Avil Milk/Milk Aval | Summer Special Drinks

Come summer and all day you feel like gulping down something cold and refreshing.I love Milk based drinks as it fills you up along with quenching your thirst,cool right?So while browsing through some recipes on a website,I read about this popular juice joint in Calicut which served Milk based drinks,all through the year.We had a similar joint in Ernakulam from where we got our regular dose of Sharjah Shake and the likes.It is from that shop I learnt the trick of freezing the milk for milkshakes which makes it creamier and thicker.

Avil Milk/Milk Aval is a very easy recipe which uses only a handful of ingredients,most of which is easily found in your kitchen.There are different ways to make this drink but I followed a recipe from my memory of drinking it in the juice shop in Ekm.The drink is quite filling because of the addition of Avil/Flattened rice flakes,banana and nuts.You could also take it up a notch by adding a scoop of ice-cream.

Avil Milk/Milk Aval

Ingredients

Avil/Aval/Flattened rice flakes - 1/2 cup
Cashewnuts - 10-12,chopped
Banana - 1 small
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Boost - 1 tbsp (you could also use Horlicks or any Malt drink powder)
Cold milk - 2 cups
1 candied cherry for garnish

Method

In a non stick pan,add the avil and dry roast for 5-10 minutes or until the avil turns crisp.This is a mandatory step because if added fresh,the avil would turn soggy.
In the same pan toast the cashewnuts till light golden brown in colour.
In a mixer/blender add the banana,sugar,boost and milk and blend together till smooth.
For assembling the drink - add roasted avil to a tall glass and top with the toasted cashew.Add the milkshake on top.You could also alternate layers of milk and avil but I just added one layer.
Top with some more avil and nuts.Sprinkle some Boost on top and garnish with a cherry.

Step by step Pictorial

In a non stick pan,add the avil and dry roast for 5-10 minutes or until the avil turns crisp.This is a mandatory step because if added fresh,the avil would turn soggy.

In the same pan toast the cashewnuts till light golden brown in colour.

In a mixer/blender add the banana,sugar,boost and milk and blend together till smooth.

For assembling the drink - add roasted avil to a tall glass and top with the toasted cashew.Add the milkshake on top.You could also alternate layers of milk and avil but I just added one layer.

Top with some more avil and nuts.

Sprinkle some Boost on top and garnish with a cherry.

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Rose Milk with Sabja seeds | Summer Drinks Recipe

Rose milk evokes quite a few nostalgic memories for me.Though we loved drinking milk as kids,the flavored,cool milk drinks which we were treated to every once in a while held a very special place in our hearts.So many flavors to choose from and each were as good as the other,but almost always my choice remained the pink,sweet milk which was fondly named as Rose milk.

I am not amazed that it still holds a special place in my heart even now.I mean,what's not to love.Come summer and I always have a chilled jug of milk inside my fridge with which I could churn out a glass of rose milk any time of the day.I keep trying different concentrates/powders and feel that you have to experiment with the right brand to choose your favorite.I loved this famous Kalathi kadai concentrate but right now,my favorite is this brand(Guruji Rose Sharbat)

While you can have the rose milk as it is,how about the addition of Sabja seeds which make it even more delicious and refreshing?

Sabja seeds,also known as Tukmaria seeds or Falooda seeds are the seeds of Sweet basil.The seeds expand as much as 30 times their size when soaked in water and are full of fiber and packed with nutrition.It also has cooling effects on the stomach and helps in healing acidity and heart burns.

Rose milk with Sabja seeds

Ingredients

Milk - 2 cups,chilled
Rose syrup/sharbat - 2 tbsp
Sabja seeds - 1 tsp
Ice cubes

Method

Soak sabja seeds in about 3/4 cup water for 10-15 minutes.
In a jug add rose syrup and mix in the milk-the concentrate I use has sugar hence I did not add any extra sugar.
Add a tbsp(or more) of soaked sabja seeds and mix well.
To serve,add few ice cubes into a glass and top with the rose milk.Add some more sabja seeds on top if you like.

Step by Step Pictorial

Soak sabja seeds in about 3/4 cup water for 10-15 minutes.

In a jug add rose syrup and mix in the milk-the concentrate I use has sugar hence I did not add any extra sugar.

Add a tbsp(or more) of soaked sabja seeds and mix well.
To serve,add few ice cubes into a glass and top with the rose milk.Add some more sabja seeds on top if you like.

