Best Indian summer drink~ Cumin Mint Swirl

Cumin Mint Swirl Lifewater- A fantasy product that we, me with two other friends, made up for a our MBA marketing Project. SoBe  with its cool lizard logo caught our attention and we decided to market our product under Pepsico's SoBe brand. SoBe is a famous brand that markets flavored water, teas and smoothies.

In the  past couple of decades people began to seek healthy alternatives for sodas, sugary beverages and plain water. Then came the 'Flavored water'- water enhanced with artificial flavors, vitamins and sweeteners. Soon 'Flavored water' became the buzzing word for all the beverage companies in the recent decade.

In India, we have been drinking flavored water for several centuries. Yes! flavored with different spices and aromatic roots which have immense healing properties. Ranging from the humble 'Cumin seeds' /jeera to 'Vetiver roots'.

SoBe is always on the look out for exciting, new, tropical flavors. And it had been only having fruity flavors. So we decided to give it an heads up with a bunch of flavors that uses the 'healing spices'.

Though, we never directly suggested SoBe to include our suggestions but our idea was to imagine that our Professor as the company itself and convince her to take up this as line extension.lol!

As we were working on the project, we came to know those secret healing properties of mint and cumin.

The astounding health benefits of Mint and Cumin :

Cumin -Stimulates appetite, increases metabolism, relieves insomnia and detoxifies the body. Since this is rich in iron content it is also helpful to cure anemia and also believed to treat cancer and piles.

Mint- anitbiotic in nature, rich in vitamin C, cures asthma and flu,helps in indigestion, stress and sore throat. This ultimate refreshing and cooling herb is best suited for tropical climates.

Research says consumption of iron with Vitamin C helps to absorb iron better in the blood. 

Also, I would like to recall a particular region of people who consume cumin water everyday. Kerala- No body would deny the fact people from this place look radiantly beautiful and healthier. One of the reasons for their good health is that they had been drinking this sassy water for centuries.

So why not include them in everyday diet?

I know I did my best marketing it to my professor for grades. But now, I am not marketing it for any personal gains but for the well being of all.

Summer is almost here. Buttermilk is the ubiquitous drink of India. There are like zillion variations in consuming it ranging from the sweet lassi to masala chaas. Here is how I like it.

Cumin Mint Chaas Recipe:

A handful of fresh mint leaves and 2 teaspoons of roasted cumin seeds ground to fine paste. Mix this paste with required salt in half a liter of buttermilk.

Cheers to good health!

Veg Kulchara ,Veg Manchurian balls(Gravy) & Sarsaparilla(Nannari) Sherbet!!

Veg Kulchara was introduced to me by my friends during college days.Here, in a restaurant they serve this delicious chinese starter which is irresistable.Most of us love chinese food esp the manchurians.Kulchara is kinda manchurian that has lots of cashews and its drizzled with butter.Can you imagine how tasty it could be?Though I had this dish many times in restaurant,I never thought of recreating it at home.When I saw the theme for Lets go Nuts event for this month-'Cashew Nuts'..I  determined to make this Kulchara..Non-vegeterians can try chicken and fish Kulchara too.

Veg Manchurian Balls in gravy is very popular and it pairs very well with Noodles/Fried rice.We had with plain boiled rice.I have used Caramel for sweetening the gravy instead of sugar.This not only gives a nice color but also enhances the flavor.

Veg Kulchara :

You will need :

For Kulchara

1 cup grated cabbage

1 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup onion chopped 

1/2 tsp Ginger -Garlic paste

2 Tbsp Maida

2 Tbsp Corn flour

1 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Cashew Nuts,chopped

Oil for frying

For the sauce

 

1/2 tsp Ginger -Garlic paste

1 Tbsp Onion,Chopped

1 tbsp caramel(See note below to make caramel)

1 tsp chilli sauce

1 tsp soya sauce

1/2 tsp Vinegar

1 tsp corn flour 

A pinch of Aji-no-moto

Salt

1/2 tsp red chilly flakes

For garnish :

1 tbsp chopped Cashews

1 tbsp butter

chopped spring onions

NOTE :

For making caramel, add 2 tbsp of Sugar and 1/2 Tbsp of lime juice in a skillet.Keep in med heat until the sugar gets melted completely.Leave in low heat without stirring until you get a good amber color.

