Mango Milkshake

Mango Milkshake is a very popular drink. Mango doesn't need any introduction and according to me it is the king of fruits. In India, mango is a very popular summer fruit. Mango can be used in hundred different ways and milkshake is one of them. This is very refreshing on a hot summer day. The ice cream in this drink does make it much creamier.I hope you all will enjoy this simple yet delicious drink :-)

Ingredients:

• Ripe Mango, medium sized- 1
• Milk - 1 cup (approx 250 ml)
• Sugar- 2-3 Tbsp (vary accordingly)
• Vanilla Ice cream - 1 scoop (or to taste) 

Notes: Mango - Use a mango that is sweet and preferably without fibre. If it has fibre then take an extra step of straining the mango puree and then blending it with rest of the ingredients.

Procedure:

Cut the mango and discard the seed.

Remove the pulp and then discard the skin. Take the pulp in a blender along with ice cream. Then add cold milk and sugar.

Then blend it until the mixture turns frothy. Taste the final mixture and add sugar, if required. 

Mango Milkshake is ready!!

Serve it chilled. Above measurement serves two people.

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Avocado Paratha (Avocado Flat bread)

Avocado Paratha is a very good variation to the normal plain parathas. Paratha is an Indian flat bread made using wheat flour. Few months back, I bumped into this recipe posted by SMTC. I love their recipes and videos. I follow them from two years. 

I was very eager to try out this recipe as Avocado is our favorite and use it regularly. The parathas turned out really soft. The addition of avocado really makes it soft. This is a good recipe for those who don't like avocado to eat it as such. I am sure kids will love it, as the parathas are green in color. Try making it and get the goodness from avocados :-)

Ingredients:

• Avocado, ripe- 1
• Wheat flour - 1 cup and extra for dusting
• Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 5 sprigs
• Lemon juice- 1 Tbsp
• Jalapeño- 1/2
• Garlic pods, small sized - 2
• Roasted cumin powder- 1/4 tsp
• Salt- To taste
• Oil - 1 tsp and extra for frying

Notes: Wheat flour - It took me little more than a cup of flour to get a non - sticky soft dough.
Cilantro - Use only the leaves of cilantro. If you add the stems then it becomes difficult while rolling.
Lemon juice - It prevents the avocado from turning brown, due to oxidation. So don't skip it.
Jalapeño: Jalapeno is a variety of green chilli and goes well with avocado. If you can't find them then use the green chillis.
Garlic and jalapeño should be chopped as fine as possible.

Procedure:

Chop cilantro, jalapeño and garlic.

Next step is to chop the avocado (cutting of avocado has to be done at last as it turns black due to oxidization. If you still need to cut ahead then sprinkle little lemon juice.This will avoid blackening to certain extent). To choose avocado the things you should consider - the outer skin should be somewhat black in color and when pressed softly it should spring back. Now cut avocado along its length as shown below-

Then discard the big seed. Once done, scoop out the flesh and put it in a bowl. Then mash it using a fork until you get a smooth paste. Once done, add the lemon juice and mix well.

Now add the chopped cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, roasted cumin powder, oil and salt. Mix well.

Then add the flour.

Mix well and knead it until you get a non - sticky, soft dough.

Coat the surface of the dough with few drops of oil and then keep it covered for 15-20 minutes. Then divide the dough into small round balls (I made 8 of them).

Then dip each ball in flour and roll them into a circle of uniform thickness.

When you are done with the rolling, place it on a pre heating skillet. Look how it puffs up.

Once it turns golden brown, flip it to cook the other side. Smear little oil on both side, while cooking. Once both sides get cooked, transfer it to a plate and continue with the rest of them.

Avocado Parathas are ready!!

Serve it hot with any curry of your choice. Above measurement makes 6-8 parathas.

Note: Finish off the dough on the same day. Next day it tends to get black on the surface.
You can make parathas just with avocado skipping the rest of them. But don't forget to add lemon juice.

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Tarkari Nonche ( Mixed Vegetable Pickle)

Tarkari Nonche is a very popular pickle in our community. In Konkani, Tarkari means vegetables and Nonche means pickle. This is a very 'easy to make' pickle. Generally pickle is  served with every South Indian meal. During family functions, pickle is a must for the lunch. Hence the caterers always prefer to make this version (as it is quick and easy). I am very choosy when it comes to pickles. I love only few versions. Those versions I eat like crazy but, as such I am not a fan of pickle.

