Sharbat-E-Rooh Afza

Rooh Afza is of the extremely awesome product from Hamdard Laboratories. With natural ingredients, Rooh Afza is healthy and refreshing. Summer is a special time to load the fridge with this refreshing sharbat/drink. When you have sudden visitor's this drink comes as a resuce. There are many ways in making this drink. The common and simple way is to pour 2-3 tbsp of Rooh Afza and add chilled water and ice cubes and serve. Isn't it easy?

Here is yet another simple and flavourful variation of Rooh Afza, which calls mint juice and lemon juice. Mint leaves are refrigerant, good appetizer and diuretic, where as lemons are busting with Vitamin C, antioxidants and potassium. When thses two natures goodies combine to flavour and herby Rooh Afza......hmmm refreshingly refresh sharbat/drink is molded. Get ready and beat the summer with this refreshing drink.

This sharbat/drink is going to participate in JFI-Mint hosted by Ashwini of Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine. Jhiva For Ingredients (JFI) is started by Indira of Mahanandi.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lit Ice water
• 4 tbsp Rooh Afza
• 2 tbsp fresh Lemon juice
• 3 tbsp fresh, Mint juice *
• 4 Lemon slices
• 2 fresh springs of Mint leaves
• Ice
• Sugar (optional)

PREPARATION:

• Take two glasses and add ice cubes. To this add Rooh Afza, lime juice, mint juice, sugar and ice water.
• Now add lemon slices and decorate with lemon slices and mint leaves. Serve chilled.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

* NOTE: Pluck fresh mint leaves and crunch in a blender and squeeze by placing in a muslin cloth.

Curd Rice With Diced Sweet Mango

With the advent of the mango season, me and my cute lil' sis always prefer mangoes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even at snack time. As the 'king of fruit's' comes only during the months of April-June and the season being the holiday time we love to indulge with these sweet and delightful fruits round the clock. There are many different varieties of mangoes. The common and most widely consumed are Alphonso, Banganapalli, Bangalora, Cherukurasam, Kesar, Rajapuri, Vanraj, etc.. More on this can be read here. If we are paying visit to any friends or relatives house we always take mangoes as gift for them. When anyone pays a visit to our house they will always get mangoes during the season. Such is the importance of this nature’s delight. Being from Guntur, I always get fair share of mangoes to relish during the season. We (me and my hubby) make it a point to pay a visit during summer(s) to Guntur to get these drool worthy mangoes. We buy two-three cartons of different varieties of mangoes to distribute among the friends and neighbors.

As I said before, it is always roti for breakfast at my mom's place, summer season gives it a lil' pause now and then and we get a chance to indulge with these sweet, ripe and awesome tasting mangoes in combo with curd rice. As the temperature boil during the summer in Guntur, a cool and refreshing curd rice topped with chilled mango pieces starts the day on a happy note. My mom peels the mangoes and refrigerates them and whenever we like to eat or anyone comes home she simply cut them into cubes and serve.

My way of indulging these nature's rich goodies is by simply peeling the outer skin using a peeler and then cutting down into cubes.

Creamy and cool curd rice when eaten with ripe, juicy and luscious diced mangoes......Hmmmm....the combo is refreshing and perfect to beat the heat.

As white is my favourite color, this curd rice with diced mango is going to participate in FIC:Favourite, where Curry Leaf of Experiments, Emotions, Experiences With Food is calling our favourite color for the event Food In Colors started by Sunshinemom of TongueTicklers. This curd rice is also going to participate in Monthly Mingle #33 - Ravishing Rice Recipes hosted by Nags of Edible Garden. Monthly Mingle is brainchild of Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey?

NOTE: When you buy mangoes, soak them in water for 2-3 hours and wipe them dry before peeling/refrigerating. By soaking the mangoes in water, the greasy outer layer gets cleaned.

Mutter Paneer Masala

Mutter Paneer Masala/Green peas with Indian cottage cheese is a simple, spicy, flavourful and aromatic Punjabi curry. Nutritious green peas/mutter come packed with 8 vitamins, 7 minerals, dietary fiber and protein. They are helpful in maintaining bone health. The folic acid and vitamin B6 in green peas are supportive of cardiovascular health. More on these healthy peas can be read here. Coming to Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese, is a lacto-vegetarian loaded with calcium, protein. When the soft and gorgeous green peas combines with a golded fried, pleasant-tasting paneer with some aromatic and flavourful Indain spices the outcome is simply luscious and palatable.

This recipe is going to participate in My Favourite Things : Cheese hosted by Poornima of Tasty Treats. My Favourite Things event is started by Bindya of In Love With Food. This recipe is also going to participate in MLLA-Eleventh Helping by Lori of Taste With The Eyes. MLLA is brainchild of Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Peas, washed and soaked for 1 hour
• 1/2 cup Paneer * cubes
• 1 Onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 Tomato, deseeded and chopped
• 1/2 tbsp Cumin/Jeera seeds
• 2 Cloves
• 1 1" inch piece of Cinnamon
• 2 Cardamoms
• 1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
• 1 tbsp Red chilli powder
• 1/4 tbsp Turmeric powder
• Water
• Salt
• Oil
• 2-3 springs fresh Coriander leaves, chopped

PREPERATION:

• Deep fry paneer cubes untio golden brown and take them out on a kitchen tissue or towel.
• To a heavy bottom cooking vessel, add oil to this add cumin/jeera seeds and when they start to splutter add sliced onions, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick. Fry till onions are translucent.
• Now add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and coriander powder. Cook till tomatoes are soft. Mash using a spoon. Add peas and little water and cook till peas are soft.
• Now add fried paneer cubes and cook till the water gets aborbed or till you get the desired consistency. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

Sometimes when you are in hurry and hungry, incidents like this happen....I just completed my photo shoot of this recipe and was about to turn to have my lunch... where hot roti's waiting for me.....the curry bowl slipped my hand and got completely fell on the floor. Hmm there were only 2-3 paneer pieces left in the kadai with 1 tbsp green peas gravy.....I have to satisfy myself...... :-(

* NOTE: Want to make Paneer at home? Indira of Mahanandi has beautifully pictured and illustrated about making of paneer at home. You can check it here.

Click Cookie(s)

A cookie is a flat crisp or soft baked delectable treat. The word cookie is derived from Dutch word koekje or (informal) koekie which means little cake, and arrived in the English language through the Dutch in North America. You can read more on cookies here. The basic difference between cookie(S) and biscuit(s) can be read here.

Yesterday when I was on weekend grocery shopping, I bought this Double Choco Chip Cookies from grocery store. This Double Choco Chip Cookies are awesome product from Cafe Coffee Day. I love not so sweet, crunchy texture of these cookies with pretty chocolate chips.

The above picture is going to participate in Click:Cookies event by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi. You can have a loook at the updated entry(s) list here.

Kairi Ki Dal

Apart from hot weather, summer's are always special to me as it is the time to rejoice the annual holidays. Summer's are also special because, it is the time for annual vacation, weddings in the family/friends and more special beacuse it is the season to treat ourself with some cool and refreshing deliciacies. Moreover summer is more special as it brings superfruit of the year 'Mango'. Mangoes are high in prebiotic dietary fiber, vitamin C, polyphenols and carotenoids. Mangoes are also called as 'King of Fruits'. There are many ways to indulge with the ripe mangoes. So as with the raw one. Raw Mango/Kairi/Mamidikaya is a mixture of sweet, sour and tangy tastes. The outer hard green skin of the mango hides the soft and succulent pulp with a small seed inside. The rich taste of raw mango when blends with earthy and pleasant tasting toor dal/pigeon pea with little spicy tadka/tempering the result is pleasing and tempting.

Hot bowl of steamed white rice with a dollop of ghee when mixed with this creamy kairi dal along with potato fry.......ummm makes a pleasant tasitng, finger licking comfort food. This kairi dal is going to participate in MLLA - Eleventh Helping, where Lori of Taste With The Eyes is calling all beans aficionados. MLLA is started by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup raw Mango pieces *
• 1 Onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 cup Toovar dal
• 1 tbsp Red chilli powder
• 1/4 tbsp Turmeric powder
• Salt

TEMPERING/TADKA/POPPU:

• 1/2 tbsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tbsp Cumin/Jeera seeds
• 2 dry Red chillies
• 10-12 fresh Curry leaves
• Oil

PREPARATION:

• Pressure cook toovar dal, mango pieces, onion slices, red chilli powder and turmeric powder with a drop of oil.
• When dal gets completely cooked mash with a wooden smasher or spoon.
• Add oil to a heavy bottom cooking vessel or kadai and then add the ingredients listed under tempering one by one.
• When curry leaves start to change color turn off the flame and add mashed dal to it. Cover with a lid. Serve hot with steaming hot rice.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

* NOTE: Wash and wipe raw mango with a kitchen towel/tissue. Peel the hard green skin and dice into cubes.

