Sol Kadhi / Kokum Curry Recipe

Sol Kadhi is a digestive and cooler drink popular in Goa and Konkan region of India. It is basically a curry made from Kokum and has Coconut milk as a base. A refreshing and slightly tangy drink, Sol Kadhi is usually eaten with rice or drunk at the end of meal. 

Sol Kadhi is known for its digestive properties as it cools down the digestive system after eating a spicy food. This beautiful colored cooler drink is part of Goan , Malvani and Konkani thali. The kokum petals are soaked in hot water and the extract is added to Coconut milk. The mixture is spiced up with green chilly , garlic and salt. Garnished with Coriander and served chilled.

For those who do not know , Kokum (Garcinia indica) is a fruit belonging to mangosteen family. The outer cover of the fruit is dried in the Sun to get Amsul or Kokum. Kokum is used as a staple souring agent typically in Goan Cuisine and some parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Kokum yields a peculiar flavour and purplish blackish red color. It is preferred substitute for tamarind in curries and other dishes from Goa and Konkan region. It is also used as a cure for upset stomach and colds.

Source : Wikipedia

Kokum can be easily found in western states of India. The dried kokum petals are preserved using salt . In our Maharastrian families , we generally stock Amsul ( kokum) as we use it in our phodanicha varan , Upasachi Shengadanyachi chutney and many other dishes, apart from Sol Kadhi. Coming to this drink , this coolant can be easily prepared at home and if Coconut milk is ready , it hardly takes any time. 

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 2 cups of fresh scraped or grated Coconut
• 8-10 petals of Kokum
• 1 green Chilly
• 3-4 cloves of Garlic
• 2 tsp Sugar (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh Coriander

Method:

1. Soak the Kokum petals in 1/2 cup of warm water for 10-15 minutes. Crush and squeeze out the Kokum completely and keep the pinkish red kokum extract aside.

  2.  While the kokum is soaking in water, add 2 cups of warm water to the scrapped fresh coconut in a blender. Strain the liquid through a sieve or fine muslin cloth to extract the thick coconut milk. Again add back the extracted coconut with some water into a blender and make the thin milk. Strain again the squeeze the Coconut completely.

  3. Remove both the thick and thin Coconut milk in a mixing bowl. Grind 1 green chilly , garlic cloves and salt in a mortal and pestle or a grinder. Add this to the Coconut milk.  Now add the Kokum extract to it. and mix well. The mixture will turn to nice pinkish color.

  4.  If adding sugar, add at this stage. Give it a quick stir. Sol Kadhi is ready !

  5. Refrigerate until serving time. Garnish the Sol Kadhi with finely chopped Coriander leaves and serve either with rice or as a coolant drink after meals .

  Notes:

• If for some reasons (depends on the quality of amsul/kokum) the sol kadhi does not take this pink color, you may extract juice of beetroot and add few drops of it to the sol kadhi.

 For those who haven't tried this wonderful drink yet, i hope you would love to give it a try. Make this refreshing coolant and digestive drink this summer and enjoy with your loved ones ! Do not forget to give your valuable feed back.

For more Summer drinks , do check my posts on

• Thandai
• Kairi Panha
• Mattha - Spiced Butter Milk
• Detox Drink
• Apple Mint Green Tea
• Roselle Drink

Gulab Ki Kheer / Rose Pudding Recipe

Gulab ki Kheer is a delicious and fragrant Indian dessert. As the name suggest , the kheer has dominant flavors of rose in it. A chilled creamy rose pudding is perfect treat during summers. It can be served for dinner parties or to make any occasion special ! It not only lifts up the mood but also has a cooling effect on the body. 

Roses are known to enhance the aesthetic beauty of anything they associate to and food is not an exception to it. Rose petals are used to decorate salads and desserts. Rose petals can either be dried and crushed in the recipe or fresh petals are either shredded or directly added to the food. Care should be taken while selecting the rose , edible organic rose variety ( desi Gulab) should be used in food. The rose petals should be cleaned and washed thoroughly in running water to make sure they are devoid of the harmful sprays( insecticides).  I have used both fresh rose petals and the dried ones in my Thandai recipe. 

