How to make Thandai | Easy Thandai Recipe

Holi is just around the corner and I have been dreaming of all the lovely Indian sweets and treats I can make and bring over here to refresh this space. Holi, the Indian festival of colors, marks the end of winter and commencement of spring. No Holi is complete without bright and vibrant colors, balloons bursting with colored water, the lavish thandais, mouthful of gujiyas and some good lyrical Hindi Bollywood numbers to tap your feet to as you get soaked in a concoction of colours.

I stayed away from partaking in this festival for most part of my life. My earliest memories of Holi dates back to the early years spent in Mumbai where the morning of the festival saw friends and neighbors from the colony flocking in the common areas of the building, smeared in psychedelic colors, throwing water baloons and smudging gulal at everyone in sight. Spirits high, air misty and hued, voices high pitched in celebration, it was a frightening sight for an eight year old. As a kid I stayed holed up under my mom's old sewing machine for most part of the day, quite terrified at the sight and sounds of those faces smeared in boisterous colors. It wasn't my kind of celebration.

Years have passed since the little girl who was once petrified of Holi now enjoys the sight of colors. Over years, I've let go my inhibitions and participated in it's celebrations during to my stay here in the US. Miles away from home, the need to connect and bond with Indian community is strong and comforting. Indian festivals give that opportunity. People, food and celebrations bring joy and positivity.

Sumptuous food and drinks is an integral part of Holi celebrations. No Holi is complete without a tall glass of Thandai, the fragrant spiced milk drink, made with amalgamation of ingredients like milk, saffron, nuts and spices. Come on over and let's make some soul-satiating drink that is delicious, cooling and an excellent thirst-quencher.

Thandai

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon melon seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon peppercorns
Pods from 6 green cardamoms
10 almonds
10 cashews
1/2 teaspoon rose water
1 cup warm water
1 litre milk (replace by soy milk / oat milk / almond milk for vegan version)
Sugar (as per taste)

DIRECTIONS

Soak the fennel seeds, poppy seeds, melon seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods, almonds and cashewnuts in a cup of warm water for 30 minutes. Then grind the soaked ingredients into a fine paste and keep aside.

In another small bowl, soak the saffron strands in warm milk and set it aside for 30 mins.

Next, in a pan bring milk to boil. Add sugar to your preference, stir well and simmer till the sugar melts in the milk. Add the ground thandai paste to the milk. Mix well and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the rose water and let it sit covered till it comes to room temperature. Then refrigerate it to chill for atleast 2 to 3 hours or preferably overnight. Garnish with some crushed rose petals, saffron strands and chopped almonds and pistachios. Serve chilled!

Note: I mention melon seeds as optional since they are not easily available where I stay. However traditionally Thandai uses melon seeds. Though it doesn't affect the flavor much incase you skip it.

How to make Kokum Mint Spritzer | Kokum Mint Sherbat

Its taken longer than intended to be here. Between this time, I slipped and slid deeper between cracks of workload. At this very moment, I have several windows running on my taskbar, sticky notes spread in all corners of my screen, many official mails to respond and a constant juggle with alt-tab keys to switch between the screens. There’s an excel sheet burdened with numbers everywhere, so heavy that I'll soon need to pop some pills to fight off my pounding head. My weary eyes have been rolling from ends to ends of screen with my fingers constantly prancing on the keyboard. The sudden surge in workload has been keeping me busy late nights and in offbeat hours.

A bit of relief comes from this Indian Food Blogger Meet that I so much look forward to. When the girls at IFB meet got together and rolled out this idea, I instantly knew my calender had to be blocked for these two days. Despite being an active blogger for over 5 years, I haven't been actively participating in blogger meets owing to personal constraints. So when this came across, I sent out leave notes to my manager highlighting my absence from work for that day.

IFB Meet has loads to offer. It comes with many unspoken promises. If you are not convinced, hang around here and you'll know the depth of effort these girls have been putting in to bring food bloggers together. I am looking forward to meet and greet many lovely people there, all sharing similar interests and passion for food blogging. It will be a great place to break ice with many fabulous bloggers whom I have never seen or met or virtually known. I trust my instincts that this will be worth every bit; that there will be an overload of fun, filled with learning, food, friendship, giggles, laughter and loads to take away!

