Category: Beverages

This year I had a good crop of lemons. After making pickles and after giving some away to friends I was still left with plenty. Decided to try sun basked Lemon sherbet.

Ingredients:

• 25 large lemons
• 400 gms sugar powdered sugar

Method :
Squeeze out the juice from the lemons and add the powdered sugar to it. Stir well till all the sugar gets dissolved. Tie the vessel with a white cloth and keep it in sunlight for a week, stirring it once daily. Stop sunning when a syrup like consistency is reached. Store in glass bottles.

To serve
While serving add a tbsp of juice to a large glass of water or soda. Add a pinch of chat masala, mix and serve chilled.

South India is synonymous with filter coffee. A special holder or as it is called a ‘Filter’ is used to brew coffee. The right mix of Peaberry and chicory imparts the coffee its rich and tantalizing aroma. It is traditionally served in a steel glass and a small receptacle called a Debarah to hold it. ❤️

Ingredients:

• 3tsps Bru Filter coffee
• 250ml water
• Sugar
• Milk
• Filter

Method :

Spread the coffee powder into the upper compartment of the filter which is perforated. Press the coffee powder firmly with the disc with a stem handle. Place this compartment over an empty compartment to hold the decoction. Bring water to a boil. Pour it over the coffee powder and close it with the lid provided. The decoction drips gently into the lower compartment. Generally 2tsps of this decoction is used for every 200ml of hot milk. Sugar is added as per requirement.

Note: Once all the decoction has been collected, cover it and keep it aside. Never ever reheat it, as it loses its aroma.

Huge luscious strawberries liquidised in the blender, and served with a dash of chaat masala are amazing! ❤️

Ingredients:

• 25 strawberries
• Sugar
• Chaat masala
• Ice cubes

Method :

Liquidise the strawberries in a blender. Do not strain it. Add sugar, chaat masala and crushed ice cubes. Serve immediately.

The best of Pineapples come from West Bengal and the North Eastern states of India. Huge, aromatic and extremely sweet, they are a fruit lover’s delight. ❤️

Ingredients:

• Pineapple
• Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper

Method:

Deskin the pineapple. Chop it into chunks. Liquidise in a blender and strain. Add sugar, salt and pepper powder as per requirement.

Kanji is water drained out from the rice after it is cooked. Served with ghee and salt, it is high in carbohydrates hence an energy booster. It is extremely popular in rural India as it not only quenches thirst, but is also very filling.

Soda chaanch is a refreshing combination of churned yoghurt/curd and bottled soda or carbonated water. Flavoured with spices and condiments, it is served at the end of the meal at Indian weddings. This is a recipe shared by my Pallu aka Pallavi Joshi Shenoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 glasses thick set curds
• 4 glasses of soda
• A few leaves of mint
• A few sprigs of coriander
• 2 tsps of jeera/cumin
• 4 green chillies
• Salt

Method:

Grind the mint, coriander, chilly and jeera to a paste. Dilute it and strain it. Churn the curds and dilute it with soda. Add salt and the strained paste to the buttermilk. Serve chilled.

Who does not crave for a glass of freshly squeezed Orange juice to beat the heat? Here I have used the famous Nagpur Oranges which are not only juicy, but also highly aromatic, sweet and tangy. I like mine without the addition of sugar though at most places in India a dash of pepper and salt is added along with sugar. ❤️

Tender coconut water is the most natural beverage and a boon during the hot summers. Rich in potassium, it is a good diuretic too. It is also refrigerated and allowed to ferment for a week for making Appam. It is known for its anti bacterial properties, hence used in the treatment of acne. High content of Vitamin C and K in it is good for the skin and the Lauri acid is good for hair growth.

Copyright © 2018 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

One of the most popular beverages during summer in India, Masala Chaanch is nothing but curd /yoghurt churned and diluted with water. An addition of spices and seasoning lend it its taste. ❤️

Ingredients:

• 2glasses thick set curd
• 4 glasses of water
• 2green chillies
• 2 inch piece of ginger
• Salt
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• A heaped tsp of jeera/cumin
• Salt
• 1tbsp ghee/clarified butter

Method:

Grind the ginger and green chillies and extract the juice. Churn the curds and dilute it. Add the extract and salt to the buttermilk. Heat a tbsp of ghee. Drop in the jeera and after it splutters add the curry leaves. Toss. Tip it into the buttermilk. Keep aside for half an hour to allow the flavours to infuse. Serve chilled.