Vegan Mango Shake

 Mango season is almost coming to a close as Neelam variety of Mango has now landed in the markets . It is said that when the Neelam variety Mango shows up,it means the Mango season is almost over .

Summer is the time to rejoice delicious and juicy mangoes and jackfruit along with the other seasonal summer fruits.  

Mango is a fruit loved by one and all and there will hardly be any haters for Mango.  In the recent years , I am seeing a surge in restaurants hosting a Mango Meal special with a wide menu of 18 to 20 items made from ripe mango as well as raw mangoes .

Vegan Mango shake was on my mind ever since I made the Mango coconut Barfi in the microwave, and it became a super hit with my friends and family .

This year, I was determined to make and blog this vegan Mango shake before the season  ends . As always, I have used the Aaapus variety but Badami or Imampasand variety also give a nice taste. 

Store bought coconut milk can be used or home pressed fresh coconut milk. You can add sugar based on the sweetness from the mango . Most of the times,  sugar isn't needed as the Alphonso or Badami mangoes are very sweet. 

Adding a pinch of cardamom powder and saffron strands is my personal liking as it gives a nice refreshing taste to the mango shake .

Mango Specials from my blog

Mango Barfi

Mango mastani

Mango Lassi 

Aam Ras 

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - Nil
Complexity - easy 

Ingredients 

2 ripe Alphonso mangoes /any sweet mango
1 cup coconut milk

Soaked almonds deskinned
Few strands saffron
Pinch of cardamom powder 
Sugar optional 

Method 

• Peel the skin from the mangoes
• Slice the mangoes into small cubes.
• Add the mango slices to a blender along with almonds,cardamom, saffron and coconut milk. Add some sugar if you find the shake bland.
• Blend until smooth . 
• Serve chilled 

Gulkand (Gulqand) Milkshake

 Gulkand is a sweet preserve made from the rose petals . Rose petals are slow cooked in sugar syrup until it reaches a jam like consistency.  This when stored in an air tight container has a very long shelf life and can be used in various ways . 

The most common use of gulkand is in the making of meetha paan (beeda) . I. love to eat spoonfuls of gulkand as is because it is really very tasty and it has been my favorite since childhood . I am sure most kids love to eat gulkand.

 Gulkand is also beneficial from health point of view as it has cooling properties and helps reduce body heat and also rich in proteins . Gulkand mixed with milk is useful to give relief from acidity or gastric reflux. 

Gulkand Milkshake is a delicious summer time treat ,which will be loved by one and all  . Best way to give fussy kids their daily dose of milk is by adding this gulkand to their milk and serving it nice and chill . Kids would love to sip on this chill gulkand shake . 

Gulkand Milkshake can be served as a welcome drink for your summer barbecue parties or match get togethers . Make a huge pitcher of gulkandh milk shake in advance and refrigerate it.Serve it chilled when your guests arrive.

You may use rose essence in case you don't have rose syrup readily available. 

 If you love the flavor of rose ,you can also try Rose Kulfi , Rose milk, Rose Thandai   as Summer special treats. 

In our food bloggers' group Shhh cooking secretly challenge ,Sasmita was the host for this month. She suggested we make healthy summer Coolers sans the use of soda or fizzy drink . 

Coincidentally ,I was paired with Sasmita for the theme and she suggested I use ,gulkand and rose syrup as my secret ingredients.  With such exotic ingredients, I whipped up this delicious and healthy milk shake and Sasmita has made a lemonade using sabja seeds .

Preparation Time - 5 mins 
Cooking Time - Nil 
Complexity - easy
Serves - 4 glasses 

Ingredients 

3 tbsp gulkand 
2 teaspoon rose syrup 
4 cups milk
5 to 6 icecubes 

Method 

• Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend it until it is creamy and frothy .
• Pour it equally in 4 serving glasses  and serve chilled. 
• For added deliciousness , you may add a scoop of vanilla ice cream while serving .

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Rose Milkshake | How to make rose milk at home ?