While food bloggers on facebook have been pouring in recipes for a line up of contests for the registered participants at IFB Meet, I wasn't too far from this temptation. IFB Meet 2014 announced The Urbandazzle Contest recently, where the participants are expected create an interesting monsoon / summer cocktail or mocktail recipe with an Indian flavour. I put together this beautiful Kokum Mint Spritzer, quite inspired by an ingredient that belongs to my culture and is traditionally so Indian. I couldn't have thought of anything better. And I wonder how much more impressive this drink would look if you presented in UrbanDazzle Glassware! A stylish drink that's a perfect coolant on days when sun shines on your shoulder or when raindrops pitter patter on the window sill.

Kokum Mint Spritzer

To know more about kokum read here.

15 dry kokums
2 1/2 cups sugar
A generous pinch of salt
5 cups of club soda
1 cup warm water
Handful of mint leaves

Wash and soak the kokums in 1 cup of warm water for atleast 2 hours. Once they soften, grind them along with their water till they are fine in paste. Sieve them through and discard the fibre. Into the collected kokum juice, add in sugar and salt and stir well till they are completely dissolved. Allow to chill in fridge for 2 hours. When about to serve, top with sparkling water or club soda. Add in broken mint leaves and shake vigorously in a cocktail shaker. Sieve and serve chill. If serving this to toddlers (as in my second picture), skip the sparkling water / soda and replace with regular mineral water instead. Top with mint leaves. Serve chill.

Its three years past since the time our daughter came into our lives as a bundle of immense joy, love and responsibility. There she was, my little tiny tot whom I held close to my heart; so close that our breaths and heart beats felt one when I first cocooned her in my arms. That every laughter or wail of hers was instinctively a signaling feat only I could decipher. She moved out of her infancy far quicker than I had realized. I could carry her around like a doll, cuddle her fondly, swirl around with her in dance and soar her high so she would drop soundly into my arms. My playmate in every sense. I could plant a kiss on her baby cheeks at my will and dress the way I own her. She was my perfect baby doll.

By the time she turned two, she had popped out of my cuddling arms, and learnt to balance herself on foot. Her bunny jumps on our black-brown sofa has a deep dent on it. We've left it behind without mend as a hint of her mischief. She could chuckle by now, mimic her grandpa snoring and babble a rhyme or two. She could feed herself by a cup, but by no means was a neat or willing eater. She loved tender hugs and basked in the joy of being pampered. And she always needed me for her company through nights.

Her regular watch at height and weight tells us she’s tad below the normal range. But then she’s been that way since her birth. She’s now a hyper active kid of age three, in an age ripe for a child to be schooled they say. We pulled it this long home-schooling her elementary basics, avoiding so far any methodical training that would culminate her freedom to enjoy learning or push her to any orderly duress. As a quick learner she’s been way ahead of her peers. She can be friend with you quickly, can walk you through a dozen of nursery rhymes with ease, sing A-Z in phonic rhythms confidently and catch your misreckoning for your count on 1 to 10, pretty much putting many to surprise.

She needs a bit of seasoning though. She loves adults for her company and at times behaves like one. In company of other children, she is timid and demure. For long, she has been around with big folks, growing up in lack of company of children belonging to her age group. She speaks a ton that could tire anyone. Her mind is constantly bustling with dozens of questions every minute; the why-s, where’s, what’s, in constant need to be answered. She gets bored and cranky at the busyness of house and its people. She loves having someone around her every minute to play and keep her busy. As demanding as she sounds, she is a very happy child in company.

Last week, after much forethought, we placed her admissions with a nearby school. So she could wean away from comforts of being winged under parents and grandparents all the time; and find new friends for herself. To make friends with kids of her age group and discover joy in childhood and friendship. So that her curious mind would be busy with fun filled activities and play, instead of grown-up conversations. It’s a charming little place amid the bustling traffic ridden cross roads of Bangalore. With an artificial turf, bracing landscape, couple of outdoor and indoor games for play, and responsive teachers around, there’s enough there to keep her safe, busy and creative.

