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No-sweat ways to cool
parched throats
WITH the summer sun in its full fury, everyone’s dil chahta hai something cool to drink. So cool parched throats with some real fizzy chillers. Though chilled coolers are really refreshing, their charm is lost if long, tedious procedures are required. So try these no-sweat recipes. These are best made and consumed immediately. Use plenty of fresh fruit, tomatoes, and leftover icecreams and a bit of imagination to try out variations. Though the most ingredients are easily available in any household it will do well to keep some sugar syrup ready at hand to save time. Sugar syrup: 3 cups sugar, 4 cups water, 3 tsp. lemon juice. Boil sugar and water together. When it starts boiling, let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Cool, add lemon juice, strain, and store in refrigerator. In place of 1 tsp sugar, use 2 tbsp syrup. Tips: All ordinary fruit juices will turn out much better and have more ‘body’ and colour if the fruit is first brought to a boil in water and cooled, a few hours before making the juice as in the case of pineapple and grapes. This way the water and fruit contents will also not separate in layers in a standing glass. Frost-rimmed glasses:Chill
glasses in the refrigerator. Dip the rim in a bowl of castor sugar.
Now carefully pour the juice. Use colourful and twisted straws, etc. |
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Ingredients: Carrots (fresh) 3 Fresh cream 1 tbsp Sugar 1 tbsp Mint leaves 3-4 Lemon juice 1 tsp Pepper powder 1/4 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Water 2 1/2 glasses Method: Wash carrots, scrape and cut in chunks. Add one cup water for boiling carrots, boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Mince mint leaves to a very fine paste. Pour into a large plate, cool. Put carrots in a mixer, add lemon juice, salt, sugar, pepper. Run till carrots are well pulped. Add water. Run to mix well. When well blended, strain through sieve. Add mint, stir. Serve chilled in tall glasses and top with a small swirl of cream. Coconut surprise Ingredients: Tender coconuts 2 Kewra essence 1 drop Sugar 1 tsp. Method: Remove water from coconuts. Break open and scrape the tender malai. Add sugar and essence to coconut water. Chill the mixture well. Run the mixture in a mixer. Serve while frothy in glasses. Note: If coconut water is not sweet, add some more sugar. Papaya cooler Ingredients: Papaya 1/2 cup Sugar 1 tsp Ice cubes crushed 4-5 Pepper powder 1 pinch Water 1 cup Method: Chop the ripe papaya and chill the papaya and water. Before serving, blend well in a mixer. Pour in chilled glasses and serve immediately. Variations: Use other fruit like mango, or watermelon. Ginger fruit punch Ingredients: Fresh ginger 50 gm Water 1 1/2 bottles Sugar 3-4 cups Apple concentrate 2 cups Orange juice 2 cups Pineapple juice 1 cup Strawberry pulp 1/4 cup Salt a pinch Method: Grate 50 gm of cleaned, fresh ginger or grind coarsely. Boil 2 bottles of water. After the water starts bubbling, add the ground ginger. Add the sugar. Boil on high flame for two minutes and switch off. Strain the ginger juice through a fine muslin cloth. Cool and then pour into another larger vessel. Strain once more and add in the rest of the juices and strawberry pulp. Refrigerate this concentrate and to serve blend with iced water or soda to make an excellent quencher. Mango lassi Ingredients: Mango 1 ripe Fresh curd chilled 2 cups Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp. Sugar 3 tbsp. Method: Peek and chop mango. Put in a mixi and blend. Add all other ingredients. Blend till smooth. Add water to adjust consistency. Chill well before serving or add crushed ice if desired. Grape shake Ingredients: Black grapes 1 cup Sugar 1/2 cup Milk 250 ml Water 1 cup Vanilla or black currant icecream 2-3 scoops Method: Add
1/2 cup water to grapes and sugar, separately. Boil grapes for 3-4
minutes, or till soft. Cool. Boil sugar and water till 1-thread
consistency is obtained. Blend grapes till smooth, sieve through a
muslin cloth. Add to sugar syrup, boil and simmer further for 5 minutes
and let it cool very well. Just before serving, blend grape concentrate
and milk till frothy. Pour into transparent glasses. Top with a scoop of
vanilla or black currant icecream if desired. |
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