Roasted Plum Ice cream on Oreo crumbs and Caramelized Pineapple

With the onset of summer holidays , comes the responsibilities of making varieties of kids friendly recipes to keep them busy. Every time I visit the departmental store for grocery, I simply head towards the fruit zone to check for exotic fruits and whenever I find these juicy fruits on the rack I pick them up . Plums are those rare fruits which comes with such myriad of colors which are not only juicy but taste awesome also. I try making almost all kinds of recipes with fruits but in summer I just fall for the roasted Plums Icecream. The best way to have them is roast them with little sugar and some salt and you get finger licking plums at your disposal.

When you think of one favourite items with the kids , its undoubtedly Ice cream, which is universally accepted as a summer delight. You can never go wrong with the flavors of Ice cream available in the market, but developing your own flavours with the available ingredients is the greatest joy for me and when a flavor is accepted by the kids I seems to be on cloud nine. I always suffer from this guilt pang like any other working women when the time of summer holidays approaches. How to keep them busy, with the healthiest foods and the varieties so that they do not get bored is the concern which is common to all the mothers in this world. So to bring a relief to your summer delight planning, the theme for the 42nd  Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme will come very handy to you #kidsdelight. 

This summer holiday is a bit different for me this year as my kid has finally completed his Senior High School and about to embark upon a new journey of his life and when I have to think of his favourite foods down the year , one thing tops the list is his love for Oreo Biscuits, Milk and milk related products and his love for fruits especially the juicy kinds as he is very fond of chilled beverages. So I try to put all his favourite things on a platter for this 42^ndFoodie Monday Bloghop theme of #kidsdelight……….Roasted Plum Ice cream on Oreo crumbs and Caramelized Pineapple.

Recipe Type: Dessert

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Setting Time: 1 day

Yields: 400 ml

Ingredients:

For Plum Icecream

• 200 ml Amul Fresh Cream
• 100ml Condensed Milk
• 4 nos of Plums
• 8 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

For Caramalized pineapple

• 1 Pineapple
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp black salt

For Oreo Crumbs

• 8 nos of Oreo biscuits

Let’s Learn How to make this recipe:

For the Ice cream:

• Wash and chop the plums and cook with sugar and salt on low flames till the plum gets cooked and become tender. Take off from heat and let it cool completely. Once cool coarsely puree in a blender and keep aside.

• Place the container and the blades in the freezer till for 20 minutes.

• Beat the cream for 5 to 7 minutes. Add milkmaid to it and blend well.

• Now add half of the plum puree into the mixture along with a tsp of vanilla essence and mix it well. Pour into air tight container and let it chill in the refrigerator for minimum 5 to 6 hrs or till set. 

• Take out from fridge and blend to a fine puree . You will see the volume rising and becoming airy. Repeat this process once more after the ice cream is set  and add the remaining plum puree and mix a little so that you can see tiny chunks of plums in the Ice cream and keep in the fridge to set it overnight. 

For the caramelized Pineapple

• Cut the pineapple and take off its skin and cut into triangular shape. Prick it with a toothpick. Sprinkle some black salt and chilli flakes on it and keep aside.

• In a pan take a sugar and 1 tsp of water and heat on a medium  flame till sugar melts and starts to caramelize . Now dip the pineapple pieces in the caramelized sugar and keep aside.

For Assembling the whole recipe:

• In  a plate, crush the Oreo biscuits and place them in the bottom . Take a big scoop out of the roasted Plum Ice cream and place it over the crumble. Place the caramelized pineapple pieces in the side and serve with some chocolatae syrup on top. 

Mango Iced Tea Lemonade

If you are a confusing soul like me when asked to choose between having Tea or having Amras , then look no further, Mango Iced tea  is the perfect summer drink for you. This sweet, tangy and delicious summer drink with the goodness of green tea and a hint of lemon in it, has become a regular drink during this summer .Your Mango Iced tea taste differently with the use of different mangoes, but try to stick to mangoes which is not fibrous. You can create this iced refreshment with green tea, mango and a hint of lemon at the comfort of your own home before the mango season goes away.

Mangoes have marked their presence felt in almost all parts of the World, it's no wonder why it is called the king of Fruits. Being neighbors, Odisha market gets flooded with mangoes from Andhra Pradesh which are truly becoming favourites all over India as well.The two popular Andhra varieties found in Odisha market is Beganpalli and Sundari known as Sapheda and Sundar respectively in Northern India. 

