Rose milk is a rose flavoured summer drink recipe which can be prepared in minutes, if you keep the ingredients ready. In Tamilnadu, you can see this drink in almost every juice shops. In my hometown, on every marriage occasions, we usually welcome our guests with rosemilk only. My most favourite paal ice (popsicle) is prepared using rosemilk only. Prepare and store the rosemilk syrup in refrigerator.  so you can prepare rosemilk on any time. Let see how to prepare this simple drink.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR ROSEMILK SYRUP:

½ cup water

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon bright red food colour

¼ teaspoon rose essence

FOR ROSEMILK:

1 cup chilled milk

2 to 3 tablespoons rosemilk syrup

2 tablespoons sugar

Few ice cubes

2 tablespoons sabja seeds or 2 tablespoons badam pisin (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

TO PREPARE ROSEMILK SYRUP:

In a heavy bottomed vessel, take water and add sugar to it. Mix well till the sugar dissolves.

Then bring it to boil.  Let it boil for 4 to 5 min in medium flame. When the syrup becomes slightly thick, add food colour and boil  it for few more min.

When the syrup becomes thick in consistency, switch off the flame and cool down.

After cooling, add rose essence and store in a clean, air-tight container & refrigerate it.

TO PREPARE ROSEMILK:

Add sabja seeds or badam pisin in a serving glass. Then add in 2 tablespoons of rosemilk syrup to it.  Then add in sugar and few ice cubes. Now pour in chilled milk.

Stir well and serve chilled.

Kambu (bajra) is the most healthiest alternative for white rice as it contains Iron, Calcium, Folate, zinc, Vitamin E and B-complex. It lowers the cholestrol level and acts as a natural body coolant. So now a days I started to include more millets in my diet. But please avoid using kambu, if you have any type of kidney problems.  kambu Idly tastes excellent as like normal idly. Try this and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Kambu

2 cups Idly rice

¾ cup Urad dhal

2 tablespoons grated carrot (optional)

Few coriander leaves (optional)

Salt to taste

Water as required

INSTRUCTIONS:

Soak the kambu and idly rice together in water for an hour. Grind it to smooth paste and set aside.

Soak the urad dhal in water for an hour. Grind it to smooth paste and mix this with the above prepared paste. Add required salt and allow it to ferment for atleast 6 to 8 hrs or overnight.

After fermentation, you can see that the air bubbles appeared on the batter. This make sure that the batter is fermented well and it is ready to use.

Once or twice in a week, I usually buy pomegranates and make juice out of it. This week, when guests came to our house, they bought me so much oranges and it fills the fruit section of my fridge fully. So I planned to make juice with the mix of pomegranate and oranges for today’s Ifthar. It came seriously delicious and we enjoyed it really.

INGREDIENTS:

1 big sized pomegranate

2 medium sized oranges

3 to 4 tablespoons sugar

2 cups water

Few ice cubes

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take out the pearls from pomegranate , add to blender and pulse it for few seconds. Filter the using  a fine strainer. Add water to the collected pulp and repeat the process for one more time. Keep the collected juice aside.

Squeeze out the juice from oranges using a juicer or a blender.

Mix both pomegranate and orange juice together and add sugar & mix well.

Transfer to serving glass. Add few ice cubes and serve chilled.

NOTE:

Since it is a very simple procedure, I didn’t add step by step photos of preparation.

Vegetable puffs is nothing but the pastries stuffed with vegetables sauteed with Indian spices. It is the most favourite snack in school, college and cinema canteen, as it makes the stomach full for long time. Its my long wish to prepare puffs on my own.  So, for today’s Ifthar, I tried this vegetable puff with the store bought puff pastry. I came really excellent and we just loved it and shared with some other friends here. You can prepare stuffing with any vegetables, mushrooms or meat of your choice.

INGREDIENTS:

1 box puff pastry sheets

1 onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 potato – peeled and cut into cubes

1 carrot  medium sized – cut into cubes

½ cup cauliflower florets

¼ cup  peas

3 to 4 green chilies, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

¼ tablespoon coriander powder

¼ tablespoon cumin-fennel powder

Few curry leaves

Salt to taste

Oil

1 egg

INSTRUCTIONS:

Beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside.

Boil all the vegetables separately till they are soft and tender. Drain & Set aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and add in onion, tomato, curry leaves, green chilies and saute till they turn translucent. Then add in all the spice powders, salt and ginger garlic paste & cook till the raw smell goes off.

Add the vegetables and saute till the masalas are coated well with veggies and cooked well. Remove from flame and let it cool completely.

Pre heat the oven to 180 Deg C.

Thaw the puff pastry sheets as per package instructions.