Recently I picked up a raw mango from the stores as it was fresh. I always love to eat raw mangoes with salt and chilli powder. Next day I suddenly felt an urge to make this pickle as it had been a really long time since I had this. But you know that I am still a beginner when it comes to making pickles. My mother makes pickle every year and hence I called her to get the recipe. With fingers crossed, I gave it a try and to my surprise I turned out as I wanted. My happiness knew no bounds :-) 

Ingredients:

• Raw Mango, medium sized chopped- 2 cups
• Cauliflower florets, chopped- 1 cup
• Carrot, small sized chopped - 1/4 cup
• Dry Red chilli (Byadgi) - 15-17
• Mustard seeds- 3 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing) - A big generous pinch
• Salt - 2 Tbsp (adjust accordingly)
• Water - As required

Notes: Raw mango used should be fresh and sour. More the sourness, better is the pickle.
The vegetables used should be fresh too. It tastes better if the veggies are crispy.
You can also use other veggies like Ivy gourd (tindora or tendle), beans, ginger and green chilli.

Procedure:

Few important things you need to keep in mind before making this pickle:

#All the bowls, spoon, blender etc should be clean and dry.

#It is preferred that you start making the pickle in the morning and by evening it will be done. Next day, it will be ready to use.

#Be careful while adding salt. Add it in steps. You can always add more if required.

#The pickle has to be stored in a clean glass or porcelain jar (you can also use plastic containers. remember that it might get stained).

Now coming back to the preparation-

First heat 1-2 cups of water and bring it to a boiling point and then turn off the heat. Bring this water to room temperature. This water is used to make the red chilli paste (this boiled-cooled water helps the pickle to last longer).
While the water is cooling, wash the vegetables and raw mango. Pat them dry with a towel and then chop them into small pieces.

Now put the chopped vegetables and raw mango in a clean, big bowl. Then add salt and toss well so that all of them get a coating. Cover and let it rest for 3-4 hours.

After 3-4 hours, prepare the Chilli paste.
To Make Chilli paste - Take dry red chilli, mustard seeds, turmeric powder, asafoetida in a blender. 

Now grind them into a fine powder. Then add little amount of the reserved water (boiled and cooled) and grind. The resulting paste should be smooth.

Then add this chilli paste into the bowl containing raw mango and  mixed vegetable mixture. Mix well. Add water little by little to achieve the desired consistency. I kept it medium thick. 

Let this mixture sit for a day or 5-6 hours in a refrigerator, so that the raw mango and mixed vegetables gets time to absorb the flavors. After 5-6 hours taste it and add salt or asafoetida, if required. Tarkari Nonche is ready!!

Store it in a glass/ porcelain jar. Refrigerate it for future use. It stays good upto a month or two.

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Kesaribath (Sweet Saffron Rice)

Kesaribath is a very popular dessert in South India. Kesaribath is nothing but saffron infused cooked rice and sweetened with sugar along with loads of ghee. It is a rich dessert and tastes heavenly. The method to make it is very simple. Once done, it is very hard to stop eating it. Saffron really gives it a nice flavor.

I got this recipe from my mother. She used to make it once in a while. Do try making it and remember it is quite rich too.

Ingredients:

• Basmathi Rice - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1/2 cup (adjust accordingly)
• Water - 1 cup
• Ghee (clarified butter)- 4 Tbsp
• Saffron (Kesar)- Generous pinch of strands
• Milk - 1-2 Tbsp
• Cardamom pods- 4
• Cloves- 4-5
• Cashew nuts and raisins - 1-2 Tbsp each

Notes: Basmathi rice - Generally jeera rice is used to make kesaribath, which is a short grained rice. Basmathi rice worked fine for me.
Water - Amount of water depends on the rice. Generally the amount of water required is double the amount of rice to get well separated cooked rice. I added little more than 1 cup and worked fine. Just take care that the rice doesn't get too mushy.
Saffron - It is very important in this recipe. It induces a nice flavor. But if you don't have it then just use yellow food coloring.
Ghee - Generally ghee will be oozing out from kesaribath i.e more ghee better it tastes :-) So vary accordingly.