You do not require any special ingredients or technique to enjoy this Mango Iced Tea. All you need is some mango syrup, some strong black tea which is cooled in the refrigerator and lemon juice to spice it up and some mint leaves to garnish. 


Recipe Type: Beverage

prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10  minutes

Serves: 2 glasses

Ingredients:

• 3 nos of Mangoes  chopped and pureed
• 4 nos of tea bags
• 4 cups water
• I inch ginger finely grated
• 1 medium lemon
• 2 tsp sugar
• a few mint leaves for garnishing
• Ice cubes

Let us learn how to make the recipe:

• Wash ,peel and chopped the mangoes and puree them in a blender and keep in the refrigerator to chill.

•  Heat water using the gas stove. Add sugar and the ginger and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea bags and cover . let it steep in hot water for 7 to 8 minutes. Strain and let keep it in the refrigerator to cool.

•  Before serving , place 3 to 4 ice cubes in a glass ,pour some mango puree, add the lemon juice, tea liquor  and stir well .

• Serve the mango Iced Tea with lots of ice and garnish with mint leaves and lemon wedges.

Double Cheese Burst Italian Pizza- How to make Pizza at home

A dish which has accepted worldwide for it’s adaptability and versatile nature, it is none other than the Pizza. When we think of Pizza, we think of Italy simultaneously because Italy is famous for both it’s Pizza and Pasta. Pizza could be thin and thick, cheesy or traditional; it can be made as per your choice. The choice of topings in unlimited from vegetables to meat.Whichever way you make it, it turns out to be yummy.In it’s basic form, pizza is a flatbread, which is later cooked by placing it on a hot stone and seasoned with special herbs. Pizza is made from some simple ingredients like flour, salt, oil and yeast and some herbs.Italian Pizzas have thin crust , whereas American Pizza has thick base.

 

When it comes to having Pizza , it is my son's favorite food and whenever I have time I try to make this at home for him.For a couple of days, the weather here seems so gloomy and to cheer us up, I decided to made this cheese burst pizza at home which happens to be our 41st Foodie Monday Bloghop theme of #pizzamania.

 

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Resting Time:30 minutes

cooking time: 12 minutes

Yields:2 medium Pizzas

Ingredients: 

For the Pizza Base

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2tbsp Semolina
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil

For the Pizza sauce:

• 12 nos of tomatoes
• 1 medium size onion finely chopped
• 8 to 10 garlic pods finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 1/2tbsp of dried basil leaves
• 1 ½ tbsp of dry Oregano
• 3 tbsp live oil
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• salt

For the Toppings:

• I large onions cut into rings
• 1 Green Bell Pepper cut into rings
• 1 large tomato cut into rings
• 100 gms paneer cubes
• 5 to 6 nos of green olives
•  5 to 6 nos of black olives
• 12 tbsp sweet corns
• Grated  mozzarella cheese
• Pizza seasonings
• 1 tbsp chilli flakes
• Basil Leaves for garninshing

Let's learn how to make this Italian Pizza from scratch.

Making the Pizza Base:

• In a cup of lukewarm water, add the sugar and yeast. Stir well so that it gets mixed up properly. Cover the container and let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. After 15 minutes you will notice the mixture has frothy, then you can use it, or else you have to discard it.

• Mix  all purpose flour, semolina, salt, oil and the yeast mixture and mix everything with your hands. You will find the mixture quite sticky. Keep on kneading the dough with the help of greasing your palms with oil so that you can knead the dough properly . After 5 minutes you will notice the dough has becomes soft. Cover with cling film and kept in warm place for minimum 2 hours. After 2 hours you will notice the dough has doubled in volume , that means you are ready with your pizza dough.

Making the Pizza sauce:

• Boil the tomatoes for 10 minutes ad take away from heat. Let it cool. Once cool, blanch them and puree in the blender. Keep it aside.

• Heat oil in the pan and add the chopped garlic to it and saute for 10 to 15 seconds and then add the chopped onions and cook till onions are translucent. Add the tomato puree, basil leaves, oregano, salt, crushed pepper , vinegar and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or till the sauce thickens a bit. Add sugar and check the seasoning and cook for further 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pizza sauce cools a bit.

