Sharjah Shake

Recipe No: 254
Back in the days as newlyweds, we used to roam around a lot on our favorite Hero Honda… some of those recollections are already posted when I did Roasted Garlic Tomato Bruschetta…
Many times while riding back home on hot summer afternoons, we stopped in front of a fruit stall in Pattom that served this thick Sharjah Shake. (I am sorry that I forgot the name) Hot summer after noon… ride on a Motor Cycle… through the rush roads of Thiruvananthapuram… a Sharjah shake in between… come on… guess how that will taste? Why old days? we did that even on our last visit to Kerala….

Ingredients                                         Serves 2

• Cold Milk……………………..1 Cup
• Banana………………………..1/2 Big/ 1 small (Slice and keep in the freezer for 2 hours)
• Almonds……………………...10 (Skin removed)
• Boost/ Nesquik…………..1 Tablespoon
• Sugar………………………….4-6 Tablespoons
• Frozen Milk…………………1 Cup (Keep in the freezer for at least 5 hours)

Method of Preparation

1. Blend together Banana, Almonds, Boost and Sugar with a cup of cold Milk in a blender until smooth.
2. Add the frozen Milk and pulse it 4-5 times to make a thick shake.
3. Serve cold as soon as possible while it is still thick.

Notes:

• To remove the skin from the Almonds, keep it in ½ cup water; microwave for 1 minute or till the skin become loose and then peel it. (Instead of using Microwave, use boiling Water if you wish.)
• I used the common Robusta type Banana that are commonly available in US, which is big, and hence used only half. But if you are using small ones (Plalan kodan or Reasakadhali/ Njaali Poovan, which is my favorite) use one whole Banana.
• Instead of Boost or Nesquik, you can use any of the Chocolate powder that are used to make Chocolate Milk.
• Break the frozen Milk slightly before putting it in the blender to facilitate easy blending.

 




Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Beetroot Squash

Recipe No: 220

I first had this squash from a neighbor of ours on a hot summer day and no wonder why I fell in love with it the second I tasted it and started making it ever since. The use of Tonovin essence gives it a slight grape like taste which kids just adore.

Ingredients

• Beetroot…………………..1/2 Kg (Peeled and cubed)
• Sugar………………………1 ½ Kg
• Citric Acid………………..1 1/3 Tablespoons
• Tonovin Essence……….1/2 - 3/4 Tablespoon

Method of Preparation
To make the Beetroot Squash Concentrate

1. Cook the cubed Beetroot pieces together with 2 ½ cups Water for 20-25 minutes on medium high heat until the Beet pieces are a bit soft.
2. Blend the cooked Beetroot together with the remaining liquid really well.
3. Strain the blended Beet juice through a cheese cloth taking care to avoid the pulp. Use ½ - ¾ cup Water if it needs more Water to get squeezed. Keep it aside till ready to be used.
4. Heat Sugar with 1 cup Water until melted. Please strain it if there are any unwanted residues.
5. Once the Sugar is dissolved and the syrup boils, add Citric acid and switch off the heat.
6. Add the Beet juice and Tonovin Essence. Mix well and let it cool down completely before bottling. 
7. Store the squash concentrate in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life.

To serve the squash

• Beetroot Squash Concentrate…3-4 Tablespoons
• Water………………………………….1 Cup
• Ice cubes……………………………..3-4

Method of Preparation

• Mix Squash concentrate, Ice cubes and Water well and serve chilled.

Notes:

• Don’t try to strain it through a strainer as it will not get rid of the pulp. So use a Cheese cloth or a regular cloth with wide meshes that will allow most of the liquid  to pass but prevent the pulp. Do squeeze it lightly to get most of the liquid.
• Citric acid gives the squash a sour taste and is very essential. It is available in most of the Indian stores.
• Tonovin Essence has a signature Grape like taste and is available in most of the Indian stores. If you don’t like it, feel free to avoid it, but if you want to give this  squash a slight Grape like taste, do use it and the amount is entirely up to you. (I used ¾ Tablespoons)

Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Cold Coffee with Vanilla Ice Cream

Recipe No:84

I have a ton of memories surrounding Cold Coffee…which takes me back by 4 years. Returning back from work around 3:30 p.m on hot summer afternoons, I used to take a break sometimes in a shopping complex near our house. (It is Kedaram in case if someone reading this knows the place.) Even though this luxury is mostly coincided with the errands that I have there, I used to adore this getaway from the madness of the work and home. 

 

There at that time was a small Ice cream parlor ‘Favorites’ which  served delicious Ice Cream and Ice Cream based dishes. When everyone else orders Ice Creams, there will be one person ordering Cold Coffee…Well you guessed it...none other than me… Sitting there in a corner on a small table that can accommodate two. I used to slurp down that Cold Coffee with smooth and soft Vanilla Ice-cream on top as if I have been taken away from all the hurry buries of life; a few moments of blissful delight that I still cherish years after and I will cherish for years to come… Now that little Ice cream parlor is no more….one shock that I received on the second day I step my foot in Kerala soil after three years of stay in US. I have some friends here in US who mourns the vanishing of ‘Favorites’ just like me; for those I am dedicating this post…

Here, with this recipe I am trying to recreate the taste of that Cold Coffee… It comes closer but the absence of that hot and humid summer afternoon Kerala air with all the noises of the traffic makes it a bit less precious. But still to cherish the memories of that special place… here it goes…

Ingredients                                       Serves 2

• Milk…………………............2 Cups (Chill it in the freezer for at least 2 hours to make it semi frozen)
• Cold Water…….................1/2 Cup
• Sugar…………….............…1/3 Cup
• Instant Coffee Powder…2 Tablespoons
• Vanilla Ice Cream………..2 Scoops

Method of preparation

1. Blend all the ingredients other than Ice Cream in a blender till everything is blended and frothy, for about a minute.
2. Pour it into two serving glasses and put a scoop of Ice Cream on top in each.
3. Serve cold with a spoon and a straw after dusting with coffee powder on top.

