Mango Melon Smoothie

I know a lot of people who start their day with a bowl of oatmeal porridge. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. I've always craved some sort of a breakfast routine and am very envious of those who manage to stick to one. My parents, for example, will start six out of seven days in a week with a bowl of oatmeal. Outwardly, I make fun of them and ask them whether they never tire of it. But secretly, I wish I could be like them. Amma doesn't miss out on the poha, upma, idli, dosa, bread routine at all. She puts them on the dinner table instead of the breakfast table.

For the past few weeks, I have managed to eat oatmeal every morning. I usually mix some curd and left over veggies/dal and eat it. Some days, I blend it with some cumin powder, salt and curd into a salty lassi of sorts. On days when I have fruit on hand and am in the mood for something sweet (which isn't often that early in the morning!), I turn it up into something like this.

1/4 cup Quick Cooking Oats
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp Sugar (optional)
1/4 cup Mango cubes
1/4 cup Melon cubes
1/2 cup Milk

Cook the oats with the water for 3-4 minutes and allow to cool. Blend this along with the other ingredients in a liqiuidizer. Add more milk if you like your smoothie a little thinner.

Pour into a glass and enjoy your breakfast. I can guarantee that something like this will keep you satisfied until lunch time and that you're quite likely to not reach out for something else in between.

Mango Mint Cooler

Mangoes! They seem to make summer worthwhile. I see no reason to look forward to summers if it were not for these fruits. And the many other fruits that make an appearance for a short while each year. Raw mangoes start appearing a little before their fully ripe siblings. We bought some mangoes and I only wanted to make a chutney. But with the temperatures soaring to 46 C, a chutney or thuvayal was the last thing on my mind. I had a bunch of fresh mint leaves and decided to make this drink. It was great as it is and also as a mixer with vodka.

1 cup Raw Mango, peeled and diced

1 tbsp Roasted Cumin Powder

1 tsp Rock Salt, powdered

1/4 cup Mint Leaves, chopped

2-4 tbsp Sugar

Cook the mangoes with the rock salt, cumin powder and sugar, using a little water if necessary. Cool for a bit and grind to a paste with the mint leaves.

This mixture can be mixed with water (1:3 ratio) and makes for a great mixer as well. Pour over lots of ice and bid summer goodbye!

Panakam

As a continuation to yesterday's post, I present another drink that is traditionally made on Rama Navami at my place. Panakam. During all my growing up years, I must say I preferred this drink over Neer Mor. Today, I think I've moved from sweet to savoury. I wonder if it is me or my waistline.

1/4 cup Jaggery

2 cups Water

1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

1 tsp Dry Ginger Powder

Dissolve the jaggery in a little water. Strain this mixture. Add the remaining water, ginger powder and cardamom powder. Serve chilled.

As a variation, you could add the freshly squeezed juice from 1 lime. A friend of mine brought me some panakam around 4-5 years ago. That was when I was introduced to the "lime juice in panakam" concept. Last year, I made two batches of panakam, one with lime juice and one without. I loved both.

Neer Mor

As you must have noticed, I am not the best when it comes to celebrating festivals or cooking festival related food. I shared with all of you my first Gowri-Ganesha celebration. And since then, I have tried to do what Amma did during festivals. I worry that my "celebrations" will soon be limited to cooking alone. Some part of me tells me that there's nothing wrong with that.

Last year, I was alone during Rama Navami. I didn't want to cook a feast for one person. I made two drinks that Amma makes every year on Rama Navami. This year, I hope to make those two along with some of the other things that are traditionally made.

Sitting in my drafts for a year now, I bring to you this simple recipe. Customary on Sri Rama Navami but welcome at any time during the long summer months is this spiced buttermilk: Neer Mor.

1 cup Curd

4 cups Water

2-3 Green Chillies, chopped finely

1 tsp Ginger Paste

3-4 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped finely

Salt to taste

Beat the curd until smooth. Blend with the water. Add the salt, coriander leaves, ginger paste and green chillies. Mix well. Serve cold.