I was a bundle of nerves on the first day of her school. Worried as I was, several frantic calls went to my parents to know if she was doing ok or if the school had summoned them to pick her before time. In my mind I had expected her to cry her throat out, more in the company of thorough strangers and alien classmates whom she had never known. She came back home dancing happy feet instead. Certainly a joyous news for me. On day two, I accompanied her to drop at school; walking hand in hand, she, ideating about her dress and the matching shoes, and waving a cheerful bye-bye to me. A majority of her schoolmates were seen wailing, as their parents, grandparents, and aayas came to see them off. I expected she would cry for me. Instead she was still a happy child like the day before. It was a big proud moment, a revelation that my little one was adaptable and loved her time at school. Over the past two weeks, she has walked through her nestling period with no tears shed or anxious moments to deal with, making good progress at school. She is slowing getting accustomed to the company of other children, but has certainly got into good books of her teachers, gaining their confidence of being a good child. Soon someday she will wean away from tête-à-tête approach and come back to us with stories, games, learning and activities from her friends at school. She will soon grow up with an aura of her own. An individual with an independent mind who may not require her mommy or grandparents around for her being. A girl with definite thoughts, empathy and strong opinions of her own. I hope this is what good schooling will instil in her.

My little girl now carries a mid-morning snack for her school breaks. Her snack box that has healthy titbits like cut fruits, a piece of sandwich, bites of khakra or paratha wedges excites her, and each day she looks forward to what's being packed in her dabba. Mid-morning snacking was customary to her even during the time we were vacationing in US. That was the time, my little girl and I spent most of our mid-mornings together in the kitchen either chopping vegetables for lunch, baking a quick snack or whipping up berry smoothies to quench our thirsts. She would sit perched on the kitchen counter, while I stayed on my foot near the blender. She would peel bananas and I would slice them for her. The tall blender jar could nearly consume a quarter her height. Yet, she would unyielding adjust them neatly between her tiny legs and throw in ingredients by the order I said, all in for a game when it came to identifying colors and fruits.

This Banana Berry Smoothie was our all time favorite mid morning drink. I could say more deary hers. She has a penchant for bananas. We would gulp tall glasses of it in a single go, sometimes go for seconds. Add in some oats while blitzing and it makes up for a breakfast too. Thick and luscious. Sincerely healthy. And vegan to boot.

Vegan Banana Berry Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

1 cup orange juice, cold
1 big banana
3 strawberries
12 raspberries
A dash of honey / maple syrup, optional

DIRECTIONS

Wash and clean all the berries thoroughly. Peel and chop the banana to rounds. Blitz them together along with orange juice and a dash of honey or maple syrup. Serve in tall glasses.

Note: You may use frozen berries for a cold drink. Frozen bananas work well too. I used chilled orange juice here since the drink was served for a child and was about the right temperature for a toddler.

Tucked into our mom’s saree pallu, our little hands twirled into hers, carrying jute bags that we could fit ourselves in, we would often accompany our mom to do the weekly grocery shopping. Tip toeing into the busy streets of the weekly vegetable market, the lookout was always for the freshest of the produce they had to offer. The street side vendors, some on carts and others lining the pavements would sit with heaps of greens, fruits, vegetables and other kitchen staples, often calling us out loudly in the best of their voices, inviting the passing buyers with their heaps of sale. Quite a chaotic scene if I had to recall, where the street vendors would literally pull us into bargaining till we gave in, and even as one got busy perusing the vegetables and fruits, the neighbouring vegetable vendor would try to drag the buyer into his attention. Negotiating for a handful of free curry leaves or a bunch of coriander leaves was a common affair and that brought profound happiness to our hearts. And in odd occasions where the vendor refused to be considerate, mom would grump on her way back, complaining she would never go back to him again.

Those memories of market hopping and raasta shopping will stay with us for long. Shopping was quite a stimulating affair we loved. Yet it came with its rules of pros and cons. Bargaining was the tool and while it brought some joy, somewhere it would leave us dissatisfied with a sinking feeling that probably the vendor down the street sold better produce at lower prices than we bought. Then there were ploys with the traditional weighing scales, with the vegetables often weighing lesser than they should. While most of the fruits and vegetables were picked from the weekly vegetable market, we would heavily depend on the nearby kiraana shops for other kitchen staples, which meant another trip to the kiraana store.