For making the Pizza:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degree .
• Cut the vegetables and the paneer cubes and add salt, chilli flakes and Italian seasoning to it and keep aside.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and on a floured surface, flatten them to form a round disk. I keep flatting with the tip of my fingers; you can use the rolling pin also. Brush the parchment paper with olive oil and keep this pizza base on it. Sprinkle generous amount of mozzarella cheese over it and season with chilli flakes and some Italian seasoning and place the other pizza base over it so that the base one gets completely covered. With the help of your finger tips , close the edges properly.
• Now spread the pizza sauce over it, Top it with the vegetables , sweet corn, paneer cubes, olives and spread grated cheese over it.
• Bake the Pizza in the pre heated oven at 200 degree for 12 minutes or till you see the edges turning a little brown.
• Sprinkle seasoning over it and some fresh basil leaves and serve it along with some fizzy beverages.

Sending this to our 41st Foodie Monday Bloghop event called #pizzamania

Bhapa Sandesh/ Steamed Sandesh/ Steamed Cottage Cheese Fudge

'Bhapa Sandesh' or steamed milk fudge need no introduction to any Bengali , for others it is a specific type of sweet or dessert created with chenna (Indian Cheese), sugar and are available in many types and shapes. Bhapa Sandesh is made by steaming home-made cottage cheese and that's why the name is Steamed Sandesh. 'Bhapa' in Bengali means steamed. This steamed Sandesh is usually decorated with saffron streaks or dry fruits or rose petals.

Sandesh are made from Chhena or cottage cheese which is the solid form of milk collected after it is curdled . The process involves  kneading  of chenna along with some sugar and tossing it on slow heat till it leaves the sides of the pan and then after cooling , various shapes can be given to the sandesh with the help of moulds which are mainly made of stone or wood.  

Ingredient :

• 2 litre full fat milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
•  8 to 10 tsp  sugar
• A pinch of green cardamom powder
• a generous pinch of Saffron
• 1 tbsp hot milk
• 1 tbsp chopped pistachios

Let’s Learn how to make this Steamed Sandesh

• Boil the milk in a big pan and stir continuously. Once the milk starts boiling, lower the flame. Pour the lemon juice and stir. Once the milk starts curdling , you will notice the greenish water called whey, switch off the gas and remove the milk.Leave the chenna in this condition for 5-7 minutes.

• Pour the chena over a soft cheese cloth and let all the water drain away.Now put this cloth with the chenna under running cold water for 2-3 minutes to  help removing the smell of lemon.

• Hang the chenna along with the cloth for 30 minutes or till all the water drains away.Soak the saffron in the hot milk.

• Soak the saffron in 1 tbsp warm milk and keep aside.

• Now transfer the chenna to a large plate and the sugar and start kneading with the back of your palm till  it gets soft and smooth, add the cardamom powder. Again knead it nicely, until you feel oil on your palm. 

• Take a container; line it with parchment paper. Pour the cheese mixture into the container, sprinkle the saffron strands and cover it with aluminum foil and put it on a steamer and let it cook on low to medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. 

• Once it is done, let it cool down first at room temperature. Then put the container into the refrigerator for half an hour and serve .

• Cut it into the pieces. Bhapa Sandesh is ready. Sprinkle or decorated with some chopped pistachios and serve!  

Note: Please note that the Chenna shouldn’t get too dry. If it gets dry, the Sandesh won’t be soft enough.

Chai Ice cream - How to make Masala Chai Ice cream at home

My mornings are never complete without a sip of chai . This has been a routine since I was a kid when mom would make the first batch of tea early in the morning and the aroma of the freshly brewed chai would compel us to wake up from bed. Chai or Tea is always a part of most of the discussion be it in the morning or in the evening. Sharing  the newspaper along with a cup of chai and some biscuits early in the morning is what many of you can relate to. This morning ritual is still a part of my life today when both mom and son would sit down in the morning to have our tea together.

Whenever I have traveled I always make sure to find the best tea stall and have my tea there. Be it a small town in the foot of the Himalayas or a simple Sikkim village selling homemade tea made with yak milk, Tea or Chai evokes a feeling of belonging, a sense of togetherness, a feeling well beyond words. If you happen to travel through north India, you will definitely come across a tea stall at almost each corner offering Chai. Apart from the regular Tea, you will likely to find a delicious Masala Tea.

