Orangy Float

Good things comes to those who are impatient.sounds familiar?No!You will be!Once you try this quick fix mocktail.Two minutes,three ingredients and an impatient you-that's all you need to make this drink.

Ingredients (makes two tall glasses)

• 250 ml of  fanta or any orange fizzy drink
• 4 scoops of vanilla icecream
• handful of icecubes/crushed ice

Method
1.Take a glass and fill 1/4th of the glass with Fanta/orange fizzy drink.

2.Add ice cubes/crushed ice and 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream.

3.Fill the rest of the glass with Fanta.As you pour your carbonated orange drink on top of vanilla ice cream you shall witness the ice cream elevating to the top and forming a fizzy foamy mass.Top it up with another scoop of vanilla.Your easy Orangy Float is ready.Granish it with an orange wedge or a mint sprig and Drink it up! :)

Tip-there might be some of you who do not like the taste of fanta much.Don't worry i have got you covered up.Make a glass of orange drink out of a sachet of Rasna or Tang as per the instructions.Now take another glass add half of it with soda water(sparkling water) and half with the orange drink that you made.Tadaa!your fizzy orange drink is ready.So instead of Fanta use this drink and follow the rest of the method to make your very own Orangy Float.

Dudhiya kebab

Reshmi kebab,chapli kebab,shami kebab,tunda kebab,chello kebab..yeh kebab woh kebab.......gosh!There are so many varieties of kebabs that you have heard and might have tasted.Mostly the kebabs are either a meat variety or has garlic or onion in it.But what if i told you that there is one such kebab which is not only vegetarian but it also does not contain any onion or galric. Surprised?Well,even i was kind of amazed to discover this recipe in one of the local you tube channels (hangla).I so wanted to try it right then.Without any further delay let me introduce you to this "jain kebab" known as Dudhiya kebab.Though i am unaware of why it is called "Dudhiya" but my guess would be mainly because the kebabs are mainly made with milk and milk products(If you know the real reason please share it with me).There are various ways to make it.So don't get confused if you stumble upon a different method of making this kebab.This kebab is not only hassle free to make but it's also delicious.

Ingredients (makes 6 portions)

• 1 cup grated paneer/cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup grated processed cheese
• 1/2 cup grated khoya/mawa
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp aamchur powder
• 1/2 -1 tsp of cardamom powder(i crushed one cardamom pod)
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/4th-1/2 tsp of sugar (as per taste)
• 1 green chilly chopped or as you prefer
• drop of kewra essence or rose water
• milk as required
• ghee for shallow frying the kebabs (oil can also be used but ghee is preferred)
• salt to taste(be light on slat as the aamchur powder and the cheese already have salt in it)

Method
1.In a bowl add paneer.khoya and cheese.Mix it well.

2.Add all the masalas(red chilly powder,aamchur powder,cardamom powder,roasted cumin powder,sugar,salt),kewra essence and chopped chilly into the mixture.Give it another mix.Add a little portion of milk to bind everything.

3.Wet your palms and take medium portions of the mixture and shape it as you like.Refrigerate the kebabs for at least 15 minutes.So that they become a bit firm and does not break while you fry them.

4.Once they are firm pour ghee on tava and fry the kebabs on medium to low heat.(Do not over crowd the tava by adding all the kebab pieces at once.For each kebab i used around 1 tbsp of ghee.pour ghee occasionally on top of the kebabs while frying them).

5.Fry both the sides till golden brown.Once you are done frying all of them dish it out on a serving plate.Sprinkle some chaat masala on top.Add your favorite chutney/dip,few onion slices(if a non-jaini),lemon wedges and Eat it up! :)

Tip:-While frying the kebabs if your kebabs tend to break while flipping then lightly coat them with all purpose flour before frying(don't forget to remove the excess flour).
I served the kebabs with a quick home made yogurt and mayo dip(crush a garlic pod and a green chilly.Add half cup yogurt and 2 tbsp mayo.Mix it quickly.Add red chilly powder,sugar and salt to taste.Add chopped mint.Mix everything and your dip is ready)

The pink mist

Summer Cooler-4
The best thing about summer are the plethora of fruits that are you get in the markets.And i happen to love most of them.I am really biased when it comes to choosing my favorite fruit.Considering the summer theme i chose litchee or lychee to make this pretty drink.

