Makes 4 glasses

What makes this lemonade different from the others ? Read on to see.

We begin by taking two lemons , a little bigger  sized than walnuts and cut them into quarters and remove the seeds.

Then we take a handful of fresh mint leaves , 10 grams to be precise and wash and rinse them.

Next comes 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar , basically one tablespoon per glass , you could reduce or increase to your taste.

Measure one litre water in a blender jar , add a few ice cubes , follow with lemon quarters  mint leaves and one teaspoon salt or to taste.

Now you have to blend them for not more than 5 seconds , its almost like an on and off thing. If you blend any more than that, the lemonade will become bitter.

Strain into a jug and enjoy the most refreshing and simplest drink that ever could be.

beverage· mint leaves· summer coolers

Lemonade

Makes 4 glasses

What makes this lemonade different from the others ? Read on to see.

We begin by taking two lemons , a little bigger  sized than walnuts and cut them into quarters and remove the seeds.

Then we take a handful of fresh mint leaves , 10 grams to be precise and wash and rinse them.

Next comes 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar , basically one tablespoon per glass , you could reduce or increase to your taste.

Measure one litre water in a blender jar , add a few ice cubes , follow with lemon quarters  mint leaves and one teaspoon salt or to taste.

Now you have to blend them for not more than 5 seconds , its almost like an on and off thing. If you blend any more than that, the lemonade will become bitter.

Strain into a jug and enjoy the most refreshing and simplest drink that ever could be.

Summer coolers

The summers have begun in the south of India and the north is still enjoying pleasant weather before it gets boiling hot.

       There is no match to cool home made drinks and I love to give these coolers to my children when they come back from school in the sweltering heat. Just a blitz in a blender jar with the simplest basic ingredients and there you have a cool drink which will not only cools the body and mind but also acts as an excellent appetizer as one doesn’t feel like eating much in the hot months.

      Here I present two milk product based summer coolers in the first series of summer drinks, I will follow soon with mint lemonade and home made ginger ale recipe.

   Kachhi lassi

This cooling drink is also served on the martydom anniversary of the  fifth Sikh Guru “Guru Arjan dev ji”. All along the highways of Punjab , there are stalls of “chabeels”  where in people have donated money and many young boys voluntarily serve the commuters this cooling and refreshing drink. There are many versions of the same drink , but this one happens to be most popular .

   I make it at home often when I want to give a cool drink to my children .

Ingredients:

1.   ¼ cup milk

2.   1 cup chilled water

3.    A few cubes of ice

4.    4-5 tablespoons of roohafza

mix all the above ingredients and give a good stir and serve chilled .

Chilled mint buttermilk

   I just love the fragrance of mint leaves and when they are blended with yogurt , the beautiful pista green colour as it is often called is so delicious that the very look of the buttermilk cools down and soothes the eyes.

Ingredients:

1.   Half a cup yogurt / curd

2.   One cup chilled water

3.   ¼ cup mint leaves

4.   A few cubes of ice

5.    ¼ th teaspoon roasted jeera powder

6.    One teaspoon black salt / sea salt

7.    ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

8.    ½  - 1 teaspoon sugar ( optional)

Method:

  Place all the ingredients in a blender / liquidizer , blend well and serve chilled.

    

beverage· buttermilk· cooling drinks· mint leaves· yogurt

Summer coolers

The summers have begun in the south of India and the north is still enjoying pleasant weather before it gets boiling hot.

       There is no match to cool home made drinks and I love to give these coolers to my children when they come back from school in the sweltering heat. Just a blitz in a blender jar with the simplest basic ingredients and there you have a cool drink which will not only cools the body and mind but also acts as an excellent appetizer as one doesn’t feel like eating much in the hot months.

      Here I present two milk product based summer coolers in the first series of summer drinks, I will follow soon with mint lemonade and home made ginger ale recipe.

   Kachhi lassi

This cooling drink is also served on the martydom anniversary of the  fifth Sikh Guru “Guru Arjan dev ji”. All along the highways of Punjab , there are stalls of “chabeels”  where in people have donated money and many young boys voluntarily serve the commuters this cooling and refreshing drink. There are many versions of the same drink , but this one happens to be most popular .