I happened to taste Gulab ki kheer in Kingdom of Dreams for the first time. The name itself gave such a royal feel and the soothing taste still lingers in my mouth. Wanted to try out this wonderful dish since then. Luckily had a packet of Gulkand lying in my kitchen pantry , which we bought from Pushkar. Addition of fresh edible rose petals, rose water and Gulkand , imparted a royal flavor and delectable taste to the kheer. Pistachios made the kheer all the more rich and flavorful giving a crunchy bite to the creamy pudding. I made this Gulab ki Kheer for my in laws and they enjoyed it thorouhly :)

Health Benefits of Rose Petals and Gulkand: 

• Rose petals contain high content of Vitamin C , pectin, Citric and malic acid. They not only enhance the mood but also clear the toxins and heat from the body, providing it with certain cooling effect.Ancient Chinese medicine uses roses to treat digestive disorders, the pain from injuries and menstrual irregularities. http://www.diethealthclub.com/articles/497/diet-and-wellness/rose-petals-edible-and-good-for-health.html
• Gulkand( a sweet preserve of rose petals) is an Ayurvedic tonic. A powerful antioxidant and a very good rejuvinator. It helps to improve appetite and helps in digestion. Source:Wikipedia

Ingredients: 1  cup = 200 ml

• 3 cups of milk ( i have used full cream milk)
• 3 tbsp of Basmati Rice
• 1 tsp Ghee
• 1 cup fresh Rose petals( desi gulab ki pankhudiyan)
• 3 tbsp of Rose water (gulab Jal)
• 1/4 cup Sugar or as required
• 1/2 tbsp Gulkand ( Rose Petal Jam)
• 1 tbsp Chopped Pistachio

Method:

1. Wash 3 tbsp rice thoroughly and soak for 10- 15 minutes. Meanwhile boil 3 cups of milk and keep aside.  In a wok heat 1 tsp ghee and add the soaked and drained rice to it . Stir fry the rice in the ghee on a low to medium flame until fragrant. Put off the flame.

  2. Grind the rice to a coarse powder using a grinder without adding water to it.

  3. Transfer the ground rice powder to the same wok and add the boiled hot milk to it and put on the flame. Let the rice cook in the milk for about 5-7 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

  4. Wash the fresh rose petals thoroughly under running water , add these petals to the rice and milk mixtire.

  5. Add rose water and stir the kheer and allow it to simmer for 4-5 minutes more , or until the kheer is creamy and the rose petals blend well with the milk and rice mixture.

  6. Add sugar , mix well and let the milk boil again.

  7. Once the kheer is reduced to the desired consistency and turned creamy , add the chopped Pistachios and Gulkand. Give a quick stir, cook for a minute or so and put off the flame.

  8. Cool the kheer at room temperature and then freeze until serving time. Serve the delicious Gulab Ki Kheer chilled and enjoy with your loved ones !!

   I hope you would love to try out this recipe for yourself . Do not forget to give your valuable feed back. 

For more similar recipes, do check my posts on

• Suji ki Kheer
• Lauki Ki Kheer
• Sheer Khurma
• Shahi Lapsi Kheer
• Apple Rabadi

Mango Ice cream Recipe

One cannot think Summers without relishing on sweet and delicious mangoes. Apart from enjoying them as it is, i make a variety of desserts with this tropical delight .One among them is Mango Ice cream made with fresh fruit pulp . 

Mango Ice Cream can be easily made at home and that too without an ice cream maker. There are many methods and this ice cream can me made using heavy cream or milk maid. But in this post i have stuck to the traditional method, using full cream milk and cream. Have reduced the milk to half its quantity, used little corn flour as a thickener , Fresh cream , mango pulp and sugar. The ice cream came out to be super soft. The color and taste of this mango ice cream depends upon the mango used. I would suggest Alphonso mango for making this recipe.

Ingredients: Measurements 1 cup = 250 ml

• 2 cups of Full cream milk
• 1 tbsp of Corn Flour/ Custard Powder
• 5 tbsp Sugar or as required
• 1/2 cup  Cream
• 1 cup mango- pureed 
• 1 tbsp Pistachio chopped (optional)

Method:

1. Mix the Corn flour in 1/4 cup milk and keep aside.

  2.  Take rest of the milk in a heavy bottom sauce pan and brink it to a boil. Simmer it and allow to reduce to half its original quantity. Add sugar , let it dissolve and the mixture come to a boil. 

  3. When it boils add the corn flour or custard mixture and bring it to a boil again , cook for 1 -2 minutes and put off the flame. Allow it to cool down at room temperature.