Ingredients (makes 2 glasses)

• 1 cup fresh litchi/lychee juice
• 1 cup fresh tender coconut water
• 2-4 tsp of cherry syrup or as required

Method

1.Take a chilled glass and pour half part of the glass with litchi juice and fill the rest with coconut water.
2.Add cherry syrup on top and stir.Add cherry syrup according to the sweetness of both the litchi juice and the coconut water.Add few ice cubes or frozen cherries and Drink it up! :)

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Note:-to make delicious cherry syrup at home take 1/2 cup of pitted chopped cherries,1/2 cup of icing sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pan.Stir and smash the cherries with the back of the wooden spoon.Once the liquid attains a syrupy consistency switch off the flame and let it cool.Once cooled strain it.Your cherry syrup is ready grin emoticon (don't make it too thick as once the syrup cools down it usually thickens further more)

Sunset by the beach

Summer Cooler 3-
As fancy as the name of this drink sounds to your surprise this drink is very easy to make.The key ingredient of this summer cooler is ripe papaya.Something that i am not very fond of.But trust me while experimenting with it i was very skeptical until i tasted the final product.It was actually very different and i loved it.it's said food(or drink) needs to be first appealing and then appetizing.This summer cooler is a perfect example.

Ingredients (makes 2 glasses)

• 4-5 tsp of Grenadine syrup
• 1 cup of papaya and mango puree (blend papaya and mango chopped into pieces with some water and make it into a thick puree.strain the puree to remove any chunks.the ration of papaya to mango should be 2:1)
• 1 cup of fresh tender coconut water

Method

1.Fill a glass halfway with papaya and mango puree
2.Add in the grenadine syrup and stir

3.Fill the rest of the glass with coconut water.Add few ice cubes and serve immediately.Now all you got to do it Drink it up! :)

As this drink consists fresh coconut water it is suggested to be consumed instantly once its prepared.
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Tip:-grenadine syrup can be made at home,too smile emoticon take a large pomegranate.Take out all the seeds (around 1 cup).add it in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water.put it on simmer till it releases all its juices and the seeds become pale.if needed you can even use a masher to releases all the juices.once done switch off the flame.once cooled strain the liquid.Reheat the liquid(which would be around 1/2 cup) with 4 tsp of powdered sugar.Once it attains a syrupy consistency switch off the flame.Your homemade grenadine syrup is ready smile emoticon

Crimson Haze

Summer Cooler 2-
For my next summer cooler i have chosen black plum or 'kala jamun' as we usually call it.This drink is inspired by the famous kala khatta gola. Apart from the tangy taste i love the beautiful color gradation that takes place in the glass.

Ingredients (makes 2 glasses)

• 1 cup of pitted black plum/jamun
• 1 tbsp of water
• 3 tsp of sugar or as required (don't add too much)
• 1 cup of chilled 7up 
• 1 cup of chilled sparkling water 
• black salt as per taste

Method
1.In a saucepan add in the jamun,water and sugar.On a low flame stir the mixture till it releases all it's juices and becomes mushy.
2.Once cooled add it in a blender and blend it into a smooth semi thick liquid consistency.
3.strain the liquid with the help of a strainer.
4.Heat up the liquid again till it reduces in half and becomes a thick concentrate.Cool it down.
5.In a glass add in a tsp of the jamun/black plum concentrate and with the help of the back of the spoon slowly add in the 7up followed by sparkling water.(fill half of the glass with 7up and rest with sparkling water)
6.sprinkle a tiny pinch of black salt on top.Your crimson haze is ready to be served. Garnish it as you prefer and don't forget to stir before you Drink it up! :)

kiki emoticon garnish it as you prefer.Don't forget to stir before sipping 

Tropical Twilight

Summer cooler 1-

During my childhood,summer drinks were only constricted to a glass of Rasna filled with four ice cubes.Yes i was very particular about being served exactly four ice cubes with my orange Rasna for no reason.But times have changed.These days we have variety of coolers both homemade and store bought to quench our summer thirst.In this quest of thirst quenching even i have happen to experiment in my kitchen.And here i have come up with few refreshingly simple summer coolers that will cool down your system and your eyes this summer.

For my first summer drink i have named it as "Tropical Twilight".With tropical fruits and the color this drink is surely my summer favorite.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of pineapple chunks
• 3 tbsp of powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp of water
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tbsp of ginger juice
• 2-3 tsp of kokum/jungle plum concentrate/squash as required

Method

1.In a nonstick pan add the pineapple chunks,powdered sugar,water (2 tbsp).Caramelize the pineapple on medium heat.Once caramelized.Let it cool for a while.

2.Next add the caramelized pineapple and water (1 1/2 cup) in a blender and blend it thoroughly. Sieve the liquid with the help of a strainer.

3.Mix the ginger juice into the liquid.

4.In a glass pour 2-3 tsp or as required of kokum squash (the kokum squash is already very sweet hence did not add any extra sugar into the caramelized pineapple juice.But if you have a really sweet tooth you can add some.)

5.with the help of the back of the spoon add in the pineapple juice without disturbing the kokum squash below.Once done add in some ice cubes and garnish as you like and Drink it up! :)

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