Remove the skillet from heat and pour 1/4 cup of water immediately (Be careful as it splatters! )

Caramel

Chop cashew nuts finely..

Mix together the ingredients of 'For Kulchara' together except cashew nuts.Do not add water,the water from the grated cabbage/carrot itself is enough to bind the mixture.

Make small  balls from this mixture and place them in a plate.

Heat oil for deep frying..Coat each kulchara balls with the chopped cashews .Make sure that all the cashew bits are adhereing to the kulchara balls.

Gently drop 2 or 3 kulcharas at a time,depending on the size of the skillet.And fry them in med heat until golden brown.

Do not fry them in high heat or else the inside of the kulchara will not get cooked properly.

In a pan,heat 1 tsp oil and fry onion,ginger garlic paste,and red chilly flakes..Add all the sauces,salt,aji-no-moto,vinegar.Let it bubble for 30-40 seconds.Add caramel ,corn flour mixed in 1 tbsp of water.Let it simmer for a min.Check for salt,sweetness or spicyiness.Add whatever sauce you want according to your taste.

The sauce is ready.Coat the fried kulchara balls in this sauce.Pour remaining sauce over the Kulcharas.

Fry 1 tbsp of chopped cashews in  butter. Sprinkle this roasted cashews over the kulchara .Pour the remaining butter  over the kulchara.Garnish with spring onions.

Sending this to Lets go nuts with Cashew nuts event guest hosted by Poornima Nair and intiated by Aquadaze.

Veg Manchurain in gravy :

The recipe is same as the kulchara except the use of cashews.

Only the measurements for preparing the sauce/gravy varies here.

For Manchurian balls :

1 cup grated cabbage

1 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup onion chopped 

1/2 tsp Ginger -Garlic paste

2 Tbsp Maida

2 Tbsp Corn flour

1 tsp Salt

Oil for frying

For the sauce/gravy :

1 tsp Ginger -Garlic paste

1 Onion,Chopped

1/2 cup capsicum,cut into strips

2 tbsp caramel

2 tsp chilli sauce

2 tsp soya sauce

1 tsp Vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp corn flour 

1 cup water

A  pinch of Aji-no-moto

Salt

1 tsp red chilly flakes

Mix all ingredients of manchurian balls and make a dough.Shape into uniformly sized balls and deep fry them in oil.

For gravy,heat a tsp of oil.Fry onion and capsicum for a 1 min or so.Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 secs.Add the sauces,vinegar,salt,aji-no-moto,red chilly flakes.Let it bubble in low heat for a 40 secs.Add the caramel and corn flour mixed in water.Let it simmer for 1/2 min or until the gravy appears glossy.Add the manchurian balls to the gravy.Garnish with spirng onions and serve.

Sarasaparilla/Nannari Sherbet :

'Nannari' Sherbet is a refreshing drink sold in carts during summer season in India.Nannari is a root which has the medicinal property of protecting the body from common summer aliments.It is a natural coolant and it  purifies blood,prevents stone formation in kidneys,controls tonsillitis and solve acidity and constipation problems.

Nannari root

Source :itrcenvis.nic

Nannari Syrup

The Nannari Syrup is easily available in India.So if you have the syrup in hand the drink can be easily prepared. 

You will need :

1/4 cup Nannari Syrup

Juice of one small lemon

A pinch of salt

2 glasses of water

Ice cubes

Mix all the above and check for sweetness.Add sugar if its not sweet enough.

Sip and enjoy the summer!