For long now, since the supermarket culture and online shopping trends kicked in, I moved out to a more comfortable zone of shopping in a supermarket where I get my entire pantry staples at a single place. For the modern day working woman like me, it saves me time, energy and more importantly the hassle of weighing and bargaining. I ensure I pick my vegetables and pantry staples, but at times get the luxury of home deliveries too and that’s a bonus. I get to know their manufacturing date, their expiries and the ingredients. More importantly I like to return the product if I am dissatisfied.

Some time ago, I got hooked to online shopping. My first camera was bought online more than 10 years ago. Ever since then I bought several things online and got hooked to it. I browse online shopping websites very often, sometimes out of seriousness to buy, at times out of curiosity, or even to kill boredom. My husband and net savvy dad too appreciate this culture. They’ve bought electronics, tees, books, gifts, sports gears and many other stuffs online. I like the fact you save on time and effort when you need things on demand and its home delivered for free. Then there are sites like Cuponation that give crazy discounts on the products you would buy in market at higher rates and that’s really a bargain.

I wonder how many of you know, but I thought this would interest many. Cuponation has a broad collection of coupon codes with deals and offers from top online retailers like Flipkart, eBay.in, FabFurnish, Future bazaar, Jabong, Naaptol, Myntra, Home shop 18, Pepperfry and many more. I have bought several items from these retailers in the past, however ever since I got to know of Cuponation, I like using their coupons to get those added discounts on my purchases. I am eyeing at some kitchen cutleries and bakewares and these discount coupons will just be perfect. I am excited and hope you’ll too!

For times while you spend surfing the net, buying online or just couching in front of the television, these ginger lime pops will give you a perfect company. Tart, tangy, a spicy gingery twist with hint of cardamom, does that ring bells to you? Yes, its our very own nimbu sherbet in pops.

Ginger Lime Pops

INGREDIENTS

2 large limes
3 cups of water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cardamom powder
1 tsp. ginger paste

DIRECTIONS

Squeeze lime juice out of the 2 limes. Snip off the lime zest for some intense lemony flavor.

Stir the sugar in water till completely dissolved. Extract juice from ginger. Alternatively, you may also use ginger powder. Add in ginger, cardamom powder, lime zest along with the freshly squeezed lime
juice to the prepared sugary water and stir well.

Pour into pop moulds and freeze overnight or for at least 5-6 hours till set. Enjoy!

Note:

Check for sugar and adjust according to your taste. You may replace with honey if you like. These lime pops are a little tart, so reduce if you like a milder taste.

How to make Kashaya, Kashaya recipe

Yesterday marked the beginning of Navratri, a festival celebrated over nine nights and ten days, each day signifying the form of Devi or Shakti, followed by Vijayadashami or "Dussehra" celebrated on the 10th day. For many it may mean fasting, for others like me, it calls for feasting. Almost every year I look forward to this festival, for the delicacies my mom makes in bounty at home. Devi happens to be our moola mane devaru (ancestral home Goddess), so our ancestral Goddess is also offered with Pooja, flowers and variety of delicacies over all 10 days. Guests flood home, glass bangles offered to young girls and traditional food in varieties is home cooked by ladies and offered to the Goddess during the Pooja and then served on leaf to all the guests for lunch.

Despite settling in a metro city like Mumbai, the rituals were followed religiously at my paternal ancestral home, and they still continue to do so. While my mother's side were put up in a more rustic village home, where the village temple offered live tableau, cultural activities, traditional Poojas during Navratri time. During the time when the village went out of power, the light from mashaals and aarati brightened up the streets and the bhajans sung by devotees rang music to our ears. It was a common sight to watch tattiraayas (humans dressed in 7ft. puppets) and huLivesha (men dressed in tiger costumes) dance to the rhythms of dhols that brought life to the otherwise silent streets. When the lights from the aarati lit up the far end of the streets and faint hearing of dhols and bhajans pecked our ears we would run out on streets to be a part of that ceremony and dance along till it reached our home. By then the elders and ladies wait outside their house, holding a thali, often decorated with flowers, coconut, kumkum and diya for the Pooja. The poojari would patiently collect each thali, offer to the Goddess, break the coconuts and return them back to the ladies. Everyone on street flocked around the returned thali to take their quota of blessings. We never felt the need for any other form of entertainment as the vibrant culture and the simple pomp of village life kept us occupied.