Procedure:

Wash the rice and soak it in water for 20- 25 minutes. While the rice is soaking, add saffron strands in hot milk for 10- 15 minutes.

Now take a pan and add 1 tbsp of ghee. Start heating it and add broken cashew pieces and cloves. When the cashews start changing color, add in the raisins. Continue frying until the raisins plump up. Then add water. When it starts to boil add the soaked, drained rice and mix well.

Then add the saffron soaked in hot milk and mix well.

Continue heating this mixture until the water is absorbed.

Now add sugar and remaining ghee.

Mix it gently and continue heating until sugar gets absorbed. Then turn off the heat.

Finally add the cardamom powder and mix well. Kesaribath is ready!!

Serve it hot or at room temperature. Above measurement serves two people.

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Shel Saaru

Shel Saaru is a very old konkani dish. I got this recipe from my mother. In Konkani 'Shel' means 'not hot' i.e at room temperature. Saaru is nothing but Indian soup which is served with rice. Generally saaru is made by roasting spices, then grinding, then cooking it down and finishing it with a seasoning. But the speciality of this dish is it is not cooked. The coconut is ground with the freshly roasted spices and then a good seasoning is given. 

It is a very unique recipe and not known to many. This was my favorite dish as a kid and my mother used to make this often. It had been so many years since I had this. Hence I thought of making it, so that I can share the recipe too. The 'saaru' really made me nostalgic.

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen - 2/3 cup
• Dry red Chilli - 4-5
• Tamarind - A small piece
• Coriander seeds- 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - little more than 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida (hing)- A generous pinch
• Jaggery- 1/2 tsp
• Salt- To taste
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - Few

Procedure:

Take a pan and roast the dry red chilli in few drops of oil. Then transfer it on a plate. 

In the same pan add few more drops of oil and then add coriander seeds. When it starts to roast add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. Continue heating until it turns light brown and turn off the heat. Transfer it into a plate for cooling.

Now take grated coconut, tamarind, jaggery, salt along with roasted spices and red chillies in a blender.

Grind it by adding little water to get a paste.

Transfer this paste into a bowl. Adjust the consistency by adding water (I kept it medium thick). Then finally add the seasoning.

For Seasoning: heat oil in a small pan. Once hot, add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add this seasoning to the prepared mixture. Mix well. Shel Saaru is ready!!

Serve it along with rice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Sanna Polo (Spicy Dosa) ~ Version 2

Sanna Polo is a popular Konkani dish. It is a spicy dosa loaded with onions (also cabbage, if desired). It makes a good accompaniment to rice and dal. This is one of my favorite dish. I have already posted a recipe for sanna polo here. It is my mother's version and I grew up eating that. 

Last year my MIL's sister mentioned about adding toordal and hence wanted to try that version too. Finally I tried it and it came out very tasty. There was only a slight difference in taste, in comparison to the first version. I didn't add cabbage as I love loads of onion in my dosa :-) Do try making this unique dosa!!

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1/4 cup
• Toordal- 1/4 cup
• Onion, medium sized- 1
• Roasted dry red chillies - 4-5
• Tamarind- A small ball (goose berry sized)
• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 1/4 cup
• Salt- To taste
• Oil - As required (for shallow frying)

Procedure:

Wash and soak toordal and rice for two hours.

While it is soaking, chop the onion fine.

Drain the water of soaked dal- rice mixture and put in a blender along with roasted dry red chillies, tamarind, grated coconut and salt. 

Grind it. Add little water while grinding to get a thick paste.

Transfer the ground mixture to a bowl and adjust the consistency by adding water. I kept it medium thick. To this batter add the chopped onions.

Mix well. Batter is ready.

Now add a ladel full of  the mixture on a pre heating skillet and start spreading it to desired thickness.

Add little oil over the dosa and close the lid for a minute (let the heat be on medium). When the base of the dosa turns brown, flip it to brown the other side of the dosa.

Once it turns brown on the other side, remove it from the pan. Sanna Polo is ready!!

Serve it hot as a side dish to rice and dalitoy. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

Note: You can also include cabbage in this recipe. If you want to add then decrease the amount of onion and replace it with finely chopped cabbage. Even this dosa tastes equally good.

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