Sending this to Refreshing Drinks event for Summer hosted by Anu of Chandrabaga

I tried out the following recipes this week,

Asha's Bell pepper Korma - Bell peppers are my fav! And a rich korma with it is mind blowing.I wanted to try it immediately after I saw it at her blog.But I can't find the colorful Bell peppers in my town.So finally I made with the regular green ones.It was superb!We had with rotis .I also had this as a sauce for pasta.. The almond gravy with bell pepper flavor goes very well with pasta!Thank you very much!.

Priya of Sourahstrian Kitchen's Peanut Ladoos- This is the easiest ladoo recipe I have ever came across.I love peanut ladoos but making them at home is a real complicated thing.But this peanut ladoo is not only easy to make but also to eat.I would call it 'Melting-in-mouth' Ladoo.Instead of grinding them coarse and I powdered them finely.But there is no compromise in taste.I enjoyed it.Thank you very much!

Food Fanatic's Arbi fry -I love arbi but we always make only one recipe with it.And that is 'Arbi podimass' .Her Arbi fry looks crispy and yum.So I wanna try it.Yesterday ,we made this as a side dish for Rasam Rice.I boiled the arbi to peel the skins and it got mushy.By mistake I added spices and then baked it instead of baking first .But it was nice..The arbi got a nice curst on outside and mushy inside..I can't stop eating them..Finally me and my sis end up fighting for this yummy Arbi fry.Thanks a lot for the recipe,FF! 

Prathiba , Priya, Adlak and Shama shared with me this lovely award..Thank you,buddies :) 

Thats a sweet gesture!

I'm passing it to all my blogging buddies...I love all your blogs.All of you are so sweet and are really talented chefs.Kindly accpet this award,friends..

Now for the rules:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs (Only if you like).
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog.

Asha,Food Fanatic,Priya of Easy n tasty recipes,Vishali,Mangala bhat,Varsha,Cham,Deesha,Sriharivatsan,Uma,SuperChef,Lavanya,Divya Vikram,Indhu,Priya Sriram,

Srikars,Soma,Sia,Trupti,Sanghi,Suparna,Pooja,Jayasree,Raks Kitchen,Rekha,Akal,Usha Nandhini,Vrinda,Simran,Gayatri,Mahimaa,Ann,Rachel,Lisa,Pavithra,Ramya Vijayakumar,Kitchen flavours,Ranjani,Nithiya Praveen,Notyet01,n33ma,Aparna,Sharmilee,Swapna,Archy,Viki,Aruna,Vibaas,Sathya Sankar,Madhuram,Malar,Poornima Nair,Laavanya,Lavi,Nazarina,Anu Sriram,Aquadaze

Have a nice weekend!

Marshmallow & Hot Chocolate

Wanna make V-day special just being at home?Then this post is for you.Chocolates and romance go hand in hand...A cup of hot chocolate topped with homemade marhsmallows shared with your spouse/beau on a chilly night is a cute way to celebrate V-day.Single souls like me can share it with your friends and family and beat away the blues :)

I have tasted marshmallows for the first time when I went to Munnar.This chewy,soft,spongy confection is something out of the world.I have found that all the marshmallow recipes available in internet uses corn syrup.I don't get it here.I just skipped it and tried and it worked fine for me.

This is my third attempt in making marshmallows at home.I'm so happy that it came out perfect.For V-day,I wanna make heart-shaped marshmallows.Can't find a heart-shaped cookie cutter..so I made one by myself using my engineering skills (We had sheet metal workshops as part of curriculum during my 1st year of my engg course)..During those times ,I wonder how do these classes gonna help me in future..But today,I realised the purpose ;) I don't have proper equipments to bend and cut the sheet metal..with the available ones,I managed to make 2 cutters in less than 15 mins..I patted on my back ..I felt, I can make it better..Im in hurry so didn't bothered for perfection...

My very own cookie cutters..

A pack of hot chocolate mix and homemade marshmallows can make a great gift to your loved ones...

With no further ado,let me share the recipe..

