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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Corriander Chutney | Kothamalli Chutney - Vegan

 Corriander Chutney is a common recipe made in every home. Even though it is a very common recipe , the beauty is that each house will have a different way of preparation.  In that also,each lady of the house will have a slight modification made to the recipe which she may have learnt from someone. 

In the bargain we all end up having delicious corriander Chutney variations for daily breakfast with our favorite idlis ,dosas, Upma,  paniyarams etc etc .

Unlike the regular corriander Chutney where corriander and coconut are blended with chillies and salt ,here some ingredients are roasted along with chillies and the corriander is also roasted until it gives a nice aroma . The taste from roasted/fried chillies gives a very nice flavor to the chutney. 

As the ingredients are roasted and ground,we can store the chutney for 2 or 3 days under refrigeration in case you have any balance left 😀. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 5 mins
Complexity - easy 
Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

1/4 cup chopped fresh corriander/kothmir/kothamali
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut 
3 green chillies
Small piece tamarind 
Few curry leaves 
1tsp mustard seeds
3 tsp channa dal  /split dal

2 tsp chutney dal/ pottukadalai 
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp jaggery 
Salt as needed 

Pinch of asafoetida ( skip for gluten free )

Method

• In a frying pan,heat the oil and crackle the mustard seeds followed by green chillies and curry leaves.
• Add the channa dal and roast until it turns crisp and golden brown . Keep these roasted ingredients to cool.
• In the same pan, roast the coŕriander until you get a nice aroma . Lightly roast the tamarind also in the same pan .
• Once the ingredients have cooled down,transfer it to a blender along with the chutney dal, coconut, salt,asafoetida, jaggery and give a quick pulse to blend the ingredients. 
• Slowly add water and grind it until you reach a chutney consistency.  This corriander Chutney tastes good when it's a little coarsely ground .
• You may adjust salt while grinding. 

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Jeera Rice / Jeera Pulao - North Indian Saatvik Lunch

 Jeera Rice is prepared very often in my place and it is one of our family favorites when we want to enjoy some light meal but packed with flavors . Jeera Rice is an inseparable part of any festive North Indian fare . If the spread is heavy then jeera Rice or Matar (Peas) pulao are perfect choice to balance the meal .

Jeera Rice pairs well with Dal Tadka, Rajma ,Chole and even Matar Paneer and can be enjoyed as a solo meal by itself. 

So common that it is in my home,I hardly realised that it has not been blogged yet . I was surprised myself and then decided to go ahead and blog it  today itself without any further delay. 

Jeera Rice or jeera pulao ,whatever you may call, is very easy and simple to make.Absolutely doesn't require any fancy ingredients nor is the process complicated.  Jira Rice is one of the earliest recipes  I learnt while experimenting in the kitchen .

Jeera Rice is a perfect recipe for beginners ,bachelors or hostel staying kids where they can enjoy some healthy meal at their own comfort. If you have no time to make a gravy ,one can enjoy it with salted chilled dahi/yogurt or even a simple raita .

Basmati rice works best for any pulao and so is the case with Jeera pulao too,but incase you don't have it or dislike the aroma of Basmati we can easily use sona masuri or kolam variety of rice too . Ensure that you use the rice:water ratio properly to get the perfectly fluffed up and grainy Jeera Rice.

This morning, I decided I should make some special meal as we were all bored eating the usual South Indian fare.  Quickly decided to prepare a simple ,Saatvik (no Onion No garlic) North Indian Thali . Deciding the menu didn't need much brainstorming as I had some boiled chole in my fridge which got made as Chole Masala and some soaked up Sabudana/ Jawwarsi from Breakfast helped me make the delicious Sabudana Kheer /Jawwarsi Payasam which took care of the dessert .

Click the individual menu names below for the detailed recipe .

