Aam Panha

I first got to know about this drink from Dee’s blog. That was when we had ‘seen’ each other formally and were yet undecided about deciding! :D
And then a very close friend of mine, who is called a search-engine, offered to fish out some info about this guy, and got me his orkut profile (I was then not on orkut, and had hardly used it!), some pics from some site, and yippee.... two of his blog urls!!

I instantly fell for him, seeing that he has a blog and written about places, photography, etc. I knew the decision was made that moment from my side!

Well, coming back to Panha story, this was one of the things that I read in his blog that day, which he had written when he was in Bombay..... This panha always reminds me of those sweet memories.... and that stage of life.....
Ok..... here’s the recipe....

Aam Panha

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 30 min Makes a jar of the concentrate Ingredients: Raw Mangoes - 3-4 medium sized, preferably sour ones Sugar - 1cup Salt - 1-2 Tbsp Cumin Seeds - 1 Tbsp, optional; roasted and finely powdered Water Method: • Peel and cut the mangoes into ½ inch pieces • In a pan, cook it in little water till it is soft. It will take bout 10-15 minutes • Let it cool a bit, and grind it to a fine paste • Sieve the ground pulp to retain only smooth paste • Transfer it to a pan, add sugar, salt and bring to boil, continuously stirring • Add the cumin/jeera powder and continue boiling for another 10 minutes • Allow it to cool and store away in a dry container in refrigerator • Mix a spoonful of this Panha concentrate to a glass of chilled water and serve, with a couple of mint leaves as garnishing. Variations: • Jaggery is used in the authentic panha, but it gives a darker color

Strawberry Milkshake

Strawberries are back! What a treat these little red fruits are! I am a big fan of strawberries and especially love it with ice cream and cream served at Corner house - an ice cream parlor in Bangalore. Well, I know that will be too heavy on my diet but strawberries are not something that I can miss. So, a glassful of milkshake with strawberries is something that I make do with, as it is healthy and not so heavy as ice cream and cream!Little niece Hima, also loves it. Whenever I bring home strawberries, she knows I’m gonna make milkshake with it, and she jumps up in joy!

Strawberry Milkshake

Preparation time : 10 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Strawberries - 14-15 Chilled Milk - 3 ½ glasses Sugar - 4-5 Tsp, depending on taste Strawberry / Vanilla Ice cream - 2 scoops (optional) Method: • Wash and chop strawberries into halves or quarters • Blend it in a mixie or blender with sugar and some milk • Add milk, blend it well, to make the milk frothy • Pour it into serving glasses • Add half a scoop of ice cream to each glass and serve. Variations: • Ice cream can be substituted with fresh cream. It can be omitted if you are too health conscious • Some strawberry sauce can also be added over

Choco Milk Shake

A lazy, Sunny Sunday Afternoon.
Have nothing much to do, except for lazing in front of the TV…. Or with a book. All you need is something cold to quench the summer thirst…. And some chocolate to lift up your spirit! Why not combine the two to make a chocolaty shake? And if you are just two, then it’s a wonderful time to sit with a glass of cold, chocolaty milk shake and just talk and talk everything on earth!
Well, this is the best thing I like to do on weekends when we are home alone – err both of us are together alone, I mean! We’ll then have ample of time to just sit and relax and talk and chat and watch movies and of course to make two glassfuls of yummy milk shake and sit back and sip it slowly...... And that’ll make the weekend sort of complete, I can say. And if it’s chocolate shake that I make, it’s a wonderful energizer as well.
So, you need not go to CCD to have a choco-shake... here’s how you can make it yourself, and suit it to your taste....

Choco - Milk Shake

Preparation time : 5 min Cooking time : 5 min Serves : 2 Ingredients: Chilled Milk - 1 ½ glass Cold Milk - ½ cup, room temperature Cocoa Powder - 4-5 Tsp Sugar - 3-4 Tsp, depending on taste Vanilla Ice cream - 3 scoops Method: • Mix cocoa powder thoroughly in milk to form a consistent paste • In a blender / mixer jar, add sugar, chilled milk and the cocoa paste and blend it for a minute or two • Add one scoop of vanilla ice cream and blend again • Pour it into 2 serving glasses • Add one scoop of ice cream to each glass and serve. Tips n Tricks: • Do not add cocoa powder to chilled milk as it forms lumps and does not make a smooth paste Variations: • A couple of teaspoons of thick coffee decoction can be added • Chocolate flavored ice cream may be added for rich choco flavor • More chocolate sauce can be added over