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Mushroom Matar Masala | North Indian Gravy Recipes

We love gobbling up Rotis,be it for lunch or dinner.More so if paired with a delicious curry,in fact I look forward to eating the left over chapathi and curry for the next morning breakfast,yeah no doubts about our chapathi obsession there,right?I find kneading the chapathi dough therapeutic too :)

These days,I finish all cooking when Li'l Arjun is asleep.So mostly by 4 in the evening my chapathi dough is kneaded and ready so is the curry/sabzi.It also helps that I get to cook/photograph the same and hopefully it appears here,sooner or later.

Mushroom Matar Masala is without doubt a delicious combination of the two in a creamy tomato gravy.It goes perfectly well with hot chapathi as well as some lightly spiced rice with a simple raita by the side.

Mushroom Matar Masala
Recipe source - Veg Recipes of India

Ingredients

Mushrooms - 200 gms,cleaned and quartered
Matar/Peas - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 large
Cashews - 12-15
Onion - 1 medium
Ginger - 1' piece
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Haldi/turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Kasuri methi - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf/Tej Patta - 1
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Sugar - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

Soak cashews in hot water for 15-20 minutes.

In a kadai heat 1 tbsp oil and add the chopped mushrooms and saute till the mushrooms release water and turn golden brown.Remove and keep aside.
Cook the peas and keep aside.

Make a paste of onion,ginger and garlic using 1 tbsp water,reserve.

Drain the soaked cashews and make a paste with tomatoes till smooth and creamy,there shouldn't be any cashew bits or tomato pieces.

In the same kadai,add the butter and tej patta/bay leaf.
Add the onion-ginger-garlic paste and saute till it dries up and becomes golden brown in colour.

Then add the tomato-cashew paste and saute till oil leaves the side of the paste.
Add the spice powders-haldi,red chilly,coriander and garam masala.

Stir and saute for 2-3 minutes,then add the water,salt and sugar.

Mix in the mushroom and matar  and let the curry come to a boil.Simmer and cook for another 2-3 minutes and then add crushed kasuri methi.

Switch off the pan and serve hot.

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Sitaphal/Custard Apple Milkshake

So we've stocked up on some smooth custard apple pulp,now what next.I wish I was creative enough to come up with ideas to use it other than eat it on its own or pulse it into a milkshake.I tried making a phirni out of it,using a basic phirni recipe and mixing a few tbsps of fruit pulp into it.Before it set properly we ate it up so it never made it to the blog.

Next on my list was a mousse,but to be honest we've been on a sweet high since Diwali and the thought of making something with sugar really put me off,however delicious that might have been.A milkshake was a quick and easy option,the sitaphal is sweet on its own so no need to add much sugar also,win-win!

As I was making the milkshake,another thought occurred to me which was to freeze the pulp in ice cubes and store in a ziploc for further use.Next time for sure!

Sitaphal/Custard Apple Milkshake

Ingredients

Sitaphal pulp - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Milk - 1 1/2 cups
Ice cubes - a few,optional

Method

 
In a mixer blend together the sitaphal pulp,sugar and milk.
 
Blend some ice cubes and serve chilled.

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How to make Sitaphal Pulp | Custard Apple Pulp

If there is any fruit which I love,but hate the way I have to work to enjoy the 'fruit' of labour,it has to be Sitaphal/Custard Apple.It is so very delicious but pretty difficult to eat since with every bite there would be a couple of seeds to spit out.Whenever it is in season,our house sees kilos after kilos of this sweet fruit.I've never ventured into making anything with it other than to eat,it is pretty difficult to eat,leave alone making anything with it.

After tasting Sitaphal ice-cream in Naturals,I think the flavour just got more prominence in my mind.I've also tasted milkshakes and kulfis with a predominant sitaphal flavour.I wanted to try a phirni with it for Diwali for which I needed sitaphal pulp.I remember how in juice shops,they just pulp the fruit and seeds together and then sieve it.I followed the same method.

Having a stash of the pulp in the fridge gave me a lot of ideas.I did make a super small batch of phirni which we ate up before it had time to properly set,so made milkshakes with the rest of the pulp.I think the no-churn ice-cream would be a safe bet too,if I don't eat up the pulp on its own :)

How to make Sitaphal Pulp

Ingredients

Sitaphal/Custard Apple - 5-6,big or 7-8 medium
Milk - 1/3 cup
Sugar - 1 tbsp,optional

Method

 
Scoop out the pulp with the seeds into a bowl.Into a mixer,add the pulp along with the milk and pulse for 5-10 seconds.