Notes:

• Most of the ingredients stated in the recipe are according to your taste. So feel free to customize it.
• The intensity of the Coffee varies with the variety of the Coffee Powder you are using. So please use more or less depending on the available Coffee Powder.
• You can always blend the Ice Cream into the Coffee Milk mixture, but I prefer it to be served on top. That way you can eat the Ice Cream now and then while drinking and also the constantly melting Ice-cream will make the Cold Coffee tastier with each sip.

 


Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Freezing Strawberries and Strawberry Milkshake

As the Strawberry season is coming to an end, it is really good to freeze some for the coming months, especially considering the price of frozen Strawberries in the Grocery stores. So when I got my hands on some, I bought and made it into frozen ones. The procedure is very simple and can be done easily if you follow these steps. This is what I did.
Method of Preparation

1. Select Strawberries without any bruises or cuts.
2. Wash and pat them dry. Remove the leaves and stems.
3. Place them on a baking sheet without touching each other. Cover it with a foil or plastic wrap.
4. Keep it in the fridge for one hour and then transfer it into the freezer. This will give the effect of freezing Strawberries individually.
5. Once frozen, put all of them together in a zip lock bag and store it in the freezer till ready to be used.
6. These berries will stay good for a long time and can be used for making desserts, smoothies and milkshakes.
7. These frozen berries will not hold their shapes if thawed.
8. Freezing individually first is very important, otherwise  in the end the berries will stay is one huge mass.

Enjoy...

Recipe No: 66                                   

 Ingredients                                           Makes 2 Medium glasses

• Cold Milk…………………..1 ½ cups
• Frozen Strawberries…..10 medium ones
• Sugar………………………..3 tablespoons or as needed
• Strawberry Ice cream...1/2 Cup

Method of Preparation

1. Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth but still thick.
2. Pour it into glasses, decorate with Strawberries and serve cold.

Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love…

Ginger-Lime Squash

Recipe No: 64

This is a perfect way to quench your thirst in the overwhelming heat of the summer with flavors that are very near to your heart and your palate. This is a concentrate that can be stored for a long time in the refrigerator and can be diluted when needed. To describe the taste…well you will taste the lime at first followed by a faint ginger taste at the end, in your throat, which for me feels very comforting. Above all we can feed our kids knowing what goes into it.

Ingredients to make the concentrate

• Lime juice………………….1 ½ Cups
• Ginger Juice………………1/2 Cup
• Sugar………………………..7 Cups
• Water……………………….1 ½ Cups
• Citric acid………………….1 ½ Teaspoon
• Lemon/ Lime Extract...1 Teaspoon (optional)

Method of Preparation

1. Combine Water and Sugar in a pan and boil till it is of one thread consistency. (230˚F/110˚C on Candy Thermometer)
2. While this is happening set up a double boiler by heating an inch of water in a small pan and put a bowl on top in such a way that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water in the pan.
3. Add Lime juice and Ginger juice into the bowl and heat slowly till warm.
4. Once the sugar has reached the one thread consistency, switch off the heat and add the warm juices and Citric Acid. Mix well and let it cool. Skim off the foam that forms on top of this.
5. Once cooled slightly add the Lemon/Lime extract (if using) and mix. 
6. After cooling thoroughly, bottle this concentrate and keep in the refrigerator until ready to be used.

To Prepare the Squash

• Ginger-Lime Squash Concentrate...3-4 Tablespoons or as needed
• Water………………………………………..1 Cup
• Ice cubes……………………………….…..3-4

Method of Preparation

1. Mix everything together and enjoy.

Notes:

• Citric acid is available in most of the Indian stores. This gives the sourness which is essential for the squash. So please don’t avoid it.
• To check the one thread consistency touch the syrup with your index finger and press and separate it between the index finger and the thump. If the syrup forms one thread in between, it is ready. In the above given measurements this stage will be reached immediately after the sugar is melted.

 





Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Sweet Red Wine

Recipe No 2

This is a recipe that is given to me by my mother in law. I made some modifications to suit our necessities (specially the quantity). Even though this came a bit sweeter than hers, it was good. It’s good for a change from the usual US wines and above all this pairs well with the fruit cake.

Ingredients

• Black Grapes.........3 cups
• Sugar..............................6 cups
• Yeast..............................2 1/4 teaspoon
• Wheat Kernels.................one handful
• Egg white.........................2 teaspoon
• Cinnamon.........................One 1 inch piece crushed or 1/3 teaspoon powdered
• Boiled and cooled water.....10 cups

To make the Caramel

• Sugar...........1 cup
• Water ..........1cup ( Boiled)

Method

1. Wash grapes thoroughly and keep in and earthen pot ( Due to the lack of this I used a glass container which I covered the sides with Aluminum foil)
2. Add sugar to the grapes and mash them together with clean hands.
3. Mix in Yeast, Wheat, Egg white, Cinnamon and Water.
4. Mix everything with a wooden spoon .
5. Keep it air tight in a dry cool place.
6. Stir the mix for the next 21 days once everyday with a wooden spoon.
7. Strain on the 22nd day using a clean cheesecloth. Don't crush the grapes.
8. Mix  caramel syrup into the wine.
9. Pour it in bottles in let rest for some days...The longer it sits the better it is.

To make the caramel syrup

1. Caramelize one cup sugar until it reaches a very dark color. Add boiling  water and let cool completely.

Make this, enjoy the deliciousness and serve it with love....