The spices used in the Masala tea vary according to the region and how strong or light you want to have it. The traditional spices used in chai are cinnamon, ginger, clove, cardamom and black pepper. Tea drinking in India has been popularized by the English in the early 1900's to market their produce.But the Indian people preferred to have tea not only with sugar and milk but also used to add cardamom, pepper, cinnamon as opposed to the way the Englishmen prefer the Indians to follow. 

You must be wondering why I am speaking about Tea or Chai in this hot and humid summer, that’s the reason why I choose my favourite hot beverage to give it a cold makeover for our 40^th Foodie Monday Bloghop theme of Summer coolers…. settle for this unusually flavoured Masala Chai Ice cream which is thick,Creamy, Sweet and Perfectly chai-spiced.

This Chai Ice cream is infused with the spices (masala), crushed green cardamom seeds and freshly grated ginger root just like my mother used to prepare for us when we wanted that something extra comfort and warmth. Holding this cup of Chai Icecream in my hand makes me a little nostalgic and brought back memories of sweet playful years which is never going to come back again. 

Recipe Type: Dessert

Prep time:30 minutes
Setting time: Overnight
Yields: 400 ml 

Ingredients: 

• 200 ml Amul fresh cream
• 200 ml of Amul Whipping Cream
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ cup water
• 200 ml of condensed milk
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 crushed green cardamom pods
• 2 crushed peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• A pinch of nutmeg powder
• 1inch piece peeled, chopped ginger
• 2 tbsp Assam Tea

Let's Learn How to make the Chai Ice cream:

• Boil half cup of water with cardamom, pepper, crushed ginger,cloves,nutmeg powder and cinnamon on medium flames . when it starts to boil, add  the tea leaves and boil for another 2 to 3 minutes on low flame. Remove from stove and strain. Now transfer the strained tea into the saucepan and add milk and sugar to it and starts boiling the liquid on a medium-high flame till it reduces to half say roughly 1 cup tea. Remove the liquid from the stove and keep aside until ready to use.

• Once the chai has cooled completely, add the condensed milk to it and mix till combined.

• Place the container as well as the whipping blade in the freezer for 30 minutes along with the cream. Whip the cream till it becomes stiff and then add the condensed milk and tea mixture to it and blend everything well.

• Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate over night . After it is set, take it out and churn again in a blender and put it back on the container to set it for another 3 to 4 hours. Your Chai Ice cream is ready to be savoured.

Sending this Chai Ice cream seasoned with rich and warm Chai Spices to the 4oth #Foodie Monday #Bloghop theme of #SummerCoolers ...In the meanwhile you might be also interested to check Sugar Palm Ice cream , Pomegranate Ice Cream or Expresso Choco Chips Ice cream.

Lychee Mojito- A refreshing summer mocktail

Mojito is a traditional Cuban highball consisting of white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water, and mint. A mojito which does not have alcohol in it is a ‘virgin mojito’ and is categorized as a mocktail. Mocktails are those drinks which can be consumed by everyone who wants to relish flavorful drinks without adding alcohol to it.

This Lychee Mojito  is just that subtle , sweet something you always wanted to linger over on a warm summer evening.Simply add some ice cubes , garnish with a lemon slice and few mint leaves and you are ready to beat the heat with a glass of refreshing virgin Lychee Mojito  .You can use fresh lychees and muddle them with the limes but it can be made with  lychee juice also. 

lychee being  sweet and juicy treat, gives  a high content of water which keeps us being hydrated. Lychee is a great source of dietary fiber that helps in achieving efficient digestion. Lychee is known for its remarkable levels of Vitamin C content  which is a very essential mineral needed by the body for it to be able to defend multiple disease and illnesses on its own. Lychee is very abundant in strong antioxidants that remove harmful toxins in the body which triggers development of cancer cells.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time/ Serving Time: 5 minutes

Serves:2

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 6 to 7 Mint leaves  
• 3 tbsp Sugar syrup
• 1 cup lychee puree + some for garnishing
• Crushed Ice
• lemon slices and few mint leaves for garnishing

      

     Let's Learn how to make this Lychee Mojito:

• Prepare sugar syrup by heating 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar in 1/4 cup water on low to medium flame. Let the sugar dissolve completely. Allow to simmer for a little less than half a minute. Turn off the flame and bring the sugar syrup to room temperature.

• Peel the Lychees and deseed them. In a blender make a puree of the lychees.

• Take two serving glass, add 2-3 fresh mint leaves, a tbsp of sugar syrup and a little more than a tbsp of lemon juice. Use a spoon to gently crush or bruise the mint leaves.