 
In a wide bowl,place a fine meshed sieve and pour the mix into it.
Using a spatula sieve the pulp.Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.You can add sugar at this point or skip it.
It is necessary to use milk as it aids grinding.If not,the seeds may get ground into the pulp and make it grainy and bitter.

Works best for ice-creams,kulfi,milkshakes and phirni.

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Mango Recipes on Easycooking

Are you done with eating Mangoes this summer?Now who am I kidding,we can never get tired of eating mangoes which make its presence only for a few months in a year.For us it is always the same,we enjoy the mangoes as is for a long time and when the season is just about to end,I am looking for ways to incorporate mango in my cooking and baking.

Ambya Gojju is a no-cook sweet mango curry(except for the tempering) which works perfectly as a cool after-meal dessert.Choose fibrous mangoes so that you can keep dipping the seed in the sauce and lick them off your fingers!

Mango Buttermilk Pound cake is a take on the classic Lime Buttermilk pound cake.A simple Vanilla cake recipe flavored with mango pulp and spiked with dry ginger powder.Serve it plain or with a mango cream sauce.

Ambya Paank or Mango preserve is a wonderful way to keep eating mangoes even after the season ends.Add equal amount of mango and sugar and cook till it reaches a jam consistency.Tastes great with bread,chapathi and even dosa!

Mango smoothie or milkshake can be a wonderful summer drink.Chill the mangoes and blend it with milk ice cubes and the summer heat suddenly becomes bearable!

Aamras with Poori can make my diet plans go haywire.I've restricted myself to make poori only twice in a year.Once with aamras and once with Bibbe upkari.Now don't ask me how many I eat at one sitting!

Ambya Ambat is a simple konkani side dish where ripe mangoes are cooked in a dal-coconut gravy.Goes perfectly well with rice as well as on its own.

Fresh mango loaf cake is again,a simple vanilla cake flavored with mango pulp.Makes for a wonderful snack time treat.

Mango Crumble,ripe mangoes cooked with butter and caramelized sugar,flavored with fresh ginger and topped with a streusel and baked till golden brown.Just too good!

When ripe mangoes are being discussed,how can the raw ones be left behind?

Mango Chundo,a delicious preserve made with grated raw mangoes and sugar and even better,made in a microwave.

Raw Mango chutney,raw mangoes ground into a chutney with coconut and green chilly,a spicy addition to any meal.

So what are you cooking/baking with Mangoes this season?

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Anjeer Milkshake - Fig & Honey Milkshake

While writing out the title for this post,I was reminded of our college days where my friend Mary always ordered a fig and honey ice-cream from Baskins.I still don't know if she really liked it or ordered it just because it sounded exotic and different.We hadn't even known what a fig looks like then,so how can someone rave endlessly about the fruit,I don't understand.Now Mary,do not kill me after reading this ok?

In March,while we were in Udupi attending a cousins wedding,I was startled to find a Fig Milkshake as a welcome drink.I hadn't given much thought to this humble dry fruit but was willing to give it a chance after all.The milkshake was crunchy and sweet and very refreshing on a hot summer day.I could taste the figs as well as a faint ice-cream taste.

I decided to try it and see if it matches the taste.After all,a few ingredients including ice-cream and figs can never go wrong right.

Anjeer Milkshake - Fig & Honey Milkshake

Ingredients (serves 2)

Dried Figs - 5

Honey - 1 tbsp

Butterscotch ice-cream - 80 ml cup (approximately 2 tbsp)

Milk - 1 1/2 cups ( I used 3/4 cup milk ice cubes and 3/4 cup chilled milk)

Method

 
Soak the figs in warm water for 10-15 minutes.This step is important or else the figs wouldn't grind well.

 
In a blender add chopped figs(chopped after soaking),honey,ice cream,milk ice cubes and milk.Blend for 10-15 seconds.

Serve chilled.

Notes

• I haven't added any sugar in the milkshake because figs,honey and ice-cream provide the sweetness.However,if you feel it is not sweet as per your liking,add 1-2 tsp of sugar while blending.
• Soaking the figs in warm water is a must.It wouldn't blend in the milkshake otherwise(speaking from experience!).
• You can add any kind of nuts too for an added crunch.I added Butterscotch ice-cream coz that's all I had.Feel free to add Vanilla too.

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