Spiced Guava Chilli Drink Recipe | Guava Chilli Mocktail | Summer Cooler Drink Recipes

Spiced Guava Chilli Drink #Recipe

If you are looking for a summer drink recipe with Indian flavours, this spiced guava chilli drink will fit the bill perfectly. It is a guava drink with some fieriness from green chilli, red chilli powder and black pepper; it is also spruced up roasted cumin powder, pink salt, lemon juice and mint leaves. A perfect combination of flavours comes together in this glass of guava chilli drink.

Guavas are among my favourite Indian fruits. But, my love for it comes with some clauses. I don’t particularly love the ripe guavas – I love the ones that are a little tart (not hard) but sweet. They are juicy and flavourful. The kind of guavas I like are generally sold by street vendors who sit with a ‘tokri’ full of them. When requested they will slice it in front of you, apply some salt and red chilli powder and you are good to devour the ‘chatpata’ guava slices. I can happily devour a couple of guavas like that without complaining.

I often buy a small pack of guava chilli drink by the brand paperboatdrinks. I am not a fan of bottled juices, but this one is something I can’t resist. So, when I had some ripe guavas at hand I made this drink – spiced guava chilli drink – and I loved the way it turned out. My neighbour also vouched for its taste. So, I was sure, this is worthy to be blogged about.

Masala Chaas | Masala Taak | How to Make Masala Chaas | Indian Summer Drinks

Masala Chaas #Recipe

Masala Chaas is a yogurt based drink. It is yummy and it is very good for health in summer months. It helps to cool the body, aids in digestion and keeps you hydrated. The best thing about it is that it is so simple to make it – just get all the ingredients and blend it and it is ready to be gulped down.

This time of the year is the time to indulge in some cool drinks and I am doing just that. Past few days, I am guzzling down large glassfuls of ‘Masala Chaas’ or ‘Masala Taak’ as it is called in Maharashtra. 

The last week of March 2017 has seen mercury rising steeply here in Pune. The heat is relentless; one look outside the window in the afternoon will make your eyes squint and make your head dizzy. Forget about stepping out in the sun – else the menacing rays of sun with scorch your body.

Such is the heat that I keep all the curtains drawn in all the rooms; the fans are doing overtime running at full speed all the time. When things look unmanageable, the air conditioner also steps in. Apart from keeping the house cool, it is also important to keep our bodies cool and hydrated. Drinking lots of water and fluids is very important and they are the only things that are keeping me sane in this hot weather.

Looking for more summer drink ideas – check out Sweet Lime Soda, Ginger Mint Lemonade, Makhanya Lassi, Blueberry Lemonade or Strawberry Lemonade

How to Make Masala Chaas| Simple Masala Chaas Recipe

Ingredients:

250 ml yogurt

300 ml water

½ tsp roasted cumin powder

½ tsp black salt or to taste

7-8 mint leaves + extra for garnishing

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

1 tsp taak masala or chaat masala + extra for garnishing

Ice cubes for serving (optional)

Process:

1. Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend it till the mixture is frothy. 

2. Add ice cubes into two tall glasses and pour the Chaas equally into them. Garnish with mint leaves and taak or chaat masala. Serve Chilled.

Notes:

1. This yogurt based drink is common all across India. However, some regions have their own simple variations. Some common variations are adding a green chili for some spice or ginger, asafoetida (hing), curry leaves and black pepper. All of these helps in digestion.

2. I have used store bought taak masala. But it can be easily substituted with chaat masala.

What cool drinks you are indulging in to beat the heat? Do share.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Maakhanya Lassi ~ Buttery Lassi

There are many dishes that one can associate with some special memories. Some can be associated with childhood - food prepared by mom. It can make you nostalgic and flood your mind with sweet anecdotes. Some dishes can be related to events - a special sweet dish or a cake that was meant for special occasion. And some are linked with a particular place - 'nukad ka chaat wala' (road side vendor) who makes the best Papdi Chat or a particular place known for their mouthwatering kulfi.

One such dish for me is this Maakhanya Lassi,  maakhanya literally means buttery.

I brings back to me the memories of visiting Jodhpur, Rajasthan. There is a snack shop (unfortunately I don't remember the name. I will update this if I remember) which is famous for this Lassi. All day long people throng to this place to enjoy a glass or two of this cold Lassi. In summer it sells like hot cakes! 2-3 years back when I had been to Jodhpur, my FIL had taken us to this shop. One sip of the Lassi and I was in heaven. One will be tempted to buy a second glass, but let me tell you, it is very filling. Two glass of this Lassi and you can forget about lunch!

When I had prepared this butter, this Lassi was the first thing I thought of making. I tried to replicate the taste from memory, so, I am not sure if it tastes exactly same, but it is definitely near.

You will need:

2 tbsp of fresh butter at room temperature. You can also use store bought unsalted butter
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup water or more
1cardamom, pounded
4-5 saffron strands
2 tbsp sugar, more of less, adjust to taste
4-5 ice cubes

Process:
1. Rub the saffron with a few drops of water to bring out the colour.
2. In a blender jar, add yogurt, water, saffron, cardamom, sugar, ice cubes and half of the butter.
3. Blend it for a few seconds. Pour it into a tall glass. Top it with the remaining butter and serve immediately!

Notes:

1. The butter which is added while blending will be in bits and will float on top. So, you will have a buttery, creamy top layer. You can add more butter to have a thicker creamy layer if you like.
2. Add more water if you like thinner Lassi.

It tastes best when served cold.

