Easy Pistachio Kulfi / Indian Pistachio Ice cream

        

 

  Temperature is climbing up steadily and it's almost summer here. It's not that easy to sit on  a park bench watching kids play while the sun is up, though the kids never seem to notice. After sitting there for half an hour in the afternoons, I  somehow crave for the shade of a tree or the coolness of our flat. Maybe, I am growing old ;)

                 Watching the kids, I slowly get carried away into the unlimited exuberance of my own childhood. I was a 'play crazy girl'. That's what my mom used to say. So crazy about it, that I hardly had time for food or sleep.. or to sit in the shade for a while as the elders used to command. So obsessed with it, that the thought of the school reopening after the summer vacation, used to reduce me into tears. In the tired sleeps, I used to dream that my school had collapsed in an earth quake and my teachers were all under the earth. Yes! It was one of the happiest dreams of those days!

               So, when I watch my kids playing in the sun as if there is no tomorrow, I don't feel like stopping them. I enjoy watching them enjoying..And after the games, they return literally exhausted. No wonder, the ice cream man in the park has so much business. These days, no visit to the park ends without an ice lolly for each of the boys. They simply love them and think it their right to have one after play time. Even at home, they ask for ice lollies and ice creams now n then, ever since the temperature began climbing up. So I have made it  a habit  of making those cold treats at home every now n then.

             This time I thought, I must make 'kulfi' the Indian ice cream which sweetly cools the inside with memories of childhood. Yes, kulfi was an integral part of those memories; though we were seldom allowed to buy them as other children in our village used to do. The elders used to terrorize us with stories of how it's made with contaminated water and how it causes diarrhoea and sickness. Nevertheless, we kids always longed for the day when we would get those simply alluring kulfis and looked at the kulfi carts with longing.To compensate the hurt of not buying us kulfis, mom used to make ice lollies for us by freezing orange squash in the ice tray with small 'irkilis'(needle like parts of coconut leaves) immersed in it. We enjoyed it then more than the 'Baskin n Robbins'  of this time.

          Ahem!! So where did we stop? I just got carried away..
        Oh! Yes! Kulfi....the home made Indian ice cream to welcome the summer.
                 Pistachio kulfi is my favourite..
            Let's delve into the recipe right away...

Avil milk - My first Guest Post

 

                     This is one of the comfort foods which you can categorize into desserts or breakfast drink or even a dinner drink (if such a drink exists) ;) In fact, we often have it for dinner when we are not in the mood for a heavy meaty meal. Though it is more like a dessert, it's quite filling and a whole food with less sugar.Rice flakes, banana and milk makes it a healthy alternative for other high fat high sugar desserts. I made this as a guest post for Rafeeda's blog, 'The Big Sweet Tooth'. It surprize me that after all these years of blogging it's the first time I am doing a guest post.

 

                         I felt honoured and was really happy when Rafeeda of 'The Big Sweet Tooth' asked me to do a guest post for her. Though it is from the blogosphere that I came to know about Rafeeda, our mutual acquaintance made us realize that both of us hailed from nearby places from the same district in Kerala.So being of the common ancestry, I thought I would share a recipe which was regional to our place, The Avil milk. To see more about the post, recipe and pictures, please hop over to Rafee's space 'The Big Sweet Tooth'. She has got a great space with lot of mouth watering recipes to try...

Mint Lemonade

“Talk about turning lemons into lemonade!”

― Catherine Hapka

 

         I doubt if there would be anyone in the world who haven't had a lemonade in his or her life. In fact it is one of the universal drinks which you could find anywhere on earth. And yes! There is nothing more refreshing than a fresh lemonade..

         While in college, we used to have compulsory social service camps under National Service Scheme(NSS). We used to make roads, clean the water resources and do everything we could to help people in remote villages, as part of these NSS camps. And the one thing which hangs in my memory about these camps were the refreshing lemonades which were served in between the works, apart from the joy of working together, enjoying everyday of hard work and at last seeing the fruits of our labour and the smiles on the villagers' faces. It was overwhelming and fulfilling to know that you had actually did something for the unprivileged which is going to be useful for them for a long time.

              You never know how much we had counted on those lemonades to refresh us and how much it did. When you are literally tired, exhausted and thirsty, there is nothing more refreshing than a fresh lemonade. So whenever I feel tired nowadays, after the house chores, I always find time to make a fresh lemonade and the kids too love it. I usually add mint leaves in it. The flavour of mint blends well and compliments it that you hardly know if it's the mint flavour or lemon flavour you are enjoying in the drink.

    Here is my simple recipe for Mint Lemonade..

