Stone Apple Squash (Bael ka Sharbat)

Stone Apple Squash (Bael ka Sharbat)

Very recently, I visited one of my neighbour's house Mini Gandhi during the peak afternoon, it was quite hot. She knew I don't take aerated drinks at all. She brought a peach coloured drink for me and informed me it is Bael Ka Sharbat. I had heard about it but never tasted. Quite hesitatingly i tasted it. To my surprise it was nice with a peachy aroma but quite sweet. I felt refreshed after having it and I decided to do some research on it. She, being a member of Holistic Healing Sanstha, had recently heard Luke Coutinho talk about the health benefits of Bael in summers which she shared with me.

Bael, known as, Aegle Marmelos, commonly called stone apple or wood apple is a native tree of India, its fruit has amazing benefits. It can cure heat in stomach, reduces gastric ulcers, cures Diarrhoea. It is anti inflammatory, controls cholesterol and many more.

So I decided to give this Bael sherbet a healthy twist and here it is

Preparation Time : 20 - 25 Min

Cooking Time : 0 Min

Ingredients : 

• 1 Ripe Bael fruit medium size
• 3 Tablespoon Shakkar (jaggery)
• Rock salt 1 Teaspoon or according to taste
• Roasted zeera powder 1 Teaspoon
• Mint leaves 10 -15 
• 2 lemon for garnishing
• Ice cubes

Procedure : 

• Break the Apple wood fruit. 

• Remove the pulp 

• Add water to the pulp and leave this for 5 minutes

• Crush the pulp with hands not with blender, else the seeds will get crushed and make the squash bitter in taste.

• Strain this juice through strainer

• Add shankar to it, mix it. I used organic shankar to give my squash healthy twist.

• Add rock salt, jeera powder and mint leaves to this and mix it well. you can keep this squash in bottle or jag.use it according to your need 

• While serving take a glass add sone small pieces of lemon. fill the glass with ice cubes add few mint leave add ball squash to this . Ratio is 1:3 one portion Bael squash and 2/3 portion of ice or c hilled water 

Cherry Peach Lemonade

Cherry Peach Lemonade  

Enough gyaan mom...if i try telling daughter tetrapacks are no good; not healthy; lot of preservatives and blah blah....so family says ok then serve something different. So this time I tried blending two , no three flavours in one and made Cherry Peach Lemonade. With Cherries I used Peach flavour, now a days peach flavored spring water is available and created this mix....i hope you will be able to delight your family with this combo....

Preparation Time : 10 min

Cooking Time : 0 Min

Serves :  2

Ingredients :

• 10 - 12 Cherries (remove the seeds)
• 2 Table spoon sugar syrup (2 Tablespoon sugar dissolved in 2 tablespoon water)
• 2 Tablespoon lemon juice 
• 1/2 Cup crushed ice
• Few mint leaves for garnishing
• Few cherries for garnishing 
• 200 ml spring water peach flavoured 

Procedure : 

• Take cherries and remove the seeds

• In a tumbler add 1 tablespoon sugar syrup, 1 tablespoon lemon juice 5 to 6 cherries without seed. now crush this as shown in picture

• Now add crushed ice few mint leaves and add 1 or 2 cherry 

• Now top the tumbler with flavoured spring water 

• Enjoy !!!

Pineapple Punch

Pineapple Punch  

Latest gathering of friends at home threw a new challenge. They refused to accept any conventional cold drink. I offered tetrapacked juice. This was also rejected. I was asked to prepare something unconventional and that too without any preparation as they were teasing me.

I explored my fridge and could locate 2-3 fruits. Now horses of my brain started running fast. I picked Kinu (Orange specie) and pineapple, thought for a moment and prepared this punch. Beauty of this punch was that with 2 fruits, I created this 3 layered one. Pineapple juice is heavier of the two, so I used it first and then poured Kinu juice. Pineapple juice froth itself created 3rd layer and gave it a look of an enigmatic character.

Preparation Time : 10 Min

Cooking Time : 0 Min

Serves : 4

Ingredients : 

• 1 Small size ripe pineapple
• 2 Kinu (Kind of orange)
• 4 - 5 Strawberries chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 100 ml water or soda
• Sugar optional (if you feel that pineapple is bit tangy add 1 tablespoon of sugar)

Procedure :  

• Take out Kinu juice and keep aside

• Remove pineapple skin and cut it into pieces 

• In a blender add pineapple, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice, 100 ml of water or soda, sugar if needed and blend all together 

• Transfer the mixture n jar and keep aside

• Take a glass add crushed ice till 1/3rd of glass; now pour pineapple mixture in it till the glass is fill 2/3rd. Now slowly add Kinu juice 

• Garnish it with chopped strawberries 

• Enjoy

Cherry Minty Shots

Cherry Minty Shots

Who wants to be served with cold drinks now a days. Friends and family today are more interested in fancy innovative mocktails which everyone can relish. Here is one made with bright cherries with the freshness of mint and lime to thrill your tastebuds...try and enjoy with friends and family

Serves : 4

Preparation Time : 10 Min

Cooking Time : 0 Min

Ingredients :

• 1 Cup fresh a dark red Cherries (Washed and deseeded)
• 3 Tablespoon sugar syrup (Simple sugar dissolved in water around 4 tablespoon sugar in 1/2 cup of water)
• 2 Tablespoon lime juice
• A handful of mint leaves
• 300 ml Soda water
• Few Ice cubes

For Garnishing :

• Few cherries
• Few mint leaves
• Lime wedges 
• Toothpick

Procedure :

• Take cherry wash them and deseed them 

• Now in a blender add cherries, sugar syrup, mint leaves, lime wedges and lime juice. Blend altogether nicely

• Now with the help of stainer stain the mixture. 
• Take a glass add crushed ice, add cherry, few roughly chopped mint leaves and small lime wedges as shown in picture

• Now pour 3 to 4 tablespoon of cherry mixture to this and top up with soda water

• Garnish it with mint leaves and lime wedges 

• Cherry Minty Shots are ready, enjoy it with friends and family ..

Video For Recipe :