I don't wait for this festival to make this drink, but it seemed apt to share this with all of you when the festival is just round the corner.

Beet Treat

One of the first things we bought as a couple was this Kenstar Food Processor. One of the (my) main reasons was that it came with a juicer. I remember making juices out of everything I could find in the fridge in the first 2 or 3 days. One day S came to me and said, "Just because we bought a juicer, you don't HAVE to juice everything." I think I was attemtping to make carrot juice that morning. I didn't make juice for a long time after that.

But recently, I picked up this Tarla Dalal book and (much to S' disgust) I make different juices every once in a while. I had all the ingredients on hand for this drink called "Beet Treat". I just had them in different proportions. Forget the flavours, the taste and the consistency (and there was nothing wrong with any of those), the colour of this drink was to die for. I thought about why I should put this recipe on my blog, but I had to get that picture in.

3 Beetroots, peeled and diced

1 Carrot, peeled and diced

2 Apples, peeled and diced

Blend all the ingredients in the juicer (or in a liquidizer and strain). Pour over ice and enjoy a glass of this first thing in the morning. This recipe makes 2 glasses and if your partner doesn't want his/her share, it could just be your lucky day!

Kairi Panha

This is a summer drink that I have come to love. I must admit that when Amma first made this, I thought she was crazy to go to class(canning and preservation class) and learn how to make weird drinks. I must have been all of 6 at the time. Like beer, I’d call this an acquired taste. This drink would, however, win hands down as a summer drink when compared to beer. After all, while both are summer drinks and both are acquired tastes, this is a delicious drink. (You can rest assured I’d almost never use that adjective with beer.)


I tried this sometime ago using the microwave and I was very happy with the result.

1 cup Raw Mango, peeled and diced
1 tbsp Roasted Cumin Powder
1 tsp Rock Salt, powdered
½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
2-4 tbsp Sugar

Place all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl with a little water and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Allow to cool and then blend to a paste. Mix this with two glasses of chilled water and serve.

This is traditionally served as a breakfast drink in Rajasthan and goes by the name of Kairi ka Pani. So, this is off to Padmaja at Spicy Andhra as my fifth entry to the RCI Rajasthan - Flavours of the Desert event. Since this is a breakfast number featuring mangoes, I am sending this to Arundati of Escapades, who is hosting this month's Weekend Breakfast Blogging # 22, the theme of which is Mango Madness.

Mixed Fruit Smoothie

Everyday, we carry a huge lunch bag. My mother would be surprised to see me do this. As a child, I hated carrying a lunch bag. I always wanted to carry one bag that could house just about everything I needed to take to school. All my classmates seemed to be doing that. There was just this small, teeny weeny problem. They carried dry lunch. Upma, mixed rice, parathas etc. I had a 4-box tiffin carrier. And a water bottle. To add to my woes, my lunch always included a serving of curd rice. I’ve done crazy things like pack that huge stainless steel monster into my bag (and have curd leak into the bag’s fabric!!). I figured how my classmates brought those light lunches to school. Their mothers made them eat a three course meal (the one I had for lunch) before they left for school. In an attempt to switch my breakfast and lunch, I even tried that. But there was (and is) no way that I can actually eat a three course meal at that hour!


Now, I know better. And I carry a big (but very smart) lunch bag to work everyday. This has, on all days, my lunch, a small container with curd, and a fruit box. On some days, I even carry a small snack like a salad, a granola bar, or some crackers. The idea is to always have something in my bag should hunger pangs strike so I can reach in instead of reaching out (to crisps, corn grits, chips, etc).

Our fruit box has a combination of whatever fruits are in season here. One day S brought his fruit box home as he didn’t have an opportunity to even open it during the day. It just so happened that I didn’t get a chance to touch my box either. So, I emptied the contents of the boxes into the liquidizer and ended up with this lovely smoothie.

1 Apple, cored and chopped
1 Pear, cored and chopped
1 Orange, deseeded
1 cup Guava Nectar

Blend all of the above in a liquidizer and pour into glasses. Add ice if you like and some honey if you want it a little sweeter.