 Rose milk or rose milkshake is truly a summer delight and the beautiful baby pink color is more than enough to tempt anyone to enjoy a chilled creamy glass of rose milk .  As a child I was not very fond of rose milk or rose falooda ,but after marriage V made me have this at his favorite restaurant and challenged me, I will fall in love with rose milkshake and that said there has been no looking back .  

I now, have a bottle of rose syrup concentrate always at home which makes it very easy to whip up a delicious milkshake when the craving sets in or even when we have sudden guests .

Rose milk can be made with just chilled milk and rose syrup or with a hint of vanilla essence and to make it even more rich and exotic add in a few scoops of vanilla icecream while blending. 

Rose syrup is very handy and you can also make delicious summer delights like Rose Kulfi and Rose Thandaai .

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - nil
Makes  2 to 3  glasses 
Complexity - simple

Ingredients 

30 ml rose syrup 
2 cups chilled milk

3 to 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Tutti fruity or chopped nuts for garnish

**I dint add sugar as the rose syrup and vanilla ice cream both had enough sugar to sweeten the milkshake . If you want it sweet,you can add some sugar as per taste. 

Method 

• Take the chilled milk , rose syrup and 2 scoops of vanilla icecream in a blender and blend to a smooth consistency. 
• Pour into serving glasses ,top it with a scoop of vanilla icecream and garnish with tutti fruity lr chopped nuts as you please and serve immediately. 

Notes 

• Make the rose milk in advance and refrigerate it . Top it with ice cream and garnish just before serving .
• If you don't want to add vanilla icecream, you can also add few drops of vanilla essence while blending. 

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Mango Mastani - Summer special

 Mango Mastani is a popular beverage from Pune ,Maharashtra.  Mango Mastani is a thick mango milkshake topped with scoops of vanilla icecream and garnished with lots of chopped dry fruits,  tutti fruity , mango slices and glazed cherries.  

Normally, the Alphonso/Aapus variety of Mango is used to make this delicious summer drink, but I think you can use any sweet pulpy variety of Mango. 

By the looks of it Mango Mastani, is very close to Falooda,but then there is a lot of difference in the texture and taste when we take a bite.

Making mango Mastani is very very easy and its a no cook recipe which makes it even more interesting to prepare and relish this yummy delicacy . 

My friends from Pune ,swear by this drink and are die hard fans of Mango mastani . I am waiting to try this drink personally, but from the many videos and descriptions that I have heard from my friends, I just couldn't resist myself from trying it this summer. You can use either vanilla or mango icecream for making this luscious summer delight .I liked the taste with vanilla icecream rather than mango .The mild vanilla essence cuts the flavor of mango and hits the right notes thus elevating the taste of mango Mastani. 

Fun facts about the name Mango Mastani !!!

As we all know,that Mastani was the wife of Peshwa Bajirao ,the ruler of Deccan . Its said that she was very beautiful and her beauty was a sight to behold.  

Since ,this drink looks just as beautiful as it can be,they say its been given the name Mango Mastani .

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - nil 
Complexity - simple
Makes 2 to 3 glasses 

Ingredients 
2 cups chopped Mango 
1.5 cup chilled milk 
3 scoops vanilla icecream 
Sugar if needed 
For garnish 
Roughly chopped badam ,pista and cashews 
Some tutti fruity 
Vanilla icecream 
Glazed cherry 

Method 

• Blend the mango pieces ,milk and vanilla icecream to a silky smooth puree.  
• Taste the puree and if it feels less sweet,add some sugar and blend it again. 
• (I haven't used ice cubes while blending as the milk was chill and so was the ice cream,you may use if you wish to )
• Pour the milkshake into serving glasses,top it with scoops of vanilla icecream and garnish with chopped nuts, tutti fruity, glazed cherries and chopped mango pieces.
• Serve chilled and immediately. 

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Strawberry Milkshake with icecream

 What's not to love in relishing a chilled glass of Strawberry milkshake ?We at home wait eagerly for the Strawberry season to enjoy some fresh milkshake with and without icecream. 

Little did I know today the Feb 27th is celebrated as Strawberry Day .It was a tasty coincidence to sip on some chilled Strawberry milkshake on this special day dedicated to one of my favorite fruits .