  4. In a mixing bowl , take the cream and mango puree and whisk lightly.

  5. Add this cream and mango mixture to the cooled milk mixture. Mix well and transfer to a container with a tight lid.

  6. Freeze till the mixture is almost set .Take out and beat with a hand beater and place back into the freezer.( This step is to avoid crystal formation). After beating , i added some mixture into the ice pop molds and kept the rest in a container with a tight lid. 

  7. Freeze till the ice cream is set. Enjoy this delicious mango Ice Cream with your loved ones !

  I hope you would love to try out this recipe at home. Do not forget to give your valuable feed back. 

  For more mango recipes , do check my posts on

• Amrakhand - Mango Shrikhand
• Soft Mango Bites
• Kairi Panha - Raw Mango Drink
• Raw Mango Chutney
• Spicy Raw Mango Pickle
• Aam Ka Murabba

Maharashtrian Mattha / Spiced Buttermilk Recipe

It is scorching hot here in Gurgaon , temperature hovering between 42 and 43 degrees Celsius.To beat this summer heat , i totally rely on traditional coolant drinks like the Thandai , Kairi Panha , Kokam sharbat , Nimbu Shikanji and Mattha.

Mattha is a refreshing summer drink from Maharashtrian Cuisine. It is basically a delicious spiced buttermilk. An excellent summer coolant and very good for digestion, a typical Maharashtrian wedding will have Mattha served for sure. Classically it is prepared with buttermilk , but one can make it using plain yogurt as well. Mattha is spiced with ginger , roasted cumin powder, green chilly,  and rock salt and addition of fresh Coriander leaves makes it all the more flavorful. The best thing about Mattha is it can be made in a jiffy and without any efforts. 

Health Benefits:

Ayurvedic nutrition recommends butter milk to pacify Pitta dosha ( with addition of sugar or rose water), pacify Vata and Kapha ( use of rock salt , honey , spices like dry- roasted cumin powder , black pepper and herbs like Ginger). Buttermilk is highly recommended as one of the best home remedies for certain ailments like piles , diarrhoea , jaundice and dysfunctions of liver and spleen.

Source : Wikipedia 

  Ingredients:

• 1 cup Plain Yogurt
• 2 cups filtered Water
• 1/2 inch piece of Ginger
• Green Chilly to taste
• Fresh Coriander leaves chopped, a few sprigs
• 1/4 tsp roasted Cumin powder
• Rock Salt (Sendha Namak) to taste
• Sugar to taste

Method:

1. Grind the green chilly , coriander leaves and ginger in a grinder. 

  2.  In the same jar, add the plain Yogurt, rock Salt , Sugar , Cumin powder and Water. Blend all these ingredients together in a blender. 

  3. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Keep in the refrigerator to chill. You can strain it prior to serving, i like it as it is. Stir well as it tends to settle down. Serve the refreshing Mattha chilled after food and enjoy !

   I hope you would try out this traditional coolant drink for yourself and keep the heat at bay . Do not forget to give your valuable feed back.

Eggless Suji Tutti Frutti Cake

 Suji cake is a delicious and healthy Indian cake and is very easy to make at home. An eggless butter less cake , with loads of Tutti Frutti , making it all the more yummy and appealing. 

Was introduced to this super easy and quick cake recipe by my dear friend Rachna. A super hit at my place and my personal favorite too. The recipe calls for very few steps and all its ingredients are easily available in our kitchen pantries. Involve your kids with you in baking this healthy and wonderful cake, trust me it is super fun :)

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/4 cup Fine Suji / Semolina
• 1/2 cup plain Yogurt
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Tutti Frutti
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence 
• Pinch of Salt

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl take fine Suji , plain Yogurt , Milk , Sugar and Oil . Mix all the ingredients very well and keep aside for 15 minutes. 

  2. After 15 minutes, the consistency should appear like the Idly batter. If it appears thick, add little milk ( 1 tsp at at time) and give a good stir. 

  3. Grease the cake pan or line it with parchment paper. Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 8-10 minutes. Add baking soda, baking powder , pinch of salt , and Vanilla essence to the suji batter and mix slowly. Do not over beat. In the last add the the Tutti Frutti and give a quick stir. 

  4. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes at 180 degree Celsius until the cake turns nice golden brown in color. 

  5. Do a check test with a tooth pick, if the tooth pick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean, the cake is done, if the tooth pick is sticky, it means the cake is undone. Bake for another 3-5 minutes and allow the cake to completely cool down. Flip it and cut the cake into desired shapes.

  6. Serve the cake at tea time or as a delicious snacks and enjoy with your loved ones !!

  

 I hope you would love to try out this simple recipe and prepare a healthy snacks for your loved ones. Do not forget to give your valuable feedback. 

