Sandesh

Ingredients:
Whole milk – ½ gallon
Lime /lemon juice – 1 to 2 tablespoons
Powdered sugar – 1/2 cup or according to your taste
Cardamom powder – ¼ teaspoon
Rose essence – 2 to 3 drops
Pink colour – 2 to 4 drops
Milk - ½ teaspoon (to mix the food colour)
Saffron strands for garnishing.
Cheese cloth.
Strainer.



Method:
In a thick sauce pan add the milk.
Bring the milk to boil.
Add the lime /lemon juice in the middle.
Remove from heat when milk curdles.
Spread the cheese cloth in a strainer. Use a coarse woven cheese cloth and a strainer to get the malai (indian cottage cheese) .
To soften the cheese and to subdue the lime taste, hold the cheese on running water for a few seconds. Allow all the water to drip away.
Make a soft dough of the cheese by kneading it for 3-4 minutes or until soft.
Add the powdered sugar, rose essence, cardamom powder to the dough and knead.
Mix the food colour in ½ teaspoon of milk, sprinkle it on the cheese dough and knead.
In a pan add the cheese and cook in very low flame for 4 to 5 minutes.
Mix continuously with flat spatula.
When the cheese starts to leave the sides of pan, remove and shape into desired.
Garnish if you like.
Reference : http://keeptrying.wordpress.com/2006/05/04/kesar-sandeshlessons-learnt/

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White Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin is a squashy vegetable and also for carving Halloween faces. Of course, you can recognize those funny faces in Halloween ….. In my memory, I had seen many people use pumpkins for dhrishti and mess up the road. I don’t know if they still continue to do these activities nowadays. But white pumpkin…….grown in India, China, New England. They’re like the common yellow/orange pumpkins. Sometimes, they’re called ghost pumpkins. Their seeds are roasted and used in salads for diet.

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Ingredients:
White pumpkin – 1 medium sized (cut into cubes)
Onion – ¼ (diced)
Ginger – 1 inch (grated)
Carrot – 1 (diced)
Red capsicum – ½ (diced)
Olive oil as required for sautéing
Coconut milk – 1 cup
Chicken /vegetable broth or water – 2 cups
White pepper
Salt – little
Cream to garnish

Method:
Boil the pumpkins till tender, and puree them.
Add oil to the kadai. Toss in onions and sauté. Then throw ginger and again sauté.
Throw in the carrot and capsicum and pour little water.
When the carrot and capsicum are tender, puree them.
Mix (Kalakkunga, Kalakkunga, Kalakiktae Irunga!) all the pumpkin, carrot, capsicum purees and 2 cups of broth, stir well.
Add salt.
Include the coconut milk and remove from fire.
Spinkle the white pepper and garnish with cream.
Note: As we have added coconut milk, it should not be reheated and it's good to be consumed immediately.
You can also add equal parts of diced celery, carrot and little of capsicum.

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Strawberry Smoothie

I had plenty of strawberries in my back yard (in the last night's dream........hmmm!!! deep breath). I love the color of strawberry with green leaves combo.

Ingredients:
Strawberry – 10
Banana (frozen) – 1
Fresh orange juice – squeezed from one fruit
Vanilla flavored low fat yogurt – 2 tablespoon
Ice as required.

Method:
Toss the strawberries and frozen banana in a blender and blend.
Then add the orange juice, vanilla yogurt and ice.
Blend till smooth.
Pour it in a tall glass and have a healthy drink!

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Cantaloupe Smoothies

Just be sure that all fruits are ripe before making a smoothie!!!
Cantaloupe. It has Vitamin C.

Ingredients:
Cantaloupe - half fruit
Frozen banana (peeled) - 1

Method:
Cut the fruits into pieces.
Throw them in the blender.
Blend till smooth!

Here is another type of smoothie.
Use half fruit Cantaloupe, one frozen banana, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, ice and little honey. Blend them all and you will have a great drink!

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Water Melon Smoothie

This was a breakfast on a Sunday.

Ingredients:
Water Melon - ½ fruit
Vanilla Low Fat Yoghurt - ½ cup
Ice - as required.


Method:
Toss in everything in the blender and blend until smooth!

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Cassava Chips

Cassava Chips

I found most of the local grocers in Miami sell yucca root. They also call it cassava. The familiar names are maravalli kizhangu, kappa, tapioca. The tapioca chips are popular at hot chips outlets.

Peel the skin from root. Slice them in desired shapes. Pat dry both the sides. Deep fry them. Make sure to slice thinly and don’t overcrowd the fryer with cassava chips. Crispy chips are ready. Sprinkle some spices and fried curry leaves if you like.

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