Sabudana Kheer 

Chole /Channa Masala 

Jeera Aloo 

Wheat Puris 

Jeera Rice  (recipe in the post below)

Salted Dahi  - Chilled yogurt flavored with salt,chilli powder  and cumin powder

Masala Chaas 

Fryums /Papads

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 15 mins

Complexity - simple

Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

1.5 cups basmati rice 
3 cups water 
2 green chillies chopped finely 
2 tsp jeera /cumin
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 cloves 
3 tbsp ghee (use oil for Vegan) 
Salt as needed

Method

• Wash the rice well and drain it in a colander for 10 mins
• Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker ,splutter jeera when the ghee is hot,followed by the cloves ,green chillies, cardamom and bay leaf .
• Add the rice and quickly roast it on low flame until you get a nice aroma.
• Add the water , required amount of salt and pressure cook on medium flame for 2 whistles. 
• Let the pressure release naturally, slowly open the lid and fluff the rice lightly without breaking it.
• Garnish it with fresh corriander and serve hot. 

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Karuppu Ulundhu Adai | Black lentil crepes (vegan)

 Karuppu ulundhu Adai is a very traditional breakfast made in Tamil Nadu . This is very filling and takes care of the carbs to protein ratio required  for a day.

Karuppu ulundhu is nothing but udad dhall (black lentil) with skin . The skin is actually the powerhouse of lot of nutrition.  Udad dhall /ulutham paruppu as we all know is very rich in proteins and also very good for bones. We must try and include these in our diet as much as possible . 

Unlike,regular dosa ,Karuppu Ulundhu Adai doesn't need fermentation and can be made immediately after grinding the batter . Since,  black lentils with husk are little tough we must soak them for a minimum of 6hrs before we can grind them . Pepper ,red chillies , asafoetida and  curry leaves are added for extra flavor and also for easy digestion. Tiny slivers of fresh coconut are added to the batter just before making the Adai..these tiny bits of coconut give a very nice crunch and a nice mouth feel as we bite into the Adai.

Karuppu Ulundhu Adai is also made during the Karthigai Deepam Festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu during the English Month of November/ December.  Karthigai Deepam is a festival of lights celebrated with lot of fervor and enthusiasm all over Tamil Nadu..the ladies decorate the house with earthen lamps in the evening and pray for the well being of their Brothers . 

We celebrated Protein Rich Vegetarian Breakfast theme in our Food bloggers group this month . Host for this event was the versatile blogger Renu who suggested this theme and I was paired with Anu Kollon . Anu gave me curry leaves and coconut as the secret ingredients and I shared the secret ingredients lemon juice and pepper powder using which she has made a creamy Avocado Sandwich.  If you are an avid food blogger and would like to join us then do visit our Facebook page Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge

Soaking Time - 6 to 8 hrs 

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 2 to 3 mins per Adai

Complexity - Simple

Ingredients

1 cup regular rice . (No Basmati or any flavored rice) 
1/4 cup black lentil/chilke Wali udad/ karuppu ulundhu
3 to 4 red chillies
1 tsp pepper 

1/4 tsp jeera/cumin
Handful of curry leaves 
3 tbsp thinly sliced coconut slivers
Pinch of asafoetida 
Oil to roast the Adai
Salt as needed 

Method

• Wash the rice and udad dhall multiple times till the water appears clear . Soak the rice and lentil along with red chillies ,jeera and pepper for 6 to 8 hrs or overnight..I prefer to soak it overnight so that it's easy to grind and make it for breakfast as soon as we get up in the morning. 
• The batter should be slightly thicker than the usual dosa batter . 
• Add finely chopped curry leaves, coconut slivers ,salt ,asafoetida to the batter and mix it well.
• Heat a griddle/ tawa , pour a ladle full of batter and spread like dosa from inside out .let it be slightly thicker than dosa . Drizzle oil around the dosa and let it cook on medium flame ,slowly flip it over and let the underside roast well .
• Take it off the tawa and serve hot with some fresh butter and jaggery powder.  You may also serve it with coconut chutney or Molagapudi but jaggery and butter are the classic combination. 

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Milagu jeera Rasam / Pepper Cumin Rasam

 Jeera Milagu Rasam is a comforting meal which is a soothing Indian style soup flavored with fresh ground pepper and cumin enhanced with the aroma of fresh curry leaves and ghee tempering.

There are many recipes with mild variations to make this aromatic and tasty milagu jeera Rasam, but today I shall share with you my amma's recipe which has been my childhood favorite. 

Growing up, I used to come down with cold and cough with every single weather change and this yummy rasam mixed with soft rice and ghee used to be a staple . It used to be so soothing and calming to the sore throat and would also give the dull taste buds a quick rejuvenation. 

