Gajar Ki Kheer

Carrot pudding with milk and sugar.

Serve: 3 to 4
Ingredients:

1. Carrots (peeled and grated) - 2 medium
2. Milk (hot) - 1/2 ltr.
3. Sugar - 3.5 tbsp
4. Vanilla custard powder - 1 tbsp
5. Cashew nuts (chopped) - 1.5 tbsp
6. Almonds/raisins - as per your requirement
7. Pistachios for garnishing
8. Vanilla essence - 3 to 4 drops
9. Cardamon powder - a pinch
10. Ghee - 1.5 tsp

Procedure:

• Heat ghee in a pan and add carrots, stir fry for 5 min.
• Add milk and bring it to boil.
• Simmer for 5 min, stir occasionally.
• Add sugar, cashew nuts/ almonds/raisins and custard powder dissolved in little water or milk.
• Simmer for 2 min, keep stirring.
• Take it off the fire.
• Add vanilla essence and cardamom powder, stir.
• Garnish with pistachios.
• Serve warm or chilled.

Mango and Cake Pudding

Mango and Cake Pudding is a dessert made from fresh mangoes and leftover vanilla sponge cake. It is a baked dish. Here goes the recipe for the same.

Serves: 4 

Ingredients: 

1. Mangoes - 3
2. Vanilla sponge cake (leftover) - 200 gm
3. Milk - 300 to 350 ml
4. Vanilla custard powder - 1 heaped tbsp
5. Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
6. Sugar - 3 tbsp
7. Butter - 6 tsp

Procedure:

• Wash mangoes. Peel one mango and make pulp. Dice remaining 2 mangoes and keep aside.
• Combine custard powder with 50 ml milk and keep aside. Boil remaining milk. Add custard powder mixture and sugar to the boiling milk. Stir continuously till it thickens. Put off the flame. Add 4 tsp butter to it. Let it cool slightly. Add vanilla essence to it. Keep aside.
• Cut the cake into cubes.
• Grease the baking dish with reaming butter and place half of the cake cubes. Pour half the custard over it. Press it gently with the back side of the spoon. Pour mango pulp over it. Place remaining cake cubes and diced mangoes. Pour remaining custard. Let it rest for 10 to 15 min.
• Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees centigrade for 10 min.
• Place the baking dish at the centre shelf and bake it at 180 degrees centigrade for 50 min.
• Let it stand for sometime.
• Serve hot / at room temperature / cold. 

Mango Icecream

During mango season, mango ice cream can be enjoyed with fresh mangoes. Here goes the recipe for making easy to make mango ice cream.

Serves: 4
Ingredients: 

1. Mango pulp (fresh or canned) - 200 ml
2. Whipping cream - 200 ml
3. Milk powder - 20 gm
4. Sugar - 4 tbsp or as per your requirement.
5. Vanilla essence - 4 to 5 drops
6. Mango cubes - for garnishing

Procedure:

• Refrigerate the whipping cream for 6 to 8 hrs.
• Pre cool the mixing bowl.
• Combine mango pulp and sugar, keep aside. If you are using canned pulp, then lesser sugar will be required and even the sweetness of mangoes would matter before deciding the quantity of sugar.
• Whip the cream with an electric whipper at high speed. You may need to whip it for 10 min.
• When almost whipped, add milk powder and whip further.
• Add vanilla essence and mango pulp. Whip till it combines well.
• Transfer it into an air tight container.
• Freeze for at least 6 hrs.
• Garnish with mango cubes.
• Serve immediately.

Sev Puri Dahi Puri (SPDP)

Sev Puri is a popular Indian street food, but Sev Puri Dahi Puri (SPDP) is a popular chaat in Pune. Sev puri filled with sweetness of dates & tamarind chutney and coolness of mint & chilled yogurt. Best for serving as an evening snack.

