Chilling under the Sun

With the summer sun blazing , its time to chill with some healthy drinks to help u sail through the Indian summers. Bottle gourd sounds unusual, but its the perfect cooler in this lemony tangy drink. Its known for its cooling effect in Ayurveda.and its use during summer prevents excessive loss of sodium, quenches thirst and helps in preventing fatigue. Serve it icy cold and enjoy!!

Refreshing Lemon Gourd Cooler

Ingredients:

1 small Bottle Gourd (Dodhi in Hindi)

2 lemons

1 cup sugar

½ tsp rock salt (optional)

1. Peel the gourd and cut into big pieces.
2. Boil these with a little water in a pressure cooker until mushy.
3. Add sugar while the gourd is still warm and stir it to melt the sugar.
4. Remove into a tall jug and blend it with a hand blender till smooth.
5. Add the juice of the lemons.
6. Mix chilled water and crushed ice and adjust sugar and lemon to suit your taste. Add rock salt if u are using it.
7. Serve with a slice of lemon. Enjoy!

Spicy Bhel, or is it a salad??

Easy and yet very nutritional, this salad is as tangy and spicy as the Indian bhel ( a snack made of a mix of rice puffs, peanut, fried grams and lentils and lots of spices). This salad can also be garnished with Sev or bhujia, though the simple version is equally yummy. This no guilt salad can be a weight loss dieters escape from the bland and boiled. Enjoy!!

CORN BHEL SALAD

Ingredients:

1 cup boiled sweet corn kernels

1 large cucumber – finely chopped

1 large tomato – finely chopped

2 tbs spring onion - finely chopped

1 tbs coconut - grated

1 tbs green chilles – finely chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Mix well all the ingredients and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Lime juice and green chillis can be adjusted to suit your taste.

Kuch meetha ho gaye.....

Meetha, sweet, dessert.....my favourite part of the meal. Anyways, its the Indian way to start anything good with something sweet. So here's a classic Indian dessert prepared at most homes across India. Here I have given it a richer taste with use of milk and beautiful colour, subtle flavor and aroma using saffron. Its ingredients are simple and mostly available in the pantry, to prepare it quickly.

KESARI SUJI HALAWA

1 cup semolina (suji)
2 tbs clarified butter (ghee)
A generous pinch of saffron
1/2 cup milk
4 tbs sugar
Water as needed
Chopped nuts( almond and pistachios) to garnish

1. In a thick bottomed or non stick pan, heat the ghee and roast the semolina and saffron on low heat for about 5 mins. Take care it does not change its colour.
2. Then add the milk stirring all the while and also add a little water at a time. The semolina will soak up all the liquid but take care not to make it soggy. 
3. Finally add the sugar and stir till it melts and mixes well. 
4. Serve warm, garnished with chopped nuts.

Obsessed

I have been obsessed with food ever since....I cant even remember when. From school days, " Whats for lunch?" questions, to today when I make elaborate shopping lists, so that I can try out my newly acquired recipe. I have boxes full of cooking books, magazine, and tattered pieces recipe cutouts arranged in a file, waiting their turn to be aired and tried. My family and friends know that nothing will make me happier than to receive a new book on cakes or curries and even the sizzler plates and fondue sets. My dad-in-law brings me photocopies of recipes that he finds interesting and my hubby forwards me emails on food and buys a recipes e-book online 'just for me' :) cute nah!!


But that makes me think am I obsessed or is everyone making me obsessed, by constantly reinforcing 'FOOD' in my head.....such that my every waking hour is spent  thinking about something to eat or cook. Maybe its in my genes and I cant escape it. Also being married to a foodie whose love for good and lots of good food has turned me into a maniac cook of epic proportions.


Anyways, I can keep on ranting on why food, cooking, eating and related things have possessed my life and made me its slave. But am I the only one???