THANDAI

Thandai

In India, all foods are believed to be either heat-giving or cooling. Thandai is a North-Indian drink made especially when the hot, dry summer winds blow through the region leaving everything and everybody parched. This thirst-quencher is tasty and cooling. The recipe below makes 6 glasses.
INGREDIENTS:

* 1 litre milk
* 1 can sweetened condensed milk
* 30 almonds blanched
* 6 tsps whole pumpkin/sunflower seeds (unsalted)
* 1 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
* 3 tsps rose water (optional)
* Crushed ice
* Rose petals to garnish

PREPARATION:

* Grind the almonds, sunflower/pumpkin seeds, cardamom powder and rose water into a fine paste in a food processor.
* Add the milk, condensed milk and crushed ice to the paste and blend well.
* Strain the drink through a fine seive or muslin and serve in glasses, granished with rose petals.

LASSI

Lassi
Yogurt Drink

Besides Indian tea known as "Chai", Lassi is the most popular drink of the people of India. Lassi is made in two ways either sweet or salty. On a hot sunny day it is only natural to quench one's thirst with a tall glass of Lassi.

* Sweet Lassi
* Salty Lassi
* Mango Lassi
* Pineapple Lassi




Sweet Lassi

1 cup of yogurt
½ a cup of water
½ a cup of ice cubes
3 to 5 teaspoons of sugar
A pinch of salt

A dollop of plain yogurt for garnishing


Blend all the ingredients at high speed till frothy.
Add a dollop of fresh yogurt on top.
Makes two to three glasses of Lassi.



Salty Lassi

This Salty Lassi is spiced with cumin and is a great refreshing drink in the summer.

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup chilled milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup of ice cubes

A dollop of plain yogurt for garnishing


Dry roast ( What is Dry roasting?) the cumin seeds for a few minutes until you start getting a wonderful aroma. Cool and grind to a coarse consistency. In a blender blend all the ingredients. Top it up with a dollop of yogurt. Serve chilled.

Makes 4 servings.

Note : Using fat free yogurt is a splendid way of making a "guilt free" cool summer drink.



Mango Lassi

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mango pulp (fresh or canned)
1 cup crushed ice
3 table spoons sugar / Use sugar substitute if desired

Blend all of the above. Add a little water if the consistency is too thick. Keep refrigerated.
Serve chilled. Makes 4 servings.



Dry Roasting : This term is used to describe the process of heating spices on medium high heat in a shallow frying pan without any oil. This dry sautéing is done until the natural oils in the spices start emitting their natural aroma and the spice is lightly toasted. Individual spices are lightly toasted this way before they are ground so as to extract the maximum flavor from the spice.

This process works very well to rejuvenate the old spices sitting in your cupboards. Dry roasting them will bring out their flavors.



Pineapple Lassi

1 cup ripe, fresh pineapple (peeled and diced)
125 ml/1/2 cup plain, natural yoghurt
125 ml/1/2 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
cup ice cubes

Place all ingredients in the jug of an electric blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately.