Aam panna, with subja seeds

A nice conventional aam panna, served with subja seeds.

Raw mango - 1 large size
Sugar - 3 tbsp or as required (depends on the sourness of the mangoes and how sweet you want it to be)
Roasted jeera powder - 1/2 tsp (dry roast the jeera, then roughly pound it)
Mint leaves - few
Rock Salt to taste
1 tsp subja seeds

Method:
Cook the mango in the pressure cooker till soft (2 whistles should do it- I cooked it along with the dal), and let it cool
Gently peel off the skin, and remove the pulp
In a blender, blend the mango pulp, rock salt, powdered jeera and sugar till smooth.
This forms the stock of the aam panna, and can be stored in the fridge for upto a week. 

Before serving, soak sabja seeds in water for 30 minutes. Pour 1/4 glass of aam panna concentrate, add soaked sabja seeds, and top up with water. Serve chilled. 

Savoury ragi drink

Ragi Ragas is my seemingly endless list of dishes requiring ragi!!!

1/4 cup ragi flour

1/2cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk 

Salt to taste

To temper:

1/2 tsp til oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

4-5 curry leaves

Method:

Heat the water, add some water to the flour to make a paste. Add the paste to the water, and cook with constant stirring till the paste turns shiny. 

Blend buttermilk, ragi paste and salt in a mixer till smooth. 

Heat the oil, and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Pour over the ragi-buttermilk. 

Serve chilled. 

You can replace the cinnamon with cardamom powder. 

Cucumber juice

Agni Nakshatram, it is called. The fortnight after Guru Poornima when summer is at its most scotching hot. I promised my children coolers everyday as long as the heat holds up. Today's is a cucumber juice that I threw together. 

2 cucumbers

4-6 mint leaves

6 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1 cup water

Method:

Deseed the cucumber and cut into chunks. 

Blend all the ingredients, excepting leaves, together till completely juiced.

Muddle the mint leaves, and pour the juice over it. Chill for a few hours. 

Strain, and adjust salt and sugar. Garnish with mint leaves before serving. 

Cucumber lemonade

Plain old lemonade never goes out of fashion, but if you add a dash of cucumber, it takes it to a whole different level. 

1 large cucumber (or 2 small)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

6 glasses water

Method:

Wash and deseed the cucumber (leave the seeds if there aren't too many). Chop into cubes. 

Blend cucumber, sugar and 2 cups water till smooth. Strain (I used the strained part as a salad dressing). 

Mix in salt and lime juice. Chill

Before serving, dilute 1/3 glass concentrate with water or soda. 

Mixed sprouts with cucumber and raw mango

I had a lot of mixed sprouts left over after making misal pav, and decided to make a simple salad with the rest. This tangy salad with alternating notes of sour and sweet, is a really good snack for a hot summer day. 

1 cup mixed sprouts

1 cucumber

1 raw mango

1 tsp jaggery grated

Salt to taste

Method: 

Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Turn off the flame and put the mixed sprouts in the water and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and keep aside. 

Meanwhile, cut the cucumber and raw mango into small pieces. 

Mix sprouts, cucumber and raw mango and mix well. Sprinkle the jaggery and let it mix. 

Keep in the fridge for 30 minutes and serve chilled. Adjust for salt, if required. 

Carrot-raw mango salad

Strange things happen to me in summer- for one my appetite turns a few cart-wheels before settling at a place where I crave raw, semi-cooked and cold meals. Naturally, therefore, instead of a normal carrot curry, it was this grated carrot salad that I needed for dinner.

200 gms carrots
1 medium raw mango
3 tbsp peanuts
1 tsp oil1 tsp mustard seeds
Salt to taste

Method:
Grate the carrots and keep aside.
Grate the raw mango and keep aside.
Mix the raw mango and carrots well. Add salt to taste and mix well again. Put in the fridge and let it settle for about half an hour.
Heat the oil, add mustard seeds and wait till it stops spluttering.
Add peanuts and lightly fry.
Pour over the carrot- raw mango mixture, and mix well.
Goes well with roti and dal.

Lassi

Nothing spells Summer more than a glass of lassi, so we had to have it before the summer got over. It was also a great way to use up excess rasagollas syrup,

Leftover syrup from rasagollas - 1/3 cup 

OR

Make the syrup by dissolving 4 tbsp sugar in 1/3 cup water

2 cup curds

Water 1 cup

Method

Mix the sugar syrup, curds an water in a mixer, and mix for 1 minute. 

Pour into glasses and serve with the foam intact.

Summer drink with subja seeds

"What's that?", my older one asked me when he saw me having water fortified with subja seeds. I promised to make him a proper drink with the seeds, and prepared this. Unfortunately, neither of the kids quite liked the kick of pepper, but I wasn't complaining because that enabled me to have two glasses instead of one!

Sabja seeds -2 tablespoons
Water -500 ml
Jaggery- 2 tablespoons
Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method
Soak the seeds in 100ml water for 30 minutes.
Warm the rest of the water, dissolve the jaggery. Add cardamom powder and black pepper powder and mix well. Remove from heat and leave to cool back to room temperature.
Once the  jaggery water is at room temperature, and the basil seeds have swelled mix them all together well. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate for some time before serving.

Aam raas Poori

In a classic case of miscommunication, but me and the hubby picked up a dozen mangoes each over the weekend. Since you can eat only so many mangoes, I decided to make Aam raas Poori for lunch today.
This is the Gujarathi version, which uses a pinch of ginger powder- in the Maharashtrian version, you add saffron instead.

4 ripe mangoes
Sugar to taste (I added just 1 tsp, but could have done without)
A pinch of ginger powder

Method:
Peel the mangoes, and slice the flesh into a blender. Add the sugar and ginger powder (no milk or water).
Blend for about two minutes, till you get a smooth consistency.
Serve chilled, with Pooris.

Mango milkshake

Summer time means mango time. More specifically, Alphanso time. And this year, we are lucky- for some reason, the EC has banned imports of mangoes, which means prices are lower than they have been for years. And therefore, time to indulge!
Presenting the most basic drink of all- the mango milkshake.

2 ripe mangoes
2 cups milk
Sugar to taste (optional- I prefer not to add)

Method:
Peel the mangoes, and slice all the pulp into a blender jar.
Add milk, and sugar (if required), and blend on the lowest speed setting for about 90 seconds.
Pour into glasses and enjoy.

Aam panna

Decades later, I still remember those days. Those oppressively hot days in April, when old-timers would nod and predict that it would rain before the day was over. The sudden darkening of the sky, the howl of the Kalabaishaki winds, the electricity getting knocked out, the clatter of water hitting the rooftops, the smell of wet earth filling your nostrils. And the next day, hunting for the mangoes that were brought down by the gale, some alchemy in the kitchen, and cool glasses of aam panna being thrust into your hands.
Even today, when I have a tall glass of aam panna in my hand, I am transported back to that lovely bungalow in Jharkhand, and I am 8 once again.

Raw mango - 1 large size
Sugar - 3 tbsp or as required (depends on the sourness of the mangoes and how sweet you want it to be)
Roasted jeera powder - 1/2 tsp (dry roast the jeera, then roughly pound it)
Mint leaves - few
Rock Salt to taste

Cook the mango in the pressure cooker till soft (2 whistles should do it- I cooked it along with the dal), and let it cool
Gently peel off the skin, and remove the pulp
In a blender, blend the mango pulp, rock salt, powdered jeera and sugar till smooth.

This forms the stock of the aam panna, and can be stored in the fridge for upto a week. When you want to drink, you dilute it with 3 parts water, add a few torn mint leaves, top with crushed ice serve.