For the Hot chocolate Mix :

1 cup cocoa 

1 cup milk powder

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Sift the the above listed ingredients together and store in a air-tight container.

Marshmallows :

You will need :

3/4 cup Sugar 

1 tbsp Gelatine crystals

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla-peppermint extract

For dusting :

1/4 cup Powdered sugar

1/4 cup corn flour

Sieve these 2 ingredients together.

Soak the gelatine in water for 10 mins.

Add the sugar and to the gelatine mixture and bring to boil.Once the sugar has dissolved completely.Reduce the heat to medium and wait till the sugar syrup has reach one stirng consistency(one thing string is formed when tested between index finger and thumb).

Transfer the gelatine/sugar mixture in a large mixing bowl and let it cool for 2 mins.

Beat with an egg beater for 5 mins or until the mixture gets opaque and thick.

In a tray,sprinkle the dusting mixture and pour the thick batter.Spread the batter evenly and let it cool in refigirator for 2 to 3 hours.

Once its set,transfer the marshmallow on cutting board.Sprinkle some dusting mixture.Using the cookie cutter cut out the marshmallows and coat each them in dusting mixture.

I was cutting them in a pattern to avoid remains.The little remains can be used to make instant chocolate mousse.I will post the recipe some time later.

Preparing the hot chocolate drink...

Heat in a cup of milk,when it comes to boil whisk it to make it frothy.Add 2 to 3 tbsp of hot chocolate mix.Whisk briskly.Pour in your fav cup and top it with marshmallows.

Add a pinch of cinnamon powder for Mexican Hot Chocolate..

Melting hearts..

Sending this to Bindya's 'My Favourite Things Event-Love is in the air (Heart -shaped Foods)'

And also to Asankhana's Fun event Cook and Create with Luv and Luv

Happy Valentines Day to all!

This is my entry for Asvadha's 'Made for each other ' event..I guess marshmallow and Hot chocolate makes a perfect jodi :)

Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

There could be many people out there who skip breakfasts.Im no exception to that and I always fall short of time for taking breakfast.But we all know how much important is the first meal of the day.It should be wholesome and nutritious.
Keeping that in mind,my mom usually gives me 'Oats with milk & fruit' as breakfast.And that being hot and potful ,I couldn't finish up the whole stuff and run to my college in hurry.
So I came with this 'Smoothie' idea.
It can be made and kept in refrigirator the night before.And you know,how easy it is to drink a smoothie in few seconds and get ready to start your day.One can try out with other seasonal fruits.This is extremely delicious and filling.The oats and banana gives the lusciousness to the drink and to me it was like sipping a milk shake...
One drink....
And you get the goodness of 1 whole banana,1 glass of milk and 2 tbspoons of oats.
Isn't that good??



Start off with boiling the milk and add the oats.

After 30 seconds,turn off the heat and cool down.

Blend the oats/milk with sliced banana and sugar in a mixer.Chill and serve.

Beat the heat!

When I was on my way back home from my driving class,my eyes spotted on a cart carrying watermelons.For a long time I wanted to try out the mexican cooler 'Auga Fresca' with melon. So I picked a large watermelon for 50 bucks (which is pretty high for a 4 Kg melon).
I later felt ,why not have fun scooping the watermelon..I tell u how i made this drink...


Watermelon--ready for scooping

Keep guessing whats the 7up doing here..

I cut out a square and started scooping with a spoon


This is how it looked once i scooped them all out..


I took some of the chunks ,ice,sugar and blended well.



Strained them...


Have a look at the refreshing juice of watermelon..




Pour them into the shell with the remaining chunks of melon..
And here goes the 7 up..pour them too.


Serve them in your favourite glass..
Could u see the watermelon chunks floating ??


The frothiness is due to the 7up..Its lemoni flavour gives
the melon a nice twist...

I put them on the fridge with the lid covered and me and my sis had it for the entire day for every hour..
Have a refreshing day!