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.

Cold Coffee Recipe | Cafe Style Creamy Cold Coffee | How to Make CCD Style Cold Coffee at Home

Cold Coffee | Cafe Style Creamy Cold Coffee #Recipe

Creamy, frothy and super delicious, this cold coffee recipe is a must try if you are a big fan of cold coffees, just like me. I think it was during my college days in Guwahati that I came to know about cold coffees. A Cafe Coffee Day outlet had opened up in the city and it was one of the to-try places to hang out with friends.

I remember how I used to save some bucks from my pocket money every month so that I could splurge on a tall glass of cold coffee with chocolate sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It used to be a special visit, a once in a while indulgence. My love for cold coffees never diminished. Even now, I like to indulge myself at cafes whenever I am in the mood.

When I started cooking myself, I realised it was simple to make cold coffee at home. But the thing is if you want it rich and frothy, you must not count the calories. No skinny cold coffee can match the taste I am after. So, when I make it, I make it the best way, nothing less.

Purple Delight Recipe | Black Grapes and Pomegranate Cooler Recipe | Summer Cool Drinks

Purple Delight Recipe
 Black Grapes and Pomegranate Cooler #Recipe

Purple Delight is a summer cooler drink made with fresh grapes and pomegranate juice. It is spiced with pepper powder, roasted cumin powder and black salt. Fresh and tangy, it is just perfect to keep you cool during summers.

Colours are an important spice of life.  Imagine your life without colours – boring right? I believe it is the same with our food – it should be colourful and pleasing to eyes. When I was thinking about all the cool drinks I was indulging in this summer, I realized they were all of the different colours. My Kairi Panna is a soothing shade of green as I use a lot of mint in it; the Masala Chaas is, as usual, white, my Herbal Iced Tea was a bright shade between orange and brown. That’s when I thought of creating a different coloured drink to sip on.

I had lots of black grapes and pomegranate in my refrigerator and with these two star ingredients; I set on to make a drink. When I was done, I was pleased with the result at hand, so much so that I took it to a friend’s place for her to taste. She has become my unannounced official taster for most experiments in my kitchen. When she okay-ed it, I made it again the next day and while sipping on it, this name – Purple Delight came to my mind.

The other day when I met her and amidst our usual banter, I told her I have named the drink – Purple Delight and she was into a riot of laughter.... which reminds me of another spice of life - laughter. Laugh as often as you can and be with friends who can make you laugh out loud.

The pomegranate juice typically has a slightly bitter note in the end which compliments beautifully with grapes juice which is sweeter. A dash of lemon juice adds a subtle tang to the overall flavour and the spices add some earthiness. If you want to try something different from your regular lemonade, try it for sure.

Purple Delight Recipe | Black Grapes and Pomegranate Cooler 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup black grapes

1/2 cup pomegranate pearls

2 tbsp sugar syrup (optional)

1/4 tsp black salt

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp roasted jeera powder

Soda water to top up

Lots of Ice cubes

2 tbsp Chopped grapes and pomegranate pearls for garnishing

Process:

1. In a blender jar add the grapes and pomegranate pearls and churn till pulpy. Sieve the mixture to extract the juice.

2. Add the juice to a large jar; add sugar syrup, black salt, black pepper and jeera powder. Stir well. Add this to 4 medium glasses.

3. Add some ice cubes to each glass. Top up with soda water. Garnish with chopped grapes and pomegranate pearls. Serve chilled.

Notes:

1. The black grapes I used were quite sweet. If you are using grapes that are tart, adjust sugar syrup quantity accordingly.

2. It is best to consume it fresh and chilled.

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

Mango Mastani Recipe | How to Make Mango Mastani at Home | Mango Recipes | Summer Coolers

Mango Mastani #Recipe

Mango Mastani is a very thick mango flavoured milkshake topped with a scoop of ice-cream, nuts, and chopped fresh fruit. Often tutti fruity or glace cherries are also used as toppings. You can get as creative as you like with the toppings. Mastani comes in many flavours – mixed fruits, pineapple, chikoo, etc. But, since mangoes are in season now I am going to share my how I make Mango Mastani at home.
I am a very big fan of mangoes. Despite that, I have hardly shared any mango based recipes in this space. Well, there is a reason.

Mangoes are something I really look forward to during the summer months in India. Every year, I think of ‘n’ number of mango recipes to try, but every year I end up enjoying the mango fruit as it is. Mangoes are so delicious in itself that I don’t really have the patience to make something out of it. 

This year, I finally decided to share some mango recipes here and I am making a start today with  my mango mastani recipe

I grew up in Assam gorging on the best Langda Mangoes. But, this variety of mangoes is not common in Pune. Here it is all about Alphonso or Haphus Mangoes – they are quite flavourful, luscious and sweet. But, still, my heart longs for the Langda Aam. We do them get here for a short while, and I do not miss the opportunity to get a bagful home – I guess they are transported here all the way from Bengal.

