PINEAPPLE PANNA

Panna with a twist. Bored of the same old Mango/Aam Panna? Try this tangy refreshing Panna for a change. I made this for my Pregnancy Announcement Party and it was a huge hit. Try it yourself. Here's how I did it:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b9Ly1L6_Qw

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium pineapple, peeled and cut into thick roundels ½ cup sugar (I used raw, but white is fine too) Black pepper powder, 1/4 tsp Roasted cumin powder, 1 tsp Black salt, 1 tsp Fresh mint leaves Ice cubes as required Few mint sprigs Pineapple triangle for garnishing

1. Roast the pineapples @ 360 F for 30 mins. 

2. Once cool, chop them roughly.

3. Heat the roasted pineapple pieces in a thick bottomed wide pan. 

4. Add sugar. I used raw but you can use white too. 

5. Add water and cook till the pineapple turns pulpy. 

6. Once it turns soft and pulpy add in roasted cumin powder, black salt and black pepper powder. Add a little more water to help soak in the masalas. 

7. Mash with the back of your spoon to make it a pulp.

8. Let it cool completely and refrigerate and store in an airtight container. Use as needed. 

9. To serve: Take a tall glass, throw in some ice, some fresh mint leaves and the prepared pineapple pulp. Give it a good mix. 

10. Enjoy!  

WILD BERRY SIN MOCKTAIL

Moving to Seattle has changed my definition of 'Summers'. Seattle is a different kind of beauty altogether. And today was one of those  magnificent picture postcard days when the city decided to shed its garb of grey clouds and paint the town in ravishing pink and mauve colors. 

Such an evening calls for a lazy dinner with a mocktail in hand watching the sun go down. Time to shake up a mocktail and enjoy this picturesque scene from our balcony. 

Ingredients:

Blueberries, 1 cup

Sugar, 1 cup

Water, 1 cup

Lots of ice, crushed

Lemon, 1 juiced

Procedure:

1. Clean and wash the berries thoroughly. Take a pan and put in the berries with 1 cup of water and sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes. 

2. Turn off the heat and let it cool. Once cool, strain using a fine sieve. Ditch the solids and keep the liquid aside. I prepared this in advance and refrigerated it, comes really handy when you have friends over.

3. Crush the ice, I used a blender to do this. 

4. Take tall glasses to serve this mocktail. Fill them up with the crushed ice. 

5. Add in 2 tablespoons of the berry syrup. Make sure not to stir this mocktail at any stage. We want it to have 3 different shades. 

6. Next add in 2 tablespoons of lime/lemon juice on top of the berry syrup. 

7. Next add in cold water to the glasses. You will observe the we have formed three different layers, with the base layer being dark red and it gets light towards the top. The mocktail is ready.

8. Now to dress up the mocktail I used a toothpick and speared 3 blueberries through the toothpick and arranged it diagonally on the top of the glass. 

9. Our mocktail is ready to be devoured!

Note: Enjoy the varied flavors of this mocktail as you go through its different layers! My guests especially enjoyed the bottom layer most.

KHAJURI JALJEERA/ DATE JALJEERA

With the sun beating down on us we are all looking for drinks to help cool down. But wouldn't it be great if we were able to indulge on these drinks without worrying about the calories? Yes, this is just another one of those wonderfully refreshing summer drinks! Using the freshness of mint and lemons and combining it with just the right amount of spices and replacing the sugar with invigorating dates makes this an almost guilt free energizing drink this summer!

Ingredients:

Whole Black Peppers, 1 tsp

Whole Cumin, 1 tbsp

Fresh Mint Leaves, handful

Limes/Lemons, 4

Black Salt, 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Dates, 8-10

Ice, 6-8 cubes or as desired

Procedure:

1. Dry roast the black pepper and cumin seeds on low heat till fragrant.

2. Remove them from the pan and let it cool completely.

3. Put some water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Take the dates and remove their seeds. 

4. Once the water comes to a boil add in the dates. We want them to be completely soft. Leave them in there for 8-10 minutes. 

5. In a mixer jar add in the roasted cumin seeds and black pepper.

6. Add in the salt and black salt.

7. Next add in the mint leaves and the dates.

8. Add in the lime juice and the softened dates and blend it into a smooth paste.

9. Take a large pitcher and add in the ice cubes. Add in the prepared paste and top it up with water. Sample some at this stage and adjust the taste to suit your palate. Mix well and serve it in tall glasses.

Disclaimer: This recipe is inspired and complied off similar recipes across the internet. 

Aam Panna (Raw Mango Drink).. with a healthy twist!

Aam or Mango Panna.. the perfect summer drink to help beat the heat. It's my husband's favorite. I have been wanting to make this for a while but I didn't want to pile him up with a ton of sugar. So looking up at various recipes I came up with this healthy combination where I replace sugar with Jaggery Powder while still retaining its wonderful original taste! Make it to believe it :)

This recipe has the sourness of the raw mangoes combined with the freshness of mint leaves and the spice from cumin seeds and the tang rock salt. Feel free to adjust the tanginess to suit your palate or that of your family.

Ingredients:

Raw Mangoes, 4 medium sized

Jagger Powder, 1.5 cup

Black/Rock Salt, 1.5 tbsp

Roasted Cumin Powder, 1.5 tbsp

Salt, 1 tbsp

Half handful of mint leaves

Procedure:

1. Clean the mangoes thoroughly and pressure cook them up to 4 whistles. 

2. Once the steam cools from the pressure cooker, remove and let them cool.

 3. Once they cool, peel them and remove all the pulp in a bowl and discard the seed. 

4. Add in the fresh mint leaves.

5. Add in the rock salt.

6. Add in the cumin powder.

7. Add in the salt.

8. Add in the jaggery powder.

9. Blend this all together to a smooth paste. Taste and adjust the spices, if needed.

10. Strain the mixture into a glass and add some water and mix well. You can also add in a few ice cubes and blend it well in a blender and serve it up in a tall glass with a wedge of lemon on the side.