   I make it at home often when I want to give a cool drink to my children .

Ingredients:

1.   ¼ cup milk

2.   1 cup chilled water

3.    A few cubes of ice

4.    4-5 tablespoons of roohafza

mix all the above ingredients and give a good stir and serve chilled .

Chilled mint buttermilk

   I just love the fragrance of mint leaves and when they are blended with yogurt , the beautiful pista green colour as it is often called is so delicious that the very look of the buttermilk cools down and soothes the eyes.

Ingredients:

1.   Half a cup yogurt / curd

2.   One cup chilled water

3.   ¼ cup mint leaves

4.   A few cubes of ice

5.    ¼ th teaspoon roasted jeera powder

6.    One teaspoon black salt / sea salt

7.    ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

8.    ½  - 1 teaspoon sugar ( optional)

Method:

  Place all the ingredients in a blender / liquidizer , blend well and serve chilled.

    

Papaya coconut smoothie

If a beverage can make us blissful then this smoothie is one of them. A simple blend of papaya and my all time favourite coconut milk with some sugar and ice is absolutely delicious and really really uplifts the mood if at all one having the blues.

     All we need to have is a cup full of cubed papaya fruit , one 200 ml can of coconut milk , half a cup of crushed ice and two tablespoons of powdered sugar ( optional incase you don’t want the extra calories). Just blend them all. That’s it. 

beverage· coconut milk· cooling drinks· papaya

Papaya coconut smoothie

If a beverage can make us blissful then this smoothie is one of them. A simple blend of papaya and my all time favourite coconut milk with some sugar and ice is absolutely delicious and really really uplifts the mood if at all one having the blues.

     All we need to have is a cup full of cubed papaya fruit , one 200 ml can of coconut milk , half a cup of crushed ice and two tablespoons of powdered sugar ( optional incase you don’t want the extra calories). Just blend them all. That’s it. 

A glass of soya goodness

(home made soya milk)

We are all aware of the health benefits of soya and to my mind soya milk is the easiest and the quickest way to consume soya. But personally I grudge the exorbitant amount we have to dish out for a tetra of soya milk ,so I said to myself  why not make soya milk at home . Here's how you could do it too. Remember we are not using any sugar to sweeten it , but trust me the natural taste of soya has a unique flavor which is quite enjoyable.

 Measure two cups of the tan coloured soyabeans ( not the white variety).

and soak them overnight.

The next morning , gently rub the beans between your palms , this way the hulls will start to come off. Wash them in several runs of water to get rid of as much hulls as possible.

 Place them in a blender jar and blend with approximately double the amount of water. 

Pour the mixture into a heavy bottomed pot , add a little more water to get a thin consistency and discard the scum which comes on the surface. In total we add  water about three times the swollen beans.

Cook on medium flame for about twenty minutes while stirring in between and then let cool. When the mixture comes to room temperature then pour it in to a vessel lined with cheese cloth and squeeze out the soya milk. The leftover can be kneaded into the regular flour and used to make healthier rotis. The milk should be stored in the fridge and used within three days.

beverage

A glass of soya goodness

(home made soya milk)

We are all aware of the health benefits of soya and to my mind soya milk is the easiest and the quickest way to consume soya. But personally I grudge the exorbitant amount we have to dish out for a tetra of soya milk ,so I said to myself  why not make soya milk at home . Here's how you could do it too. Remember we are not using any sugar to sweeten it , but trust me the natural taste of soya has a unique flavor which is quite enjoyable.

 Measure two cups of the tan coloured soyabeans ( not the white variety).

and soak them overnight.

The next morning , gently rub the beans between your palms , this way the hulls will start to come off. Wash them in several runs of water to get rid of as much hulls as possible.

 Place them in a blender jar and blend with approximately double the amount of water. 

Pour the mixture into a heavy bottomed pot , add a little more water to get a thin consistency and discard the scum which comes on the surface. In total we add  water about three times the swollen beans.

Cook on medium flame for about twenty minutes while stirring in between and then let cool. When the mixture comes to room temperature then pour it in to a vessel lined with cheese cloth and squeeze out the soya milk. The leftover can be kneaded into the regular flour and used to make healthier rotis. The milk should be stored in the fridge and used within three days.