Peach Ice Tea

 

Peach Ice Tea 

As a content creator, it tends to get difficult to find inspiration on a regular basis. I felt that the quality of my posts were becoming stagnant and there lacked opportunities for me to grow solely based on the page. I was therefore actively seeking opportunities to explore and learn more, 'Shhh! Cooking Secretly' enters my life at this particular point and proved to be exactly what I was looking for. The group operates in a fun yet organised manner as it lets its members choose a particular theme for every month. Following this decision, the members are paired up in duos as the group encourages a healthy environment of fun and peer learning. To add to the fun element, it was decided that the duo gets to select two secret ingredients that overlap with the theme for their monthly recipe. it also acts as an interesting game for other members as they attempt to guess the ingredients based on the pictures circulated. Finally, these recipes are shared amongst all the members and it helps everyone interact with each other and make the process of creation even more fun.

For this month, we were assigned the theme 'Fear not The bitter'. Suggested by Seema she is the author of a blog titled 'Mildly Indian'. Her blog is full of tempting recipes and my favourite section is her soup and salads. 

 For this theme I got Mayuri as my partner. She is a darling as this was the first post for me and I was new to this group she guided me like a friend. She has an amazing collection of recipes on her blog 'Mayuri Jikoni'. I would love to try her Italian Sesame seeds cookies. For this specific theme I gave her Coffee as a secret ingredient and even I am am a coffee lover so waiting for her recipe eagerly. She came up with an Italian dessert Affogato it looks amazing and its so simple and just 3 ingredients are needed and 2 optional ingredients. Best part is you can serve then in a small portions if you are a diet conscious.

So for the Theme she decided Green Tea and Sugar to be the secret ingredient that would be used in my recipe. The first idea that came in my mind was to experiment with Japanese Matcha Green Tea as it provides a huge range and variety of dishes that can be experimented with, and so with that in mind I ordered Matcha Green Tea. My luck however had something else planned for me as the order kept getting delayed and was eventually tampered. With mere 15 days left for my deadline, I wracked my brain to come up with an idea that involves green tea, is feasible to make and is something dear to me.

That very moment, I was reminded of my intrigue for the then newly released Lipton Peach Ice Tea powder mix and right there I had the inspiration for this recipe. Peach Ice Tea reminds me of my childhood as Lipton had recently released their powdered mixture and it became a topic of interest across all households. This theme, secret ingredient and recipe therefore helped me make something tangible out of my childhood intrigue. This recipe is therefore my childhood aspirations personified in a drink.Another interesting factor about this recipe is the colour. Usually, Peach Ice Teas are supposed to use overly ripe and red peaches to bring out the gorgeous sunset colour present in most drinks with peaches, my recipe however lacks that rich pigment as I used peaches that were green in colour but full with flavour. The perfect combination of flavour present in the peach made me compromise appearance over taste and I decided to go ahead with a green peach. Despite its dull brown colour the idea tea was the perfect refreshing drink I needed that summer afternoon. 

Youtube Link : 

Preparation Time : 10 Min

Cooking Time : 10 to 15 min

Ingredients :

• Peaches 4 to 5 preferred ripen. Mine is not so ripe so colour is not as expected 
• Sugar 2 Table spoon
• Tea bags 2, I used green tea
• Ice cubes
• Water 4 cup

Procedure : 

To make Peach puree

• Try to take nice red colour and ripe peaches, cut them into slices
• In a sauce pan add Sugar, sliced peaches and a cup of water.
• Cook them for 10 to 12 minutes with lid on medium flame. Till the peaches are soft and cooked and water is less then half
• Cool this. Now transfer the ingredients in a mixer and blend it in as puree
• Now transfer this in a jar. If you want your syrup to be with out lumps either blend it nicely or strain it. I like some pieces of peaches in my ice tea so I coarsely grind it.
• Keep this aside

For Tea 

• Take a 2 1/2 cup of water in a pan or a kettle 
• Boil the water now add tea bags and switch off the gas.
• Rest the tea bags in pan for 5 minutes
• Once the tea is ready allow it to cool down now add peach puree to this. And keep this mixture in a refrigerator. 
• Ice it as required

For Ice Tea :

• Take a glass add ice cubes along with some mint leaves and peach slices
• Now our your tea and peach puree mixture in a glass
• Garnish with mint leaves and enjoy

Tips : 

1. You can add sugar according to your taste
2. Prefer to use ripe peaches for nice colour and flavour 
3. You can add lemon juice also if you want

More Summer drink recipes :

• Fruity Ice Tea
• Thandi Masala Chai
• Mint Ice Coffee Latte
• Dalgona Coffee 

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 

Rooh Afza Dry Fruit Lassi

Rooh Afza Dry Fruit Lassi 

Punjabi food without Lassi is not complete. However our children are fast moving away from this tradition and adopting more of cold drinks, canned juices or energy drinks missing out our rich heritage. So time to change looks of our conventional Lassi and let us make it more colourful, delicious and healthy with rich dry fruits...

Preparation Time : 5 Min

Cooking Time : 0 Min

Serves : 2 Glass

Ingredients :

• 1 Cup Curd (chilled)
• 4 Tablespoon Rooh Afza
• 1 Tablespoon green Pistachio sliced
• 1 Tablespoon melon seeds (roasted)
• 1 Tablespoon water melon seeds (roasted)
• Few mint leaves
• 1 cup ice cubes

For Garnishing : 

• Few mint leaves
• 1 Tablespoon roasted melon seeds and watermelon seeds along with sliced pistachio

Procedure :

• In a blender take chilled curd, rooh afza, sliced pistachio, melon seeds and few mint leaves and blend it

• Now add Ice cubes and blend it again

• Take a glass and pour this mixture

• Garnish this with dry fruit and mint leaves 

Tip : You can increase the quantity of rooh afza and mint leaves according to your taste

Raw Mango chiller

Raw Mango chiller 

Me and my friend Dr. Kalpana were discussing benefits of raw unripe mangoes and she told me that unripe mangoes are of full of vitamin B, vitamin C and antioxidants. When we drink unripe mango juice it keeps our body hydrated (prevents loss of sodium chloride and iron due to excessive sweating). I used to make Pana with boiled raw unripe mango but it was quite time consuming. Then we two discussed and came up with an idea to make this raw mango instant chiller without boiling mangoes...

Preparation Time : 10 - 15 Min

Cooking Time : 0 Min

Serves : 6 -8 glasses

Ingredients :

• 3 Raw Mangoes
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• Few mint leaves
• Black salt
• Roasted cumin seed powder 
• Ice cubes

Procedure :

• Take cumin seeds dry roast it and make a powder
• Take raw mangoes wash them nicely and peel it

• Grate raw mangoes as shown in picture

• In a mixer jar add grated mangoes, 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoon of water  and grind all ingredients nicely till you get a smooth paste

• You can transfer this paste in a bottle and use when ever required (3-4 days)

• Now take a glass add 2 Tablespoon of raw mango paste

• Add few ice cubes to this along with some mint leaves 

• Sprinkle pinch of roasted cumin seeds and black salt

• Add chilled water to this and serve

• Refreshing raw mango chiller is ready ....

Tip : You can change the quantity of sugar according to your taste