to make.  

MANGO FALOODA WITH CHOCOLATE l DRINK BEVERAGES

Falooda is a famous summer drink which not only  quench the thirst but also cools the stomach because it contains milk, subja in it.  Rose syrup is also good for health.

During summer, we get good variety of mangoes so why not we enjoy this falooda.  What we have to do is only replace the rose syrup with mango pulp and mango bits in it that is all.  Your favourite mango falooda is ready to serve chilled.

Here i have used chocolates instead of ice cream as my daughter wants to have it with chocolate.  Since we had Roche chocolate with us, I used the same in it.

WATER MELON JUICE

During summer, water melon is available plenty.  Since it contains more water, consumption of this fruit will help in hydrating the body.  While the fruits are to be eaten fresh, sometimes, you can enjoy the juice also.

This recipe is lying in my folder for the past two years and yesterday only I realised that I have not posted this simple and healthy summer cooler.


A watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 91% water.  As with many other fruits, it is a good source of Vitamin C and is low in fat and  sodium.  The amino-acid  citrulline  is produced in watermelon rind.  Watermelon pulp contains carotenoids, including lycopene.Watermelon rinds are also edible, but most people avoid eating them due to their unappealing flavor.

FALOODA

Falooda is a cold beverage popular in Indian subcontinent.  Traditionally, it is made with rose syrup, vermicelli, basil seeds (subja),tapioca pearls etc.  We can make mango falooda, rabdi falooda etc.  I had made and posted the tender coconut falooda.

Falooda is a version of persian dessert known as faloodeh and is believed to have brought to India during the Mughal period.   Vermicelli used for preparing faloodeh is made from arrowroot whereas vericelli used in the Indian version is usually made from wheat. 

Here I used the falooda  sev.  we can  use the normal vermicelli which is available in the market for making sevai upma, sevai kheer etc.

Anyway, it is very delicious and comforting during summer.  mango falooda with chocolate

falooda

CHIKOO, BANANA AND APPLE MILK SHAKE

In this scorching heat, you always like to drink something cold and not feel like eating.  One must drink something healthy which will quench your thirst at the same time fill your stomach too.  Here is a healthy milk shake with three different variety of fruits and milk.  Milk is a great source of  calcium, vitamin A, B, protein etc.

subja is a coolant so you can add that too in the milk shake and serve chilled.

my children call it as ABC drink.  so let us move on to the recipe.

CUCUMBER BUTTERMILK

Cucumber in your diet- Beauty begins from inside. Cucumbers are 95%water, is a natural coolant and  helps in keeping the body hydrated. Because of the high water content, they help in cleansing the system of toxins. So it is good to include them in our diet in the form of salads, cucumber butter milk, raita etc.  

If you have a puffy ice, keep two slices on your ice, you will feel very comfortable.  In Mumbai, during summer, you can see the gadiwalas selling cucumber with bit salt and chilli powder or as it is you can have it.

It is also used as face pack and other beauty related issues.  Butter milk, cucumber and subja is having cooling effect and it is good for the summer heat to hydrate your body.  In older days, I remember, under the pipal tree, near our Shiva temple,  big earthen pot is filled with neer mor and the passer by can have a glass of this neer mor during summer.

CUCUMBER COOLER A HEALTH DRINK

Cucumber, ginger, coriander and lime.  a cool drink which has got many health benefits.  It helps in digestion, cooling the body, cholesterol, blood pressure etc. etc.