Enjoy! Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Blueberry Lassi | Blueberry Smoothie ~ To Beat The Heat

I find Irish weather very unpredictable. During this summer some days have been rain washed, some over cast and gloomy and a couple of times we are blessed with bright sunny weather. Such unpredictable weather poses more than one problem. For one thing one can't decide how to dress up. Each day is different, so simply cannot do away with the woolen clothes or shove the quilts and pull overs in the overhead drawers. You buy a big tub of ice cream and from then onwards, the weather gets cold and you feel like having Onion Bhajjis with a cup of masala chai.

Today is one of those few bright and sunny days and I was craving for a cold flavorful drink. On going through my fridge I found a bottle of 'Home Made Blueberry Syrup' which I usually use for making Blueberry Lemonade. But lemonade was not what I wanted to have and I whipped up this Lassi or Smoothie as it is called in this part of the world.

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup low fat yogurt
1/4 cup water
3-4 tbsp Homemade Blueberry Syrup (follow link for recipe)
Ice cubes
6-7 fresh blueberries, optional

Process:
1. In a mixer jar add yogurt, water, ice cubes and blueberry syrup and give it a quick whiz.
2. Pour into a tall glass and top with fresh blueberries. Serve immediately.

Linking it to my event - Cool Summer Sips.
Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Mint Ginger Lemonade

I have a love and hate relationship with Irish summers. Irish summers for the good part are not sunny but rainy, and the rain is not torrential but dripping and drizzling all the time. That is the part I hate. When it sunny the crowd throngs to the parks to bask in the sun and suddenly and unexpectedly, it will rain and everyone will run for a make shift shelter or open their umbrellas. You can't do without an umbrella in your bag in this country. The month of March had been great weather wise, spring felt like real summer but April has been rather cool and rainy. But, I don't really look at the weather when I want to indulge in something cold. I can have an ice cream with a blanket around me and sip a cool drink even though the weather is not ideal for it. And that is exactly what I am doing now.

For Blog Hop Wednesdays, my partner is Vidya who blogs at kurryleaves and I chose this cool drink to try out from her blog.

 

Mint Ginger Lemonade

Ingredients 

Juice of 1 lemon, about 3-4 tbsp

15-20 mint leaves

1 inch peice of ginger

400 ml chilled water

Ice cubes as needed

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp black salt

Process:

1. Add 60 ml water, mint leaves, lemon juice, sugar and salt and whiz it in a blender to a fine puree. Sieve to get the juice and discard the waste.

2. Divide the juice in2-3 glasses equally. Add ice cubes and top it up with rest of the water and stir. Serve chilled.

 

Check what other blog hoppers are up with here.

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

Thandai ~ Spicy Almond Milk ~ Making Thandai Syrup From Scratch ~ Holi Special

It was only sometimes back when we were celebrating New Year and now already 2 months of the new year have passed by and March is here. One thing to look forward to in this month is the Indian festival of Holi. I had ranted a bit about it here last year. I have already geared up with a list of dishes to be prepared for this festival. 

To start off I have made this Thandai. This recipe comes from one of my favorite blogger, Rachana. I had bookmarked this recipe long back, but didn't make it till now since I didn't have the rose petal spread - gulkand, at hand. You can leave it out, but I wanted to follow the recipe to the T. So, I brought it on my last India visit. This recipe is unique from other on the web, cos Rachana gives a step by step method to make thandai syrup which last for months and once it is made, thandai can be whipped up in no time. I can safely say that I am going to make it again when my present stock of thandai syrup is over. Lets hop over tot he recipe.

Recipe Source: Veggi Fare

Ingredients 

1/2 cup almonds, soaked overnight and blanched

Mix and soak these ingredients together overnight

2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 dried melon seeds

Soak these ingredients in ¼ cup of water and then grind it

1/2 tbsp green cardamom
3 tbsp whole black pepper 

1 tbsp fennel seeds


4 cups caster sugar
1 1/4 cup water
2-3 tbsp rose petal spread, gulkand (I used one made by my Grand Mother, you can use store bought as well)
25-30 strands saffron (Rub it in a pestle and mortar with  a few drops of water before adding to syrup for color)
1 tsp rose water
a good pinch of cardamom powder
a good pinch of pepper powder

Process:

1. Grind together the blanched almonds, poppy seeds and melon seeds using very little water. Strain through a muslin cloth and extract all the liquid and keep aside. 
2. Add the rose petal spread to the ground cardamom-pepper-fennel mixture and mix well. Strain through a muslin cloth and extract all the liquid and keep aside. Discard the residue.
3. Mix both the extracted liquids and keep aside.
4. Meanwhile add the 4 cups of sugar and 1 1/4th cup of water in a deep pan and cook until the sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Add the extracted liquid to it and stir.
5. Heat it again and bring it to a boil and then turn the heat to medium and simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Remove from the heat and cool till warm and then add the saffron strands or rubbed saffron mixture, cardamom powder, pepper powder and rose water and mix well.
7. When the thandai syrup completely cools down store it in sterilized bottle/bottles. It will keep well for months.

Note: 

1. If sugar crystals are formed while cooling the Thandai Syrup, add ½ cup of boiling water to it and stir.

2. I didn't rub the saffron before adding to the syrup so, it did not give out much color, but the flavor was there.

To prepare thandai to serve 1, add 2-3 tsp of the prepared syrup to 200 ml of cold milk and whiz in a blender. Garnish it with chopped nuts. Add ice if you like and serve cold immediately.

Linking it to Holi Fest at Sizzling Tastebuds and Summer Spunk at TomatoBlues

Also sending to Spotlight- Holi. Spotlight series is the brain child of Recipe Junction , Indian Simmer's IndianFoodPalooza and to Priti's Colour N Sweet Holi Fest

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!