The mango mastani recipe I am sharing here is a Pune special drink. Soon after we had shifted to Pune some years back, I came across this drink named Mango Mastani and I thought – what a name! While there are no established facts about it but, it is said to be named after Peshwa Bajirao’s wife Mastani. I guess most of us who are into Bollywood movies know about her from the movie ‘Bajirao Mastani’.

Let's check out the recipe for mango mastani now.

Mango Mastani Recipe

Ingredients:

Serves 1

1 ripe Alphonso mango, peeled, stoned and chopped into pieces
1 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)
200 ml chilled milk
1 scoop vanilla ice-cream (you can use mango ice-cream also)
Chopped nuts, fresh mango pieces and tutti fruity pieces for topping

Process:

1. In a blender jar, add the mango pieces, sugar and milk and blend it until smooth. Adjust sweetness to taste if needed.

2. In a tall glass, add the prepared thick mango shake. Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, chopped nuts, fresh mango pieces and tutti fruity. Serve it immediately. Enjoy!

Notes:

1. You can also add 1 or 2 tbsp condensed milk to the shake. You may have to adjust the sugar quantity as needed.

Other shake and smoothie recipes that you can check here

Blueberry Lassi
Makhanya Lassi
Dates Mocha Shake

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Herbal Iced Tea Recipe | How to Make Herbal Iced Tea from Scratch | Summer Cool Drinks Ideas

Herbal Iced Tea #Recipe

Herbal Iced Tea is a thrist-quenching summer drink. With lemongrass, ginger and mint, this herbal iced tea is full of flavours. I have used sugar to sweeten it, but you can use honey or any other sugar free sweetness as well.

I have never been an iced tea person. I do order it some times at food joints, but it has never been one of my go-to cool drinks. But, after trying this recipe I am a convert. I wouldn't mind saying that this herbal iced tea has become one of my latest favorite chilled drinks to beat the heat this summer. 

Long ago, I had tried a fruit punch recipe that used tea decoction and it turned to be a super flop. Since, then I was wary of trying any drink recipe with tea decoction in it. But, when I chanced upon a herbal iced tea recipe in one of the cookbooks I own ( did I tell you I am a hoarder of cookbooks?) I decided to give it a try.

The recipe involved making a herbal decoction first - a combination of lemongrass, ginger and mint. The recipe did interest me; but I had an even better reason to try it. Sometimes back I had planted lemongrass and mint in my terrace garden and I was delighted at the idea of using my garden produce.

The best thing about this recipe is that you can prepare the herbal decoction in bulk and freeze them in ice trays and use them when needed. You can play around with the ratio of the herbs, depending on which herb flavor you want to be prominent.

Here is how you can prepare the herbal decoction for iced tea:

1/2 cup ginger, washed, peeled and grated.

1/2 cup lemongrass leaves, washed and chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves

1" cinnamon stick

Process:

1. Add all the listed ingredients in a saucepan and add 500 ml water. Bring it to a boil and then simmer it on medium heat for 15 to 20 mins.

2. Turn off the heat and cover the saucepan. Let it cool completely before straining. Strain and set aside the herb extract.

3. You can add another cup of water to the residue and simmer it for 15 mins. The decoction prepared the second time will be milder in flavor. You can combine both the extracts thus prepared or you can store them separately. If you do not need to use the entire decoction in one go, freeze them in iced cube tray. When frozen fill them in a zip-lock bag.

Herbal Iced Tea Recipe

Makes 2 tall glasses

Ingredients:

2 teabags 

100 ml boiling water

10-12 herbal ice cubes or about 60 ml of the herbal extract

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

300 ml chilled water

Ice cubes, mint leaves and lemon slices to garnish (optional)

Process:

1. Add the tea bags in boiling water and let it steep for 10 mins. Take the tea bags out and set aside the tea decoction.

2. If you are using herbal ice cubes, add them to the warm tea decoction so that they melt faster. Else add the herbal concoction equally into two glasses. Pour prepared tea decoction. Add simple sugar syrup and top with chilled water. 
3. Add ice cubes, mint leaves and lemon slices as desired. Stir and serve chilled. 

Notes:

1. Add a squirt of lemon juice for Herbal Lemon Iced Tea.
2. You can add the herbal ice cubes to your regular lemonades for added flavor.

Check out some more summer drink ideas

Sweet Lime Soda,
Ginger Mint Lemonade,
Makhanya Lassi, 
Blueberry Lemonade 
Strawberry Lemonade

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

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!

Kairi Panna Recipe | How to Make Kairi Panna | Green Mango Mint Cooler | Summer Drinks

Kairi Panna #Recipe

Kairi Panna or Panha is a sweet and tangy Indian summer drink made primarily from green mangoes, mint and some spices. It is one of the most popular drinks preparation using raw mango in India. With mint as one of its main ingredients, it is said to be very cooling and soothing for the body.

Summers are already here in India and the mercury doesn't show any signs of relenting. What can come to our rescue in such times are obviously chilled homemade drinks. This summer it is time to stay away from bottled high sugar drinks and go for homemade thirst quenchers like this mango mint cooler, a.k.a Kairi Panna.