Kairi Panna Granita Recipe | Raw Mango Mint Granita | Summer Recipes #FlavoursomeTuesdays

Kairi Panna Granita #Recipe

Kairi Panna Granita, as the name says is granita made with the much loved Indian summer drink - Kairi Panna/Panha. Granita is an Italian semi-frozen dessert made with ice, sugar and flavourings of choice. It is quite similar to sorbet. But there are some differences - one being that granita has a coarser and more crystalline texture while sorbet is very smooth.

I love Kairi Panna a lot and make them in bulk in summers. It is very cooling for the body and is a must to beat the heat. But, my DH is not a big fan of it. I know - that's strange right? Well, I don't mind, in fact, I am rather happy that I get to drink his share of Kairi Panna too. A win-win! So, it happened that I had to use up some raw mangoes and I ended up making this drink in bulk. Since I couldn't finish it all off, the idea of making granita out of it struck me. Believe me, it was an epiphany of sorts and I wondered why haven't I tried it earlier. 

Virgin Orange Mojito Recipe | How to Make Virgin Orange Mojito from Scratch | Non-Alcoholic Party Drink Ideas

Virgin Orange Mojito #Recipe

Virgin Orange Mojito is a perfect non-alcoholic party drink. With orange juice, a dash of ginger juice and aerated drink, this is simple, fuss-free recipe. Just mix certain ingredients, pour and serve. This virgin orange mojito recipe can easily be made for large parties without much issue.

Both I and DH love oranges. When these fruits are in season, having fresh orange juice almost every day is a norm. But, one fine day, after we bid adieu to the Indian Nagpur Oranges, DH spotted some imported variety in the supermarket and bought a bagful home. While they looked inviting, one sip of its juice made me cringe – they turned out to be very-very sour. So, I was left with no option but to make a mocktail out of it.

We all know the classic mojito in its virgin form is made of mint, lemon, little sugar and aerated water. Often sprite and ginger ale are also used. I have seen many flavoured mojito drinks doing rounds on the internet and so, I decided to use those sour oranges in making a virgin orange mojito. I like to add a bit of ginger juice in my mojitos – it adds a depth to the overall flavour.

Oranges are out of season now. But, you can use packaged orange juice if you fancy to try this out.

Virgin Orange Mojito

Ingredients:

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

2 cups orange juice (I used freshly squeezed orange juice)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp simple sugar syrup (sugar syrup prepared by mixing and boiling an equal quantity of sugar and water till the sugar is dissolved)

1 tsp fresh ginger juice

Sprite as needed

Ice cubes as needed

Orange slices, lemon slices and fresh mint leaves for garnishing

Process:

In a jar add fresh mint leaves, sugar syrup and muddle it with a spoon. Add lemon juice, followed by orange juice and ginger juice. Stir it nicely.

In two tall glasses, add lots of ice cubes and pour the prepared concoction equally. Top it up with chilled sprite. Garnish with orange slice, lemon slice and a mint sprig. Enjoy!

Don't forget to check out some more party drink ideas here.

Purple Delight
Sweet Lime Soda
Strawberry Lemonade 

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Paan Ice Cream Recipe | How to Make Paan Flavoured Ice Cream at Home | Ice Cream Recipes

Paan Ice Cream #Recipe

Paan Ice Cream, as the name says is an ice cream flavoured with the Indian meetha paan. This ice cream has the unique flavour of freshly ground betel leaves and an assortment of flavouring spices. If you love Indian Meetha Paan, you are going to love this Paan Ice Cream.

When it comes to cooking, the greatest satisfaction for me comes when I am able to create a flavour in a particular dish exactly the way I wanted. So, when I tasted my paan (betel leaves) flavoured ice cream, I did my little happy dance.

"Meetha Paan" is one of those after-food treats I don't mind indulging in, whenever I get a chance. I remember when I was in my early teens back in my hometown, savouring on a meetha paan was a rare indulgence. But, whenever I had the chance, my special instructions to the 'paanwala bhaiya' were - extra gulkand and no supari (betel nut). The paan vendor had a tiny shop with a number of people flocking in at any point in time. Fresh paan leaves would be kept under a wet red muslin cloth, and there would be an assortment of fillings in various jars kept in a particular order to be folded inside the paan leaf, The vendor would take a fresh paan leaf, slather little 'kattha' and would ask how would you like it filled. A request for extra gulkand would often raise his eyebrow. But, in the end, everyone could have a customized meetha pan to savour on.

A meetha pan is a perfect palate cleanser for me - I always put the whole of it in my mouth and my jaws are in for some extra work. Juice from the betel leaves, gulkand, fennel seeds and the various filling creates an explosion of flavours which any Indian paan loving human will vouch for. Here in Pune, we do get good meetha paan, but most of the times they are already prepared and kept in a cool ice box. When you buy one, the vendors typically dip it in rose syrup and lightly coat in desiccated coconut and serve it to you.

Paan Ice Cream

Sometimes back when I spotted paan ice cream at a very popular ice cream joint in the city, I ordered one. But, it didn't live up to my expectations - it had less flavour of paan and more of mint flavoured mouth freshener. So, I decided to try to make paan ice cream at home. After reading various recipes online, I realized this ice-cream is very much customizable. You can flavour with a blend of things - just like the way you would want to flavour your customized meetha paan.

I stuck with my fresh cream and condensed milk combination for this ice cream. Do read the notes for some extra tips.

Paan Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

250 ml fresh cream
200 g condensed milk
200 ml full-fat milk
10 medium size maghai paan leaves, divided.
1/4 cup gulkand
1 tbsp green cardamom
3 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp mithi supari (optional, I used it to impart a note of mint flavour in the ice cream. Mithi supari is a mint flavoured sweetened betel nut-based mouth freshener easily available in India)

Process:

1. In a small blender jar, add 5 paan leaves, gulkand, green cardamom, fennel seeds and mithi supari. Blend it to a paste using as little water as possible. Using a strainer, strain it to get the extract.
2. In a large blender jar, add the extract, rest of the 5 paan and cream. Blend until smooth. The paan leaves should be finely blended.
3. Add the milk and condensed milk to the mixture in the blender and blend again till smooth.
4. Pour into a freezer safe container and freeze for 2 hours.
5. Take out the half set ice cream and tip it into the blender jar and blend it until smooth. Freeze it again till frozen. It will take anywhere between 4 to 6 hours.
6. Take it out 5 minutes before serving. Serve scoops of it chilled. You can relish it with or without a topping.

Notes:

1. I like my paan ice cream to be smooth. So, I strained the mixture of paan leaves, gulkand, green cardamom, fennel seeds and mithi supari to get an extract. If you like coarse bits of it in your ice cream, you may skip the step of straining.
2. For topping, you can use, rose syrup, tutti fruity or even tiny bit of gulkand.
3. Churning it before the final freezing if ice cream helps to reduce ice crystals in the ice cream. So, don't skip the step. You may churn it 2-3 times if you like.
4. Another way of making this ice cream is - get 3-4 meetha pan from the vendor and churn it with milk, cream and condensed milk in the quantity mentioned in the recipe.

You can also check out my recipes for

Chikkoo Ice cream
Cardamom Kulfi
Thandai Kulfi

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!