It is very easy to whip up thick and luscious milkshake at home and trust me it is a child's play . All you need is 10 mins of your time and family's patience till you blend and pour the milkshake in tall glasses and serve .

Strawberries are a good source of vitamin C and provide good amount of other vitamins and nutrients too. 

Today I used some vanilla icecream to whip up the shake but it is purely optional . You can skip the icecream and use cream as well along with milk . 

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - nil

Complexity - simple 

Serves - 3 

Ingredients 

8 to 10 fresh strawberries 
2 scoops vanilla icecream 
300ml chilled milk 
Sugar as needed 
1/4 cup water 

Method

• Clean the strawberries and remove the stem and leaves .
• Roughly chop the strawberries and add it to a juicer /blender with some water and sugar and blend it to a fine puree.
• Add the milk and icecream and blend it once again until creamy. 
• Transfer to juice glasses and serve immediately. 

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Chikoo Milkshake | Sapota Milkshake - with Icecream

Chikoo is a very sweet fruit which is grown in plenty in India, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia and also in Central America and Caribbean. Infact , chikoo is a fruit that is native to South Mexico and Carribeans and is known by the name Zapota or Sapodilla which has now become " Sapota" - a term commonly used in India by many vendors.

Chikoo is a powerhouse of nutrients and is a very good antioxidant and has anti viral properties too.As it is rich in Vit A,C,E and also power packed with flavanoids it is good for skin and helps prevent ear;y ageing and wrinkles.

This fruit can be washed and eaten as it is by cutting them or make a chilled and creamy healthy milkshake and beat the summer heat . For children it can be served with a scoop of vanilla icecream to enhance their liking towards this health drink.

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Serves : 2-3 glasses
Complexity : Simple

Ingredients
3-4 medium sized ripe chikoos/ sapota
500 ml chilled milk
4-5 scoops of vanilla icecream (optional)
sugar as needed (optional)

Method

• Wash and cut the chikoos in 2 halves and de seed them.
• Using a spoon scoop out the pulp , put it in a blender and discard the skin.
• Add milk, sugar if needed and blend it well until it is smooth and creamy. I use boiled and chilled milk .
• Pour it in tall glasses, top it with ice cream scoops and serve chilled immediately.

Masala Doodh | Flavored Milk

Summer holidays in childhood were synonymous to outings and of course occasional indulgence into some cold drinks or chilled beverages.  I ,as a child would look forward to such trips so that I can also enjoy the privilege of my favorite beverages. Mom was very strict to not allow drinking any aerated drinks, so it used to be either fruit juice or  the yummy and tasty chilled Masala Doodh which was aptly called as "Energee" by Aarey Diary ( the govt recognized dairy of Maharashtra).
There used to be Elaichi flavor, Pista flavor which were always the top choices for most kids and we would love to sip the chilled milk with straws from the cute glass bottles. Those days , there were no take  away plastic bottles, so we had to stand at the stall, drink and give the shopkeeper the bottle back . Wow..such lovely memories of childhood.
Well, today to beat the extreme heat, I made my own version of Masala Doodh with the richness of dry fruits and some mild spices and enjoyed the chilled Milk .

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Complexity: simple
Serves- 3

Cornflakes Banana Smoothie / Milkshake

This was a total invention one morning in my kitchen. Milk and cornflakes is supposed hubby’s daily breakfast , as usual I made it for him and then all of a sudden he felt like having Maggie and ditched the poor cornflakes .

I hate Milk and cornflakes , but had no mind to waste it, so made a quick smoothie adding one banana, 2 tsp honey and a tsp of vanilla essence .. 

It was indeed a very sumptuos and a filling substitute in place of the regular breakfast . We felt full for almost 3 hrs after having a tall glass of this smoothie.

Choco Vanilla Milkshake

Summer is slowly setting in and soon the sun will be right over our heads. This is the time of the year when all of us look for some coolers for our throat and tummy.Instead of having bottled drinks or simply chilled water,we can try and have chilled health drink.
To begin with, I am posting the  favorite of children and most elders,Choc Vanilla Milkshake.
Quick to whip up with homemade ingredients,it can be prepared anytime.

Preparation Time : 2-3 mins
Cooking Time : Nil