Measurement: 1 Cup =180 ml

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

1. Puris - 24
2. Potatoes (boiled, peeled and cubed) - 2 medium
3. Onion (chopped)- 1 medium (optional)
4. Yogurt (whisked) - 2 cups approx
5. Sugar - 2 tbsp or as per your requirement 
6. Dates and tamarind chutney - 1 cup
7. Green chutney or dhaniya pudina chutney - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
8. Roasted cumin powder - 1 tsp
9. Black salt - 1/4 tsp
10. Salt - 1/4 tsp
11. Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
12. Sev - 1/2 cup
13. Coriander leaves (chopped) - for garnishing

Procedure:

• Combine yogurt and sugar in a mixing bowl, keep aside.
• In another mixing bowl, combine potatoes, chilly powder, salt and black salt.
• Gently break the puris at the centre.
• Place the puris on serving plate.
• Place some potato mixture into the puris.
• Add onion, dates and tamarind chutney and green chutney.
• Pour yogurt over it.
• Sprinkle roasted cumin powder and sev. 
• Drizzle little chutney on top.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve immediately.

Jeeren Kothmire Udak / Cumin and Coriander Tea

Jeeren kothmire udak is a must in our house during summer season. Jeeren means cumin and kothmir means coriander. I have been having this beverage since childhood. Coriander and cumin have the properties of reducing body heat, so acts as a natural summer coolant. 

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

1. Jeeren Kothmire pittho (cumin and coriander powder) - 4 to 5tsp
2. Water - 500 ml
3. Sugar - as per your requirement (optional)

Procedure:

• Boil water in a pan.
• Add cumin and coriander powder.
• Add sugar and simmer for 2 to 3 min.
• Cover it with a lid and let it rest for sometime.
• Strain it.
• Serve hot or at room temperature or chilled.

Tip:

For making cumin and coriander powder:

• Coriander seeds - 1 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 cup

Dry roast these seeds for 10 seconds on low flame. Let them cool. Grind to a fine powder. Store it in a jar and use as and when required. You may also add 1/4 cup fennel seeds to it.

Milk may also be added to this beverage while serving just how you add for tea.

Watermelon Juice

Watermelon juice is one of the best fresh fruit juices to beat the heat in summer. It is very much useful for weight loss programme, as it is high in water contents. The juice may be prepared by adding sugar and water or just by avoiding both these ingredients, as it is sweet by itself.

Serves: 3
Ingredients:

1. Watermelon - 1 half of a medium sized watermelon
2. Sugar - 2 to 3 tsp or as per your requirement 
3. Water - 50 to 60 ml
4. Black salt - 1/3 tsp
5. Ice cubes - 6

Procedure:

• Cut the watermelon into 5 to 6 slices. Discard the peel, deseed the flesh and cut into small pieces.
• Combine all the ingredients into juicer jar and blend well.
• Strain and pour into glasses.
• Add more ice cubes if you wish.
• Serve chilled.

Jackfruit Ice Cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert enjoyed by most of the people. In the jackfruit season, I do have this ice cream from Natural's. This time I thought of making it and enjoying at home. Here goes the recipe for the same .

Serves: 4
Ingredients: 

1. Jackfruit kernels (deseeded) - 12 to 15
2. Whipping cream - 200 ml
3. Milk powder - 20 gm
4. Sugar - 4 tbsp or as per your requirement.
5. Vanilla essence - 4 to 5 drops

Procedure:

• Refrigerate the whipping cream for 6 to 8 hrs.
• Pre cool the mixing bowl.
• Chop jackfruit kernels, blend with sugar. Let the pulp remain slightly coarse.
• Whip the cream with an electric whipper at high speed. You may need to whip it for 10 min.
• When almost whipped, add milk powder and whip further.
• Add vanilla essence and jackfruit-sugar mixture. Whip till it combines well.
• Transfer it into an air tight container.
• Freeze for at least 6 hrs.
• Garnish with jackfruit pieces (optional).
• Serve immediately.