• Pour the lychee puree in it. Add 1 to 2 whole unseeded lychees in it and slowly pour chilled water into the glass till it almost reaches the brim and stir to mix.

• Garnish with a slice of lemon, a small sprig of mint leaves and add 2 to 3 ice cubes in each glass and serve.
• In place of chilled water you can also add chilled soda water for all that extra fizz.

Kanji- How to make odia/oriya Dahi Kanji recipe

 Kanji is an authentic Odia dish that is quite popular in Southern part of Odisha which is  basically a soupy based dish with a unique sour taste. Normally Kanji is cooked during winter months when all the vegetables are abundantly available, but now  a days it is made throughout the year. Use of lots of vegetables along with the Curd makes this  a healthy dish by nature.

Usually three types of kanjis are made in Odisha as told by my mother: pariba kanji( Kanji made with vegetables) , saga kanji( kanji made with leafy vegetables) and Sukhua kanji( Kanji made with dry fish). Kanjis are made with either Dahi as the base or Torani( water from the water rice or Pakhala) or Peja( the water from the cooked rice). In villages in older days when refrigerator was not there , the women folk of the villages used to keep little Torani with Peja in a container and keep adding the same everyday upto 7 to 8 days till the liquids gets fermented. After which they used to add salt, turmeric and sufficient water to the fermented liquid and cook with vegetables or dry fish to arrive at this spicy tangy soupy like dish.

For this #Foodie Monday Blog Hop , the theme is #MothersDaySpecial and I have a hard time choosing a recipe to post as whatever I know about odia cuisine, it is from my mother only and she does not eat any other food than odia food. When I try to think what is my mother's favourite recipe, I realize all these years it is our choice which she took care of but never told what is her choice of food she wants to eat. For her we are her world and our choice has become her choice. So preparing a recipe with her favorite vegetable i.e drumstick comes to my mind. I have seen her making a lot of dishes with drumstick and recently I have made drumstick pickle for her also. I have decided to make Kanji which is a very rustic flavourful soupy things with drumsticks and its leaves for Mother's day keeping my mother's choice for simple and traditional food in mind.

It is said ,If you have a drumstick plant on your garden ,you seems to have a doctor at home.  Drumstick increases appetite, help to reduce headache and diarrhea, purifies blood and excretes  toxins out of the body.  Drumstick leaves posses the  power of reducing the sugar level in the blood and it might be the reason for which  Sugar patients are recommended to take drumstick leaves to make the level of sugar normal in the blood. 

Cuisine: Odia

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time:20 minutes

Serves:4

Ingredients:-

• 1 cup,  curd

• 3 tbsp gram flour

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• Salt as per taste

• 3 cups water

• A pinch of Hing

• 2 tsp Garlic-Green chilli paste

• ½ tsp fennel powder

Vegetables Needed:  

• 2 nos of  drumsticks

• 1/2 cup drumsticks leaves 

For Tempering: 

• 2-3 tsp Mustard oil

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

• 2 Dry Red chillies

•  Few Curry Leaves

Let's learn how to make this recipe:

• Combine together curd, water, gram flour(besan) and ½ tsp turmeric powder(haldi). Whisk well or blend it in a blender to a pulse to make a smooth lump free mixture.  Keep it aside.

• Wash and cut the drumstick into 3 inch long and pluck out the leaves from the stems of the drumsticks leaves.

• In a heavy bottom pan, heat oil. Add hing (asafoetida) and add drum sticks and it's leaves and sauté for 2 to 3 mins.

• Add  green garlic paste chili paste, fennel powder. Saute very well.

• Cover and cook for 2 to 3 mins.Reduce the heat to low.  Add the blended curd mixture stirring continuously to avoid curdling.

• Add salt and allow it to boil. Keep stirring.Once it starts boiling, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 mins or till the drumsticks are well cooked.

• Adjust the consistency and seasoning of the kanji as per your requirement and Cook for another 3 to 4 mins.

• Heat oil in small pan. Add mustard, allow it to crackle.Add fennel seeds and curry leaves, fry for few seconds.Add broken red chilies, fry for another few seconds.Pour this tempering immediately over the prepared kanji and cover .
  
  
• Serve this yummy and sour Kanji with any rice dish.

This is going to be part of our #39th Foodie Monday Blog hop theme of #Mothersdayspecial