Cut the pastries into rectangles, if it is given as a long sheet. Scoop vegetable mixture and place in the middle section over the the pastry sheet and fold & cover the stuffing.

Line the baking tray with aluminium foil and grease it with oil. Arrange the puffs by leaving some space between and grease it with beaten egg.

Bake for 15 to 20 min till golden brown in colour.

Serve the puffs warm with hot chutney.

Kulfi is a milk based frozen Indian dessert which is super delicious way to beat the hot summer. Adding mango puree to this , makes the dessert exceptionally well. Traditionally kulfi is prepared by boiling the boil until it is reduced in volume to almost half. But here I have added the cornflour mix to make the milk thick and prevents fast melting.

INGREDIENTS:

2½ cups milk
1½ cup mango pulp
1 cup condensed milk (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon corn flour dissolved in 2 tablespoons of milk
25 nos almonds (badam) – blanched and shredded
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder

INSTRUCTIONS:
Collect the mango pulp, blend it to a smooth paste using a blender. Set aside.
Bring milk to boil in a heavy bottomed pan. Keep flame in medium and continue stirring.
When milk reduces to half, add condensed milk, cardamom powder and stir well.

Now add the cornflour dissolved in milk. Continue to cook, till the mixture thickens. Switch off the flame.
Once the mixture is completely cooled, add mango pulp and almonds. Mix well and pour into popsicle/ kulfi mold.

Cover it with popsicle stick and keep it in freezer overnight or minimum for 6 hours.
To pull out the kulfi, keep the mold under tap water for few seconds.
Garnish with nuts (optional) and serve immediately.

NOTES:

You can replace cow’s milk with almond milk and condensed milk with sugar for vegan options.

Use only full fat milk. Avoid using low fat or skimmed milk.

Use juicy mango varieties which is also rich in yellow colour.

Kulukki sarbath is a Kerala styled spiced shaken lemonade with green chilies and pineapple chunks. It has a complex taste of spicy, sweetness & tanginess. Kulukki in Malayalam means, shaken. So this drink got the name kulukki sarbath. Enjoy the hot summer with this perfect soft drink.

Preparation time : 10 min
Serves : 2

INGREDIENTS:

Juice from 1 big lemon
2 tablespoons Sugar syrup
2 teaspoons basil seeds
2 tablespoons pineapple chunks
1 green chilly, chopped
2 cups cold water
Few ice cubes

INSTRUCTIONS:

Soak basil seeds in water for 10 min. Set aside.

In a glass, add sugar syrup, lemon juice, basil seeds, pineapple cubes, green chilly, ice cubes and water one by one. Mix well and serve.

If you have a shaker, add all the ingredients to it and shake for few seconds. Pour into glasses and serve.

As I am keen on preparing oil less recipes for Ifthar, I decided to prepare cauliflower cutlets today. It is a versatile recipe, as it can be served as appetizer, side dish or snacks. It is the best way to get the kids to eat their veggies. It is unbelievably easy to make and low in calorie & best to way to enjoy the day.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cauliflower florets

1 big onion chopped

1 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped

1 tablespoons green chilly, finely chopped

1 teaspoon garam masala

4 to 5 tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped

4 to 6 tablespoons gram flour (kadalai maavu)

3 to 4 tablespoons rice flour

Salt to taste

A pinch of turmeric powder

Oil for shallow frying

INSTRUCTIONS:

Wash the cauliflower florets and let it boil in water for 7 to 10 min. Drain the water and mash the florets using hands once it is cooled.

Add onion, ginger, coriander leaves, green chilly, garam masala, gram flour, rice flour, salt and mix well. Do not add water at this stage. The moisture in the cauliflower is enough to bind everything.

After checking the consistency, just sprinkle little water, if it is too dry.

Wet your hands and make 2 inch cutlets or patties with the mixture. Make sure the patties are tight and even on all sides.

Heat the dosa tava and grease it with oil. Shallow fry the cauliflower cutlets on each side for 2 min on medium flame. Once both sides are brown, remove the cutlets and drain on paper towel.

Serve hot with tomato or chilly sauce.

As I am keen on preparing oil less recipes for Ifthar, I decided to prepare zucchini fritters today. It is a versatile recipe, as it can be served as appetizer, side dish or snacks. It is the best way to get the kids to eat their veggies. It is unbelievably easy to make and low in calorie & best to way to enjoy the day.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup shredded Zucchini

1 big or 2 medium sized potatoes, boiled & mashed

¾ cup grated carrot

1 onion, chopped

3 green chilies, finely chopped

½ teaspoon black pepper powder

4 to 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 egg

Few coriander leaves, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Oil for Shallow frying

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the shredded zucchini in a bowl and sprinkle little salt. Allow it to stand for 10 min. Using your hands, squeeze out as much liquid from zucchini as possible. Transfer the zucchini to a larger bowl.

