Pink Lemonade

ot sure if its the summer doing it or its just me but lately I have been enjoying making different kinds of lemonades. Takes few ingredients, minimum effort and the result is a tasty drink that everyone enjoys and you get compliments for as they come back from school or work and feel the need to cool down. This is one such in the series that I made lately.
As the weather warms up, if you are craving for something cold, bright, crisp and refreshing, this is the drink for you! Pretty, romantic and glamorous and a color that is to die for. This drink always leaves an impression. The fabulous hint of the berrylicious fresh cranberry flavor riding over the base of refreshing citrus of lemons, this drink has the taste that you will remember and will want to come back often to.
A wonderful thirst quencher on a hot summer day or any day for that matter. Pink lemonade makes for a delicious party drink or for just a casual get together.

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Mint Ginger Lemonade

ummer is almost here. It is the season that is welcomed in many parts of the world and dreaded in others. I happen to hail from the part that falls under the latter. Mere mention of summer makes me start thinking about anything cold or refreshing that helps cool you down in the sweltering heat. My foodie brain starts to visualize different kinds of drinks that I can make and enjoy. Guess you can say in some rather strange way summer also gets the creative juices flowing, no pun intended. Refreshing oftentimes to me means some combination of mint and what better to put it together in a drink that I have rarely seen anyone dislike, the lemonade. A simple recipe that done right can get you rave accolades.

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Instant Jalebi!

realize this is a day after Diwali but festivity is still in the air, right! Hope all you guys had a very prosperous and fun filled Diwali!
Diwali or Deepawali is the Festival of Lights. It is a time that is much awaited all year round by children and adults alike. A time of celebration, prayers, holidays, family, fun, fireworks and of course food - lots of it. It is one of the most important religious and cultural festivals in India bringing family and friends together. Diwali is one of the biggest and most celebrated Hindu festivals. In my Chandrakala post on Dussehera a few weeks ago I spoke about Lord Rama and his victory over evil. After vanquishing the evil Ravana, Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana come back home after 14 years of banishment. Since then, that day is celebrated by Hindus all over the world as Diwali!

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Chandrakala/Stuffed Sweet Festive Pastries

ere is another recipe from me that gives me an intense sense of nostalgia.

The start of 'navaratra' marks the beginning of the festive season in India. Navaratra culminates in Dussehera after which comes the much awaited Diwali with Dhanteras and Chhath between and immediately after. These followed by Christmas and of course the welcome of the new year. Festivities in India are associated with pomp and fervor, family, dressing in your finest, prayers and worship, time off from school, carnivals, guests and of course food, lots of food. How is that for nostalgia!

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Imarti

ave you ever wondered what the royalty of yesteryears ate. Especially in India where the land has seen its fair share of kings and queens of over the last couple of thousand years. If you think what they ate had to be rich, tricky to make, used expensive ingredients and extremely delicious, you are absolutely right.
The Imarti is one such sweet dish. It originated as a dessert for the royals in the ornate state of Rajasthan. Legend has it that this delectable sweet dish was created as a gift by the Rajput kings for the Moghuls during the Moghul invasion of India over four hundred years ago. The dish is now ever popular all over the country although in some parts of the country it is known as Jangri. It is almost as popular as its even more popular cousin the Jalebi. So much so that every sweet shop around the corner of every street that makes jalebi will most certainly also have imarti.
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Strawberry Basil Sorbet

othing screams summer more than this refreshingly delicious strawberry basil sorbet! A sweet and refreshing summer time treat. Luscious plump strawberries so aptly represent the spring and summer in my opinion. Nature at its prime, vibrant and full while the strawberries are gorgeously plump, red, sweet and juicy, a delightful treat for the eyes and taste buds alike. The bright sunshine, the blooms and the flowers make you feel good and admire nature and so is the sight of the red strawberries which are to be seen everywhere. My shopping baskets get filled with the bright reds every time I visit the stores – they are irresistible (and also very cheap lol:)) And so as you have guessed I have been making a lot of things with these beauties lately. Basil is my most favorite herb after of course cilantro. I have a big beautiful basil plant in my little kitchen garden that entices me with its sweet aroma every time I pass by. After making strawberry basil lemonade I thought of taking the combo and making a sorbet out of it. An exotic combination of sweet strawberries and fragrant basil intensifies the flavors of this sorbet. It is a delight with fresh flavors and we could not but fall in love with this one.
Sorbet is a frozen dessert made from sweetened water flavored with iced fruit (typically juice or puree), chocolate, wine, and/or liqueur. The origin of sorbet is variously explained as either a Roman invention, or a Middle Eastern sharbet, made of sweetened fruit juice and water. The term sherbet or charbet is derived from Turkish: şerbat/şerbet, “sorbet”, from the Persian sharbat, which in turn comes from the Arabic sarrbāt meaning “drink(s)” or “juice.” Sorbet is sometimes served between courses as a way to cleanse the palate before the main course. (Wiki)
Ice cream is based on dairy products whipped to make it light. Sorbet has neither dairy nor air. It is fruity- dense and slushy.