For more eggless cakes and muffins  recipes, do check my posts on

• Eggless Chocolate Cake Recipe
• Eggless Whole Wheat Banana Bread
• Eggless Moist Carrot Cake
• Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake
• Eggless Butterless Pineapple Muffins
• Eggless Butterless Chocolate Muffins
• Eggless Butterless Carrot Muffins

Kaliche Ladoo Recipe

Kaliche Ladoo is a traditional Maharashtrian delicacy. It is basically a gram flour ( besan) sweet ball preparation and it tastes somewhat like the boondi laddoo. This is my mother in law's recipe and i made this as prasad ( bhog) for Ram Navmi. These ladoos stay well at room temperature for about 10- 15 days , provided they do not vanish until then ;)

These delicious and melt in mouth ladoos can be made at home with an easy to follow recipe. Here instead of making boondi , Sev is made from the besan flour and the sev is then crushed and the coarse powder thus obtained is mixed with sugar syrup. The crushed sev appear as small curves ( kali in colloquial language) and hence the name of the Ladoos. If you do not have a snacks maker to make sev, we can even make pooris out of the besan dough and then crush the deep fried pooris and follow the rest of the recipe.

  Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg Besan ( gram flour)
• 1/2 kg Sugar
• 2 tbsp Ghee / Oil + for deep frying
• 1 tbsp Jaggery powder
• 2 tbsp Magaz ( melon seeds)
• 3 tbsp crushed or sliced nuts ( i have used Almonds and Pistachios)
• Few strands of Saffron
• 1 tsp of cardamom powder

Method:

1. Sift besan , add 2 tbsp hot ghee / oil and 1 tbsp Jaggery powder(gud) to it . Using sufficient water, knead into a very soft dough. 

  2. Fit the snacks maker with the disc having largest pore size . Fill it with the dough. 

  3. Heat up ghee / oil in a deep frying pan and hold the snacks maker above it and press it to release enough sev . Deep fry the sev from both the sides. we do not want a very crisp sev here, also the color of sev should remain yellow , and should not turn brown( or the ladoos will look darker).

  4.  Remove the sev with a perforated laddle and crush it with hand when still hot enough to handle. If the sev becomes very cold, then use a mixer grinder to crush it. Repeat the same for rest of the dough. 

  5. Meanwhile in a large saucepan, take 1/2 kg sugar and add water enough to cover it. Add saffron strands and heat the pan on a medium heat. Though the recipe calls for equal quantity of sugar to besan , you can always add a little less sugar , to suit your taste. For these ladoos , we look for a two string consistency of sugar syrup.

  6. Add sliced Almonds , Pistachios and Magaj to the crushed sev . To check the 2 string consistency of the sugar syrup, take a drop of syrup on the thumb and with the index finger try to pull it,  2 threads ( strings) should appear. Another method, is to put the drop of sugar syrup into a plate having water. Try to make a ball of the syrup, if it forms the desired consistency is obtained. Put off the flame.

  7. Add the sev mixture to the syrup . Add the cardamom powder and blend very well. Once the mixture has cooled down a bit, enough to handle, make round balls ( ladoos). The above quantity will make 30-35 medium sized ladoos.

  8. Allow the ladoos to cool down completely and transfer them to a air tight container. They can be stored at room temperature and stay good for about 10 days. Enjoy the delicious treats with your loved ones !

        

  I hope you would love to give this recipe a try. Do not forget to give your valuable feed back.

Notes:

• If you do not have a snacks maker to make sev, pooris can be made from the besan dough and the deep fried pooris are crushed to powder and used in this recipe. The dough should be stiff if making pooris.
• No artificial color is added while making the laddos.
• Though the recipe, calls for equal quantities of sugar and besan , you can always add a little less sugar, as per your taste.
• If the sugar syrup consistency is less than the desired one, the ladoos will take time to bind. And if the syrup turns more thick, the ladoos will turn hard. 
• The above quantity yield 30-35 medium sized laddos. The quantity can be doubled , as per your requirement.

For more Ladoo recipes, do check my posts on :

• Suji and Coconut Ladoos
• Dates and Nuts Ladoo
• Almond and Chocolate Ladoo
• Peanuts Sesame Seeds and Coconut Ladoos
• Instant Chapati Ladoo
• Dry Fruits Ladoo
• Til Gul Ladoo
• Methi Goand ke Ladoo