Add the mashed potatoes, grated carrots, onion, egg, green chilies, coriander leaves, pepper powder, salt and all purpose flour. Mix well until everything is combined.

Heat the dosa tava and grease it with oil.  Once heated, scoop 2-tablespoons mounds of the zucchini mixture into the pan, pressing them lightly into rounds and spacing them at least 2 inches apart.

Cook each sides for 2 to 3 min until it is browned and cooked throughout. Remove the zucchini fritters and drain on paper towel. Repeat the scooping and cooking process with remaining mixture.

Serve the zucchini fritters with hot sauce or sour cream.

Nannari sarbath is one of the most refreshing and summer coolant drink made from a herb called nannari which is usually available in country medicine stores (naattu marundhu kadai). It is a natural coolant, helps in the prevention of sun stroke and treats minor skin problems.

I still remember the days, I used to wait for summer, only to drink this nannari sarbath. During the summer holidays, I usually go to our hometown with my cousins. There, in many small shops, this colourful and vibrant sarbath bottles were lined up like rainbows. While going in bus itself, it attracts and i count the colours they have. My grandma used to give me money and big bucket to buy this nannari sarbath. Since i go to a particular sarbath shop regularly, the shop owner usually give a free glass of sarbath for me to drink there itself. Even after having that, I used to fight for my quota in my home.

I regularly use nannari roots, atleast twice in a week. I add the roots to tea while boiling. It gives a nice aroma to tea and energise us. Apart from that, I make nannari sarbath, nannari paal or nannari paal sarbath mostly during Ramadhan fasting.

INGREDIENTS:
FOR NANNARI SYRUP:
¾ cup Nannari roots (powdered)
1¼ cup sugar
3 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice

FOR NANNARI SARBATH:

3 to 4 tablespoons nannari syrup
1 cup water
Juice from half lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:

TO PREPARE NANNARI SYRUP:

Wash the nannari roots for 2 to 3 times and dry them under sunlight till the roots become dry.

Using mortar and pestle, lightly crush the roots and remove the hard white portion from inside. Similarly proceed with all the roots. Discard the white parts.

Collect the brown parts in a blender and pulse it for few seconds to break the brown parts in to pieces. Set aside.

In a wide pan, boil water until the bubbles appear. Now switch off the flame and add the nannari roots. Close the pan immediately with a lid and place a weight on the lid to make sure that the steam doesn’t escape. Leave it undisturbed for 6 to 8 hrs or better overnight.

Next day you can see dark coloured water. Strain the water using a thick or double folded muslin cloth to make sure that it filter even the tiny particles. I have two layered filter. So i used it. If you don’t have muslin cloth, use a handkerchief to filter. Now add sugar and mix well until the sugar dissolves.

Then heat up the syrup, let it boil until it thickens in consistency like honey. Don’t over boil the liquid. Just switch off the flame, when you feel the syrup begins to thick. Because it even gets more thicker after remove from flame.

Cool down the syrup completely and add juice from one lemon. Mix well and transfer it to a clean & dry container and refrigerate it.

TO PREPARE NANNARI SARBATH:

In a glass, add 3 tablespoons of prepared nannari syrup. Then add juice from half lemon and few ice cubes.

Fill with ice water and serve immediately. You can also add soaked sabja seeds to the sarbath and serve.

Pina Colada is a sweet cocktail usually made with the mix of rum, coconut milk or coconut cream, pineapple juice blended with ice cubes. It may garnished with pineapple wedges or maraschino cherry or both. The pina colada is the national drink of Puerto Rico. This drink gained worldwide fame after the release of the song, “Escape (the pina colada song)”. But here we prepare the non-alcoholic version of pina colada. So it is called as virgin pina colada.

Beat the heat with this cool summer drinks which is very easy to prepare. I fell in love with the taste of pineapple blended with coconut milk. This vegan, healthy pina colada drink is a refreshing, non-alcoholic drink that anyone can enjoy.

Though you can use tinned pineapple and tinned coconut cream, I would suggest to use fresh ingredients to get the authentic taste.

INGREDIENTS:

2½ cups pineapple cubes
1½ cup thick coconut milk
4 to 5 ice cubes
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar
Few pineapple wedges & maraschino cherries for garnishing.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add the pineapple cubes to a blender and blend it to a smooth puree. Strain the pineapple puree using a fine strainer and discard the pulp any.

Now to this pineapple juice, add coconut milk, sugar, ice cubes and mix well until everything is mixed evenly.
Pour the pina colada in glasses and garnish with pineapple wedges and maraschino cherry.
Serve chilled immediately.