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Zafrani Zarda Pulao with POM!

t gives me great pleasure to let you know that a scout team from POM Wonderful apparently liked my work that I publish through this blog of mine and contacted me the other day. They offered to send me a case of their wonderful juice. The best part, there was no catch. All I had to do was what I already love to do, come up with some recipes; and with a great product like POM it was not too difficult a task.

You guys most likely know about POM. Yes, the deep purple-pink juice in the cute double spherical looking bottle that you can find in the juice aisle of practically every grocery store.

As I sat down searching through my brain for ideas, my first instinct was a spiced juice blend, or ice-cream or the like. I wanted to go with something more original and exotic so I set those ideas aside and stuck to my roots. Hence came the idea of using a POM reduction in an exotic rice. When I asked hubby for his feedback after he had this rice for dinner, he summed it up aptly as a 'Dish fit for Royalty'.

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Strawberry Basil Lemonade

s the weather warms up, if you are craving for something cold, bright, crisp and refreshing, this is the drink for you! Pretty, very girly - romantic and glamorous and a color that is to die for. This drink always leaves an impression. The fabulous flavor of fresh juicy strawberries riding over the base of refreshing citrusy lemons with a twist of basil infused syrup, this drink has the taste that you will want to remember and come back often to.

A wonderful thirst quencher on a hot summer day or any day for that matter. Strawberry lemonade makes for a delicious party drink or for just a casual get together.

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Cinnamon Spice Mocha Frappe

 don't consider myself the over-the-top crazy types but I do sometimes do some real crazy stuff. A good example would be to get hubby to drive to the nearest 24 hour Walgreen at half after midnight to get sour cream so I can bake the egg less cake that I just thought about. But the one that tops my charts is driving to an ice-cream store in the middle of winter and having ice-cream to my heart's content. In the first couple of years of our marriage, hubby used to look at my funny but poor guy still obliged. Now I think he's gotten used to my ways and willingly agrees. Well look at the bright side, he gets to eat cake and ice-cream ;) And then again to defend myself, I have to believe there are a few of you out there that identify with me... come on...

Anyway, on similar lines, the other day when it was freezing over here and I was craving cold coffee. I've had the Mocha Frappuchino a few times at the local Starbucks. Did not want to take the drive so figured I'd make for myself on similar lines with whatever I had at the time in the pantry.

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Malpua

Malpuas... whenever I think of them, the festival of Holi and Dussehera comes to mind... and along comes some sweet childhood memories. I remember my mom making these along with loads of other delicacies on festivals like pedukiya/gujhiya, nimki, dahi vada... and our home would be filled with the sweet and wonderful aroma of warmth and festivity! Growing up, it was a family tradition to make at least malpua and dahi-vada for Vijaya-Dashmi.

Despite some regional variations and versions, I think the original and authentic malpuas come from my native Bihar and Bengal. It is an Indian pancake made with flour, milk, khoya, mashed bananas, nuts, cardamom powder, deep fried and then soaked in sugar syrup. I don't have a sweet tooth (other than chocolate) so I don't care much for them, but my hubby is head over heels in love with them since time immemorial... he can eat like 10 of them in one go... I am not kidding... he really does!! Also, this was one the first few dishes I made for him after we got married and he was mighty impressed :) All the credit goes to my mom for this wonderful recipe.
Extending the family tradition, this Vijaya-Dashmi I made them too.Being caught up with the festivities, I did not get a chance to post. Here's how we do Malpuas. Will follow soon with Dahi-vada.

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