Even to this day,I make jeera milagu rasam (saathamudhu) when even one person in the family is under the weather. 

Having said that , the last couple of days one after another,  people at home are coming down with sore throat , cold ,cough due to the sudden change in weather in my city. Jeera milagu rasam has been on the menu ever since and hubby loves to sip on hot rasam with fresh ghee  tempering which smells of fried asafoetida and crackled jeera . 

To make jeera milagu rasam, we donot use the regular rasam powder instead we make a fresh spice mix by roasting pepper corns , jeera ,red chilly and pigeon peas (thoor dhall). 

I use tomato as well as tamarind in this recipe, but you can skip the tomatoes and make it just with tamarind and spice mix .

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Complexity - simple 
Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

For the spice mix

1.5 tsp pepper corns /milagu
1 tsp cumin /jeera
1/2 tsp thoor dhall
2 dry red chillies
Pinch of asafoetida 

For the rasam

1 medium sized tomato
Small lemon sized tamarind 
3 cups water 
Salt as needed 

Tempering 

2 tsp ghee  (use cooking oil for Vegan version) 
1/4 tsp jeera
1/4 tsp mustard 
1/2 tsp pepper powder 
Pinch of asafoetida /hing
Fresh curry leaves and corriander 

Method 

• Dry roast the ingredients mentioned under the spice mix and blend it to a fine powder . Set aside . 
• Blanch the tomatoes along with the tamarind for 5 to 6 mins .
• Once it cools down, squeeze out the puree from the tamarind and tomato.  Pass it through a sieve and collect it in a thick bottom vessel.
• Add 2 cups of water to the tamarind tomato puree with some salt and boil it till the raw flavor of tamarind is lost. This will take about 8 to 10 mins.
• Make a paste of the spice mix with little water and add this to the boiling tamarind water and cook on low flame till you see the rasam frothing . Turn it off at this stage and garnish with fresh corriander leaves. 
• Heat ghee in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, followed by jeera and curry leaves.  Turn off the stove , add asafoetida and pepper powder .pour this tempering over the rasam.
• Sip on the hot rasam as is or mix it with steamed rice and enjoy with some roasted papads and simple potato stir fry /urulai kaara curry.

Some more rasam varieties to enjoy 

Lemon Rasam

Tomato Rasam

Kalyana Rasam

Mor Rasam 

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Strawberry Lemon Soda (Mocktail)

 Strawberry lemon soda is a very refreshing mocktail drink that can be served at any party.

Made from fresh strawberries ,flavored with fresh lemon juice and spiked up with either club soda or sprite ,this drink gives a nice zing with every sip. If using plain club soda we will need to add some sugar or sugar syrup to give the sweetness while we don't need extra sweetener if using sprite or 7Up. 

Preparing Strawberry Lemon Soda is actually a child's play as there is not much complexity involved.  Though at home we are a huge fan of Strawberry Milk shake , this refreshing mocktail was a welcome change and we all simply loved it . I have used sprite in my recipe, hence no extra sweetener added .

If serving for a large party ,you can mix the Strawberry syrup ,lemon juice along with some ice cubes and lemon slices in  a jar and keep it ready ..pour the Strawberry mix onto serving glasses and add in the soda /sprite just before serving along with some crushed ice .

If you love to spread some Strawberry Jam on  a warm slice of toasted bread,then Priya's Strawberry Chilli Jam is a must try .

Preparation Time  - 10 mins
Cooking Time - Nil
Complexity - easy 
Serves - 2 glasses 

Ingredients 

8 to 12 strawberries 
2 tsp sugar 
1 tbsp lemon juice 
Few lemon slices 
250 ml soda /sprite 

Method 

• Trim off the top part of the Strawberries and roughly chop them.
• Add them to a blender with 2 tsp sugar and blend it to a smooth puree .
• Divide the puree equally into 2 serving glasses , add 1/2 tsp lemon juice and a slice of lemon to each . Add some crushed ice before adding sprite/ soda .
• Slowly pour in the chilled sprite in both the glasses and serve immediately. 

Refreshing and classic welcome drinks on my blog 

Watermelon Lemonade 

Pineapple Punch

Classic Lemonade 

Ganga Jamuna

Black grapes Lemonade

Green Grapes Lemonade 

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