Kiwi Smoothie

          There is nothing more refreshing than a cooling smoothie made with fresh fruits, when the temperature climbs up the Celsius scale. Actually, you cannot do with out one every day as the weather squeezes all the water and vigour out of your body. That constant fatigue which you feel and the lack of enthusiasm in every deeds in hot weather can be better alleviated with nothing more than a fresh juice or smoothie. I often make this kiwi smoothie whenever the kiwis become over ripe and the weather is not very soothing..

      Now, to tempt you better, here are a few benefits of fresh Kiwi fruit. Kiwi fruits are rich in many Vitamins, flavonoids and minerals. In particular, they contain a high amount of Vitamin C (more than oranges), as much potassium as bananas and a good amount of beta-carotene. They are also excellent sources of fibre and has great anti- oxidant property. It is found to have great benefits in fighting respiratory diseases, if consumed regularly. So there! Are you game for a refreshing Kiwi smoothie? Here is the recipe..

Kiwi Smoothie

3 or 4 ripe kiwis, peeled and chopped
juice of half a lemon
1 cup of ice cubes
honey or sugar to taste

Method:
   Blend all the ingredients in a  blender until smooth.Pour into glasses and serve decorated with kiwi slices.

       Sending this chilled delight to CC-Splash into Summer event at Srav's Culinary Concepts

Water melon Sorbet

          I got to get myself something cool and refreshing to get me going in this hot weather. It has not been long since I praised the warm weather and welcomed it after the daunting winter... but it has started to jab my nerves sooner than I imagined. What deteriorates the situation more is the fact that I am a lousy water drinker. Since I seldom feel thirst, even in the hottest weather (or not at all), I often forget to have a cup of pure water now and then. And I had to pay for my carelessness last week as I was down with UTI. The pain on my flanks was killing me to the extend that I prayed, I would drink a barrel of water every day if I was spared of this avalanche of  pain. When my home remedies didn't find light and the infection began to climb up, I was put on antibiotics, a thing I have always avoided like plague.

          So after a long week of fighting UTI, I started taking at least three litres of water a day and turned my head to all the cooling and rejuvenating smoothies, sorbets and milk shakes. It is water melon season again and I cannot find a better fruit to beat the heat and hydrate your body. Eating it as such, cutting it into wedges, is my son's favourite. This time I thought of making sorbets with it. Oh boy! Wasn't it cold cool? It literally chills your soul (with out freezing it). Try this once, and you will think about it when ever the sun shines brighter... :)

Water melon Sorbet

Things you need:

(serves four)

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 750g watermelon, peeled, seeded and chopped

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 2 egg whites, lightly whisked

Method

1. Combine sugar and 1 cup warm water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook,stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Cool completely.

2. Place watermelon in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Add sugar mixture and lime juice. Stir to combine. Pour into a shallow pan. Cover and freeze for 1 to 2 hours or until almost firm.

3. Transfer fruit mixture to a food processor. Add egg whites. Process until smooth but not melted. Pour mixture into a deeper loaf pan. Cover and freeze for 3 hours or until firm.  Scoop into ice cream bowls and serve immediately garnished with mint leaves. Enjoy and beat the heat :)

Sending this to Bon Vivant #4- Fruit Recipes at Sumee's Culinary Bites

Banana Strawberry Smoothie

                
          I know it is not the time for a cool drink or smoothie. But the weather is not like it used to be over here. December is the month which is supposed to be freaking cold… when your feet and hands would go numb, not knowing if you are holding a hot thing or cold one. It is the time of the year when you dither on doing anything without getting into the sanctity of your sweater or woolen jacket or a fleece around your neck. And a cold smoothie is the last thing you want on earth. But it is not at all as it used to be. No doubt the global warming has its impact on every single place on earth. The weather is actually not cold at all. When the dust wind brought the coldness with it last week storming into our lives, everybody thought it was going to be a flipping cold December. But nay… it went as it came after two days and the winter clothes everybody had enthusiastically purchased still dwells in the remote corner of the closets unable to display their flying colors. Now what shall I describe the climate lately? Well, pleasant… not at all cold, sometimes sunny… sometimes cloudy… anyway far from daunting cold. So why not a slobbering smoothie to refresh you after a hard time with homely chores or when your husband returns home after work…?

Here is the recipe…

Things you need:

Yields three cups

2 ripe bananas, peeled
4 ripe strawberries
4 tbsp sugar
1 cup of milk
1 cup of ice cubes
½ tsp vanilla essence

Preparation:

       Slice the bananas and strawberries into small pieces and blend well in a blender with all the other ingredients until a smooth and thick juice is formed. Pour into glasses. Decorate with sliced strawberries and serve immediately.