Quote Of The Day

Machli Ka Salan / Simple Fish Curry

Machli ka salan is yet another simple, spicy and delectable gravy recipe. Commonly at my home machli or fish is cooked in three different ways. One is frying the fish (Spicy Fish Fry), second one is fish cooked in tamarind sauce and the third one is fish cooked in onion and tomato gravy. Machli ka salan is also called as Machli Ka Meetha Salan. Meetha in the sense, not sour. This gravy of machli ka salan is perfect blend of spices with juicy onions and tomatoes. The fish we get in Guntur, is fresh water fish. The taste of freshwater fish is simply scrummy. When the aromatic spices and juicy tomaotes flavour the soft fish pieces the result is simply finger licking. A hot bowl of steamed white rice and machli ka salan makes a delectable combo.

I learnt to make this beautiful tomato rose, from Padma Rekha of Plantain Leaf. She has given the stepwise pictures for dummies like me. You can have a look at beautiful tomato rose carving here. Sometimes a simple carving like this gives a new life to a dish. Thank you for the stepwise pictures and for everything. This rose is for you Padma Rekha. Hope you like it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kg Fish pieces
• 2 Onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 Tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 2 Green chillies, slit lengthwise and deseeded
• 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 6 tbsp dry Coconut powder
• 2 tbsp Red chilli powder
• 1/2 tbsp Turmeric powder
• 3-4 springs fresh Coriader leaves, chopped
• Salt
• Oil

PREPERATION:

• Scrub the fish pieces with sea salt and rinse with water.
• Marinate the fish for an hour by coating ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt *.
• Add oil to a heavy bottom cooking vessel and add sliced onions, fry till translucent.
• Now add chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Cook till soft.
• When the tomatoes are soft add dry coconut powder and cook till raw smell disappears.
• Now add marinated fish pieces and cook till the pieces are soft and juicy.
• Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with a comfort bowl of white rice.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

NOTE: As we are scrubbing the fish with sea salt, adjust the salt in the curry.

#25 Rendezvous With Kitchen Flavours - A Special Edition

Warm welcome to special edition of Rendevous With Kitchen Flavours, scrummy sunday showcase. Today's post is special beacuse it is my silver jubilee post in Rendezvous With Kitchen Flavours and also special beacuse it has fallen on Mother's Day. I take this occasion to look back at the most cherished virtual food journey of my life. Through this event I not only came across some very talented bloggers but also got a chance to know more about them. This event also acted as a gateway for some new budding bloggers. I thank all the wonderful people who participated in the event, who appreciated the event, who left the comments, encouraged me and who travelled with me in this yummy journey.

This virtually delectable, Rendezvous With Kitchen Flavours started with enthusiastic Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes followed by Praneetha's Kitchen Flavors, Mahimaa's Indian Vegetarian Kitchen, Divya of Divyazeasyrecipes, Yasmeen of Health Nut, Hema of Adlak's Kitchen, PJ's Seduce Your Tastebuds, Ramki of One Page Cookbooks, Sahaja of My Experiments In Kitchen, Ashwini of Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine, Vidhas of Appetizing Recipes, Sanika of Spicy & Tangy.....Sweet & Yummy !!!!, Varsha of Will-O'-The -Wisp, Nithya's A Culinary Odyssey!, Shama of Easy2Cook Recipes, Food Fanatic of Food Fanatic, Padma Rekha of Plantain Leaf, Rachana of The Gourmet Launchpad, Sonal of Khaane Ke Shaukeen, Pooja of Sai Kitchen, Nazarina of Giddy Gastronome, Vidya of Vidya's Kitchen and Pooja of My Experience With Cooking. Thank you so much for making this event special and memorable with all your favourite delicacies.

On this special event of Mother's Day, the guest who is going to flavour Silver jubliee edition of Rendezvous With Kitchen Flavours with her delectable delicacies is a beautiful mom of two adorable and gorgeous little girl's. I am talking about none other than Saritha of My Kitchen's Aroma. Saritha writes, 'my dad used to say that I am talkative, my mom says I am the best daughter any mother has, my sis says I am sardonic, my hubby says I am the best cook, my kids says I am the best mom, I am bundle of all the above and much more..........'. Hmmm with those bundle of talent's Saritha of My Kitchen's Aroma is my guest in today's Rendezvous With Kitchen Flavours.

Saritha of My Kitchen's Aroma says 'My Five Favourites' are:

My Favorite Cuisine : Hyderabadi Cuisine
My Favorite Book/ Novel/ Magazine: The Guide by R.K.Narayan and My Experiments with Truth by M.K.Gandhi.
My Favorite Film : Telugu: Na Autograph and Hindi:All Sharku's movies
My Favorite Pastime (interests) : Trying new recipes, collecting pens, collecting quotes and above all blogging
My Favorite Place: "My Sweet Home" and dream to see Taj Mahal once in my life time.

