French 75

Here I come again with a new exciting Cocktail recipe.

Ingredients:

60ml Gin or Cognac

40ml Lemon juice

40ml Simple Syrup

Chilled Champagne or Sparkling wine

Garnish:

Lemon Peel long

Glass:

Champagne Flute glass

This recipe yields 2 servings.

To prepare the drink:

• Add all the ingredients except Champagne to the shaker. Fill it with ice cubes and shake well.

• Strain it equally among the glasses and top up with Champagne or Sparkling wine. Garnish with the lemons long peel.

  NOTE:

•    Champagne or Sparkling wine used for this cocktail should be chilled.

How to make tea

A lot can happen over a tea and that’s very true. Though today im writing this recipe here but this recipe is for me too especially to refer. After coming back from vacation Im always blank and forget the basic things like what was the ratio of milk and water? How many spoons sugar I used to put?  So yes this recipe is for me too, to be on safer side.

Tea are of made in various ways cardamom tea, ginger tea, masala chai, Kadak chai the base of all these teas are same only the ingredients which goes in it make a whole difference. Today im going to make my familys favourite Cardamom- Ginger chai.

Also later in future will provide the Masala chai’s ingredients. For now lets proceed on How to make tea/ Chai.

This recipe will serve 2 cups.

Ingredients:

1½ cup Milk

½ cup Water

2 tblspn Sugar

1½ tblspn Tea powder

2 nos. Cardamom pods crushed or powder

1” Freshly grated ginger

Method:

  1.   In a pan add milk and water and keep on flame.

  2.   Add sugar, tea powder, cardamom powder and grated ginger. Let it boil nicely for few sec.

  3.   Put off the flame. Strain the chai in another pan. 

  4.   Wash the chai pan with plain water to remove the tea powder. Now pour the chai from some height to another pan. Do this twice.

  5.   Then pour the hot chai in the Teakettle. Now it’s ready to serve with biscuits or fritters.

NOTE:

•         Measurements of milk and water are to be taken from the standard teacup in which you will be serving tea.
•        For diabetic patients do not add sugar. First prepare the tea, pour out the tea for them and then add sugar in the remaining tea and boil in once.
•        Step 4 can be avoided for beginners. This step creates a foam/ Jhag on the tea, which prevents from forming a layer on chai, which many people don’t like. 

So here’s my version of making chai. Share yours too.

Manga Kichadi

This one of the most easiest and quick recipes to make. And a quick sprout for the taste buds too.

Ingredients:

1small Green Mango Peeled and diced

Half a cup freshly grated coconut

1-2 nos. Green Chilly

4-5 tblpsn Yoghurt

Salt as per the taste

For Tempering:

2 tblspn Oil/ Coconut oil

1tspn Mustard seeds

3-4nos. Dry red chilly

Few fresh Curry leaves

4 -5 nos. Small onions/ shallots

Method:

  1.   Wash and peel the green mango and dice into small cubes.

  2.   Now grind it with freshly grated coconut, green chilly and salt to a fine paste. Adding very little water while grinding.

  3.   Beat the yoghurt and mix it with the mango grounded paste.

  4.   Heat oil in a tadka pan add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Now add dry red chilly, curry leaves and sliced small onions. Fry them till onions turns golden in color.

  5.   Pour this seasoning over the kichadi and mix it gently.

  6.   Our Green mango kichadi is teady to serve.

NOTE:

• You can always increase or decrease the amount of green chillies as per your spice level.

Beetroot Pachadi

It was my first Onam as a Malayali and my hubby dear showed me this recipe on Onam. I personally don’t like to eat vegetables like beetroot, carrot, etc. But these Keralaites seriously have an interesting ways to eat their veggies. I just loved this veggie side dish curry, which can be enjoyed with rice and lentil curry (Varan). So heres the pachadi recipe in our style hope you all also enjoy having it as much as I did.

Ingredients:

1 big sized Beetroot

4-5 nos. Green Chillies

1/4^th cup water

1 cup Yoghurt

Salt as per the taste

For Tempering:

2 tblspn Oil/ Coconut oil

1tspn Mustard seeds

1/4^th tspn Fenugreek seeds/ Ulva
3-4 nos. dry red chilly

Few fresh Curry leaves

4 -5 nos. Small onions/ shallots

Method:

  1.   Grate the beetroot. In a pan add the grated beetroot and cook it along with slit green chillies, salt and water till beetroot gets cooked. Max 10mins.

  2.   Blend yoghurt and lower the flame. Beetroot should not be boiling at this point; it should be simmering slowly, while adding the yoghurt, or the curd will start cuddling. Mix it well and let it cook on low flame.

  3.   Heat oil in a tadka pan add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Now add fenugreek seeds, dry red chilly, curry leaves and sliced small onions. Fry them till onions turns golden in color.

  4.   Pour this seasoning over the curry and mix it gently.

  5.   Our beetroot pachadi is ready to serve with steamed rice, pickle and papad.

NOTE:

• Always while adding the yoghurt to any curry, reduce the flame to low. The curry should not be boiling or it will start to cuddle. Also do not boil the curry after adding the yoghurt.
• You can always increase the amount of green chillies, if you like it spicy.