This super simple smoothie is off to Abby who is hosting this month’s Monthly Mingle. It is also off to me as my second entry to this month's AFAM.

Please send in your entries to me on or before the 1st of April. You have a week left before the fruit changes to something else altogether. So, act now!

Lime - n - Lemony Mojito

Favourites. I've found that they always seem to change with time. My signature drink used to be the Screw Driver for as long as I remember. Somewhere along the line, I had an affair with the Cosmopolitan. Then I gave up the long legged pink beauty for the tall, dark, handsome drink. The Long Island Iced Tea. But in the midst of all this, I developed a taste for the Caipiroska and its rum based cousin the Mojito.


The bartender at our favourite restaurant, Earth, makes the best virgin Mojito I've ever had. I've been wanting to make this drink at home. For the very first time, I had all the ingredients (or at least some decent substitutes) at home. The timing couldn't have been better as I was browsing through Mansi's blog the same day and I found her recipe for Old Fashioned Cuban Mojito with Lime and Mint. I modified it a bit and S made this lovely cocktail for us last weekend.

4 fresh Mint Sprigs
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Lime Juice
60 ml Dark Rum
300 ml Limca
2 Limes, cut into quarters
Ice cubes, crushed

Crush the mint leaves along with the brown sugar and lime pieces. Divide this mixture into 2 glasses. Pour in the lime juice and the rum. Add the crushed ice cubes and top with Limca.

Since this drink had Limca, lime juice and lime wedges, it was especially tangy. This is my entry to this month's Monthly Blog Patrol of Coffee's blog, which is guest hosted for the first time by dear Sig. Now, Sig posted her AFAM Pear entry earlier today, despite having to plan for a trip. The only way I can thank her for that entry is by returning the favour. So Sig, this one is for you.

The Joy of Blogging...

...is something that one rarely gets from cookbooks. The kind of cookbooks I use has a lot of pictures. So I do get a thrill when something I make turns out like it is in the picture. Of course there are those books such as Rasachandrika or Samaithu Paar where there are not many or any pictures and yet I get a thrill. Because what I've made turns out the way I "remember" it.


But blogging, the food variety, gives me kicks like never before. I find recipes of new things that intrigue me, I find recipes of stuff I've tasted at some point, I find recipes I've been hunting for. And the best part is that I can go right back to the blogger and say: THANK YOU.


In the past, I've adapted my


Carrot Chutney from Seema's blog
Eggless Masala French Toast from Coffee's blog
Quick Mango Sandesh from Nandita's blog
Kaddu ki Subzi (Pumpkin Curry) from Richa's blog
Egg Roast from Cinnamon's blog
Almond Raisin Muffins from Sharmi's blog
Cheesy Wheat Bread from Anita's blog
Fried Egg with Curried Mushrooms from Meeta's blog
Goodies for Ganpati: Kozhukattais: Uppu & Ammini from Latha's and Laavanya's blogs


At times they've been exact replicas, at others my posts have been inspired by the originals. These have been individual posts. I haven't been able to blog much of late and don't want to delay this thanksgiving. So a combined post for all the recipes that I have tried out:


Sunny Salubri-Tea from Anita's blog. I mixed it with Lime Tang and was amazed at how good this tastes. And the cute smiling sunflower is the kitchen radio S got me a couple of months ago.

Chelsea Buns from Jai and Bee's blog. It has become a lot cooler in Gurgaon and my dough didn't rise much. And I was in a tearing hurry as always. So, these are not as soft as I thought they'd be and I used a mixture of walnuts and raisins for the filling.

Fried Rice from Jai and Bee's blog: I used whatever vegetables I had and skipped the eggs. It is really surprising how I had everything the recipe called for the very day these guys posted the recipe. This made for a very quick meal just before S and I rushed to catch Ratatouille!

Egg Roast from Sig's blog. I didn't have the patience to slice the onions, so I ground the onions along with the tomatoes and all the spices and just sauted the paste in some oil.