Coming to Saritha's five favourite recipes which she likes to dug into are:
1. Mirchi Ka Salan

2. Paneer Kabab

3. Palak Paneer

4. Chepa Vepudu (Fish Fry)

5. Hyderabadi Bagara Rice

Clicking on the recipe names you can look at the recipe in detail. For pleasant-tasting and toothsome recipe's Saritha My Kitchen's Aroma is a perfect place. Her kitchen is filled with tradional, simple and spicy aroma. On this glorious occasion of Mother's Day she is more blessed because her mom is with her to spend her holidays. Happy Mother's Day to you and your mom Saritha. I also wish all wonderful mom's of the world.......A Very Happy Mother's Day.

Mom's Special - Koftoh Ka Khorma

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers. ~Jewish Proverb

Mother - that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries. ~T. DeWitt Talmage

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

MOM - a perfect synonym for care, love, patience, guide, teacher...... Most sweet and beautiful word of my life. She carries a special grace and glory with her. With a smile she can vanish all the pain. With all the hectic work, running from the sunrise to sunset, she will never forget to plant a kiss on your cheek when you get up early in the morning and never fail to hug you when she drops you at school. Welcomes you with a warm hug when you are back, feeds you with all your favourite delicacies, plays with you, watches your favourite tv channels, helps you in doing homework, tucks you in bed with beautifully crafted stories.....She is the one who will be awake whole night when you are ill or preparing for exams, she is the who celebrates your success, joy, glory with all her heart. She is the one who stitches the gorgeous dresses and bakes your favourite cake. She is the one who knows all your favourites (food, color, movie, book, flavour......). She is the one hurt when you get yourself hurt. The first tear will roll on her cheeks when you get hurt. She is the one who teaches the difference between good, bad and evil. She is the one who let you free to conquer the world by guiding you always. She is the one who inspires you and admires you. When the whole world turns against you she is the one who will stand for you encouraging you to pursue your goal. She is the one in whose eyes you are always beautiful. She is the one who is always with you as an ever-loving angel. However old you may be but I know when you are in front of your mom you are her kid again. After all the hussle n bussle, when I lay my head on my mom's lap all the pain will vanish in seconds. She is the one who recharges your energy and who always have faith in you. She is the one who never choose between the children. She is the one with whom you can share all the secrets, happiness and sorrow. I am truly blessed person in the world as Allah Tala has given me the best mom in the world. I solely dedicate this post to my mom. I love you mom. I love you for getting me in this world, for teaching, raising me to be a good human being, and standing by my side always, for the care, warmth and love.....you always bestowed on me. Love you.......

Now coming to today's recipe Koftoh Ka Salan, this is one of the rich, spicy, creamy, aromatic and flavourful recipe which my mom specially makes it for me and my cute small sis whenever we feel like indulging. Koftoh Ka Salan is one of the crafted jewel of Hyderabadi cuisine. May be the process is long but the result is finger-licking. Hyderabadi cuisine is always popular for its rich spices and aromatic flavour. Kofta (singular)/Koftae (plural) can be termed as spicy meat balls. Koftoh Ka Salan is an spicy meat balls cooked and fried and again cooked in luscious curd gravy. The soft deep fried koftae when get drunked in spicy curd gravy....ooooohhhhh my mouth is watering so Iam stopping the post here and you continue to scroll down and get a look of the recipe which is straight from my mom's kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Chana dal, wash and soak dal for 1 hour
• 2 cup raw boneless Mutton pieces + 3 raw Mutton pieces *
• 1 Onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 Green chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 1 tbsp Garam Masala **
• 2 tbsp Red chilli powder
• 1/2 tbsp Turmeric powder
• 3 tbsp dry Coconut powder
• 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
• 3-4 springs fresh Coriander leaves, chopped
• 5-6 fresh Mint leaves, chopped
• Salt
• Oil

FOR GRAVY:

• 1 cup thick Curd
• 1 tbsp Red chilli powder
• 1/4 tbsp Turmeric powder
• 1 Green chilli, slit lengthwise and deseeded
• 1 Onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 Cardamons
• 2 Cloves
• 1 1" piece Cinnamon
• 1 Tomato, deseeded and chopped
• 2-3 springs fresh Coiander leaves, chopped
• Salt

PREPERATION:

• In a bowl beat curd (to avoid lumps), salt ***, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Mix chana dal, raw mutton pieces, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coconut powder, green chilli, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, sliced onions, little water and pressure cook.
• Cook till dal is soft and mutton is tender. Leave it to cool.Meanwhile in a heavy bottom cooking vessel or kadai add oil and fry sliced onions along with cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.When onions turn light golden brown add chopped tomatoes and fry till soft.
• Now add beaten curd and stir continuosly till the mixture starts to boil. Turn off the flame and set aside.Grind and make a smooth paste of pressure cooked mixture along with salt, coriander leaves, mint leaves and raw mutton.
• Apply oil to the palms and make small balls from the ground mixture. Add oil to a heavy bottom cooking vessel and deep fry the balls till they turn nice golden brown and lay them on tissue paper.
• Now add deep fried meat balls to the prepared curd gravy and cook for awhile. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve with hot rice or vegetable biryani or fried rice.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

NOTE:

* Raw mutton pieces are used in grinding with the pressure cooked mixture to bind the mixture.

** For garam masala, make a smooth powder of 2 cardamoms, 2 cloves and 2 1" inch pieces of cinnamon.

*** As we added salt while grinding the meat balls, adjust salt in the gravy.

As mother's day is round the corner and Ivy of Kopiaste is hosting a beautiful event to honour mother's round the globe and calling all of us to participate in the event, this mom's special Koftoh Ka Khorma is going to participate in Celebrating Mother's Day hosted by Ivy of Kopiaste. This recipe is also going to participate in Shama's Mom's Most Favourite Recipe Event. Shama of Easy2Cook Recipes is hosting this event in honour of Mother's Day.

Coriander Flavoured Buttermilk

Buttermilk is one of the most delectable and refreshing cooler to beat the heat. In India, buttermilk is widely known as "chaas" in Hindi, "ಮಜ್ಜಿಗೆ" in Kannada, "మజ్జిగ", Telugu, "மோர்", Tamil. There are many household traditional ways to prepare this drink. Buttermilk's active cultures fight bad bacteria and help stimulate the immune system. Buttermilk helps in solving indigestion problems and also boost immunity. Buttermilk is lower in fat than regular milk, because the fat has been removed to make butter. It is also high in potassium, vitamin B12, calcium, and riboflavin as well as a good source of phosphorus. Buttermilk has more lactic acid than skim milk. When the hot sun is drilling all the essential nutrients from your body, a cool and refreshing buttermilk is simply comforting. To give the plain buttermilk little herby flavour, I added chopped fresh coriander leaves and cumin seeds. The aromatic flavour of coriander leaves and cumin seeds when blend with curd/yogurt the resultant is scrumptious.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup low fat Yogurt/Curd
• 1/2 lit. Water
• 2-3 springs fresh Coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp Cumin/Jeera, coarsly powdered
• Salt

PREPERATION:

• Beat yogurt/curd with salt and coriander leaves. Leave the mixture to cool in the refrigerator.
• Add water and cumin powder before serving. Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Last but not least add your 'love' to make the dish 'YUMMY'.

This refreshingly cool buttermilk is going to participate in Festive Food:Summer Treat hosted by Priti of Indian Khana.

#24 Rendezvous With Kitchen Flavours

Welcome to Rendevous With Kitchen Flavours, scrummy sunday showcase. Today the guest who is going to allure us by some of her tempting favourite recipes is Pooja of My Experiments With Cooking. Pooja in her Welcome Message to her blog says, 'My adventures with cooking led me start this blog especially to help my friends out there who are able to identify themselves with the situation I was in before and also adventurous people who are in search of new recipes. All the recipes that I have posted were tried out and the photographs reveal the outcome :-)'.

Pooja of My Experiments With Cooking says 'My Five Favourites' are:

Favourite Cuisine - Indian, Thai, Middle-Eastern
Favourite Book - Books by Robin Cook, Sidney Sheldon, Michael Crichton
Favourite Film - Om Shanti Om, Keerthichakra, Guru, Titanic, Iron man
Favourite Pastime - Singing, Dancing, Reading anything that I can get my hands on!
Favourite Place - Kottayam & Aleppey (Kerala)

Coming to five favourite recipes which Pooja of My Experiments With Cooking love to indulge are:

1. Appam

2. Spicy Lamb Curry

3. Chilly Chicken

4. Pineapple Pachadi

5. Black Forest Cake

By clicking on the names of the recipes you can view the recipes in detail. From traditional to simple recipes Pooja's My Experiments With Cooking has something for everyone. Go check, cook and indulge.

Next Sunday there is a sweet suprise waiting for in Rendevous With Kitchen Flavours, scrummy sunday showcase.