Both the sides of my family were different in many ways. Never the less, the joy of celebrating the festival was the same in both my maternal and paternal ancestral homes and I surely miss them now.

One thing that almost seemed similar on both the sides of my family was this Kashaya, a herbal drink usually served instead of tea or coffee. Kashaya is a very popular drink in the South and considered a coolant in summer heat. I remember clearly the only time we had Kashaya was when we visited our relatives in villages or grandparent's home. Because it was healthy, soothing and loved by all. It had characteristic sweet and spicy flavors from jaggery and pepper. At times when we had bouts of cold or cough, my ammamma would spice it up with loads of ginger that could soothe the scratching throat. Not that kids liked it much, but yet we gulped it down with less choice as elders relished it. When we visited our relatives or they flocked home, Kashaya made it's warm presence felt. In between talks and summer heat, minus the fans or electricity, Kashaya gave a warm soothing relief which most elders enjoyed.

I do hope you will try the recipe I share and enjoy at home. Bring back your old memories and live them.

Kashaaya: Indian Herbal Brew

INGREDIENTS

For the powder:

2 cups coriander seeds
1 cup cumin seeds
1/2 cup fennel seeds
2 tbsp. black pepper

For kashaya:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. jaggery
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger or ginger powder (optional)
1 tsp kashaya powder

DIRECTIONS

Dry roast all the ingredients in low flame till mildly fragrant. Allow it to cool completely. Grind it into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.

To prepare Kashaya, heat water along with the Kashaya powder, jaggery and ginger (optional) till it comes to a rolling boil. Allow it to boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame and add hot milk. Stir well. Strain through a muslin cloth and serve hot.

We had a day off yesterday. We made mighty plans for the May day. Husband dear had planned to take our little daughter and me out to the jungle to show the wild habitat. A trip to Bannerghatta national park for our little toddler followed by the jungle safari was on our agenda. The day before, I got busy scuffling through the bags packing bottle and baby food required for the little one the next day. We were eagerly looking forward to spending an entire day outside in the jungle along with the company of lions and tigers. Plans flopped when my husband found out that the zoo and jungle safari were closed Tuesdays. Instead, we made it to the Namma Metro ride in the late afternoon, followed by a stroll on Brigade road, some cold coffee to soothe our thirst, return ride by Metro and called it a day.

For the day we had a hand, we relaxed through the morning wrapping up regular kitchen chores. The little baby went to her usual nap post her breakfast and I got busy cleaning up the kitchen counter. A small bunch of mint leaves, picked and washed left over from the morning breakfast of Pudina Paratha lay untouched. A green chilli lay there right next to it. I probably forgot to use all of the mint and chillies.

This Lime n’ Mint Spiced Drink was a welcome outcome of my forgetfulness :).

Lime n’ Mint Spiced Drink

INGREDIENTS

Juice from 2 limes
Handful of fresh mint leaves
1 green chilli
500 ml. chilled water
Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a blender, add a handful of fresh mint leaves along with a green chilli and blend well. Add in about 50 ml. water, lime juice and salt to taste and blend again. Transfer to a tall glass jug. Top it up with remaining cold water and shake well. Add in more lime juice if you like it tart and tangy. Stir well. Serve.

Lime juice served cold with mint crushed in a blender along with a green chilli, salt and pepper is a warm drink that can do equally good to you on chilly winters or hot summer noon. To keep it rustic, I did not sieve through. But if you want it clear, just sieve through and serve chilled. To make the drink pretty, just dip the rim of glass in some of the juice, roll it over some salt and then pour the juice. Stick a lime slice on the side and you are set to go!