Kadala Curry from Sig's blog. I had eaten this dish 3 times in the past. All three times in Kerala. Each time with a different rice item: Appam, Idiyappam and plain rice. And I loved it. I couldn't believe my eyes when Sig posted the recipe on her blog. I finally got around to making it with Tandlya Rotis for our guests on Saturday night. It was a super duper hit and I've been eating a little everyday since.

I think this covers most of my cooking from other blogs so far. I know I will do more of this as I keep bookmarking new recipes to try. A big thank you to all of out there who keep inspiring me to do a bit more, to try a little harder and most of all, to never give up.

Strawberry Fizz

Ice cream sodas! I'd read about them all the time while growing up. Archies and his gang are always at Pop Tate's having ice cream sodas. For some reason, I didn't ever have them when I was in the U.S. Or maybe I had them and didn't realize what I was having.

I fell in love with the concept and the drink at a place called "Shakes & Creams" in Madras. Ever since, I make them at every opportunity. (The opportunities come very rarely as we never have ice cream or sodas ready at home!!)

Some time ago, I had everything at home. (Soon after we had a houseful of guests for dinner.) So, I was able to enjoy this drink on a weekend. While this drink can be made with about 30 ml of vodka as well, I made it good old fashioned kiddies' way.

For one glass I used:

1 tbsp Strawberry Crush

200 ml Sprite/Plain soda

1 scoop Vanilla Ice cream

Pour the strawberry crush in a glass. Drop the ice cream over it. Pour the Sprite over this. Stir everything together and enjoy it on a hot day.

This is my entry to Meeta's Monthly Mingle. This month's theme is Liquid Dreams.

Summer Fruit Shake

Summer! I think I have a love-hate relationship with this part of the year. The heat I don't like. No, not even when it is zero degrees and we exist in our houses without heating, central or otherwise. I don't look forward to the nice hot summer months. Nice and hot together would constitute an oxymoron, wouldn't they?

But there are some things I simply love about summer. The fruits. The mangoes, watermelons, peaches, litchis, apricots, jamuns, plums, pears, cherries and apples. We stock them up at home and I can just go on eating fruit. I don't need much else.

Some pictures of fruit taken during our last holiday in Mussoorie.

Yet another breakfast in a glass. I have had to clean my fridge and use up as much of the stuff that's in there. And I also needed to feed myself. So here goes:

1/2 Apple, peeled and chopped

1 Peach, chopped

4 Apricots, chopped

2 Dried Apricots, chopped for garnish

1 cup Milk

Blend all the fruits along with the milk. Pour into a glass and top with dried apricots.

I had a glass of this and drank the remaining milk shake after about 15 minutes. The colour had turned a beautiful orange. I was so carried away that I forgot to take a picture. But it was a filling breakfast and that's all that really matters.

We're traveling for the rest of the week. My cousin and his family are here from London and we're off to the hills to have loads of fun. The doctor said that S could go along too, as long as he isn't driving. So, see you all when I get back.

Filter Coffee

Filter coffee! Whatever I may do, however much I may try, I am not able to recreate the magic of coffee that is served at my mother's place. As a child, I wasn't allowed it. I once threw a tantrum at someone's place because H got to drink coffee while I didn't. (The 5 year age gap meant nothing, you see.) And so, the story goes that the next time we were visiting the same people, even though I was asleep, Amma woke me up and gave me coffee so I wouldn't ever crib again.



At our place, coffee is always brewed fresh. I've found that in many homes, it is kept overnight to brew and that's a complete no-no at ours. Amma has this huge filter from Revere Ware and I remember the aroma that spread throughout the house each morning when boiling hot water was poured over pressed coffee powder.

Over the years, we've switched to the electric coffee makers and regardless of what anyone says, the coffee is just as good. Our blend is 80:20, Peaberry to Plantation "A". Whatever that may be. Someday I'll do my research.

Here's how I brew my daily cuppa in a typical filter:

1/8 cup Coffee Powder (Peaberry 80: Plantation "A" 20)

125 ml Water, boiling hot

150 ml Milk

3/4 tsp Sugar

Place the coffee powder in the top portion of the filter. Use a flat bottomed vessel (like a tumbler) to press the powder down firmly. Place the inverted umbrella like apparatus over the coffee.

Put the sugar in the bottom portion of the filter. Place the top portion over this. Pour the boiling hot water over this and cover with the lid.

When all the water has seeped into the bottom portion, boil the milk in a small vessel. Pour the decoction into the milk and heat the mixture if needed. Sip your coffee leisurely for a wonderful start to the day.

I use only 100% pure coffee even though people say that the chicory version tastes best. When I make coffee in the electric coffee maker, I press the coffee into the filter and add sugar in the bottom vessel. I then add plain water into the coffee maker and my coffee is ready in 5 minutes. The aroma that fills the house is simply superb.

I cannot drink tea. I make it for husband each morning and tend to look at tea as something I will drink when my stomach is really upset... and then, too, only black! But coffee: anyday and at any time. I stick to one cup a day. And that really gets me going.

Apple Apricot Shake and a Meme

There are those who for whom breakfast is the most important meal of the day and then there are those who couldn't care less. I fall in the first category and, sadly, S falls in the second. Slowly and steadily, I am changing the way he looks at breakfast. Very often, I pack stuff for him so he can eat it when hunger strikes. On weekends, I am a little lenient. I have a little something and then we have brunch. On Sundays, we have a customary visit to Naivedyam to have Idli Vada, Mysore Masala Dosa and coffee. And a little something like this shake keeps me going until we drive to the restaurant.





Again, I drew inspiration for this from Amma. I helped her modify (read simplify) the recipe and I added some apricots for extra flavour.

Ingredients:

200ml Milk

1 Apple, cored, peeled and chopped

5-6 Apricots

Chop the apricots and microwave them with a tablespoon of water for 1-2 minutes.

Blend these with the apples in a mixer. Add the milk and blend for a minute or so until smooth. Pour it into a glass. Your breakfast in a glass is ready in minutes.

I've been tagged by Priyanka of Lajawaab Aahar. I was tagged once before and played along at my other blog Random Thoughts. But I thought, "why not?".

• 
  I started talking when I was 9 months old.
• I believed that every child had a mother tongue that was different from his/her father tongue.
• I thought that all fathers were bald, and someone with ample hair on his head couldn't be anyone's father.
• I have not had the good fortune of knowing my maternal grandparents.
• I am the youngest of 14 grandchildren and am married to S, who is the youngest of 16 grandchildren.
• I have had a very interesting career. I started out wanting to be an Immunologist, then decided on Ecology, from there on shifted to Ecotourism and then to Tourism Administration. However, because I was studying Tourism, and was in Pondicherry at the time, I was encouraged to learn foreign languages. That led to a career shift to Translation and Interpretation from where I finally landed in HR. Who knows what lies ahead?
• My friends call me "Heathrow" because I am the "hub". I am touch with a lot of people regardless of how I came to know them. And because of me, several old friends have reconnected, and people have met and decided to get married.

And I, in turn, tag the following people:

Anita

Cynthia

Archana

Seema

Deepa

Sharmi

Play along if you have the time and inclination..... If you have already been tagged please ignore.

Watermelon Ginger Punch

I wanted to make a nice konkani dish with watermelon rind for the AFAM event. But the watermelon we bought had almost no white portion. So, I decided to make this easy breezy punch.




This is a very simple drink that I enjoy in the morning.


Ingredients:


1 cup Watermelon cubes, deseeded
1 tsp Ginger paste
Juice of 1/2 a Lime
Sugar or Black Salt to taste


Mix the watermelon, ginger and sugar or black salt in a blender. Add the lime juice and mix well. Add some crushed ice to this if you wish. (Since I have it as a morning drink, I don't add the ice.)


This is my entry to the AFAM event hosted by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi. The theme for July is Watermelon.