#homemadebeverage

[cheersclubmusic]

Velvety goodness of this homemade iced frappuccino - a perfect pick-me-up for any coffee lover.

Coffee Recipe - Iced Frappuccino

[fukuroukekinoto]

My plan for yesterday's iftar is just a simple pancake with apple jam on top. Or inside, like Mom said when I asked how to make an apple jam and told her my plan. But I made it too much, the pancake and the jam.⁣

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For some reason, I have warm water ready. So I put two or three tablespoon of the jam, the tea bag, and pour the warm water. And that's it. The home made Apple tea, ready for iftar. ⁣

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My room smells like apple last night. This morning, it smells like apple tea more. Because I made it again for suhoor time, and finished up the pancakes and the jam. I am full, satisfied, and happy. Because it's been a while (maybe a long one) since I made something sweet (especially with sweet cookies still around unopened) and delicious for myself ☺. ⁣

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I thought, the pancake stack with apple jam would be the highlight. It turns out, this apple tea is the highlight. Maybe because, for me, it taste like package/can apple tea that I usually bought in store. But more of my taste, because it isn't too bitter, not to sweet either ☺. ⁣

[mikeskki]

I’ve lived in Portland for nearly 25 years, only now finally trying to make my own kombucha 😉. #kombucha #homemadebeverage https://www.instagram.com/p/CD2ZLpHhJHw8xzr0OHfbwOCb8MnJtmZ8esMND80/?igshid=114yo0xsfvdx8

[mamtabhutani]

Aam Panna - a perfect summer cooler!

It’s been a long hiatus and a lot has changed. For a first, I have shifted my base. Making a big life change is scary but what is even scarier, is, regret! Not wanting to live with one for the rest of our lives, hubby and I took a big step…to move out from a city that had always been home to me. Born and brought up in Delhi, I have not known another life. My first baby step was around 10 years ago when we moved to Gurgaon but then, we still lived in the NCR. I could have access to the kind of big city life that I knew. The only thing that required getting used to was the long distances and the traffic. Easily done…or so I thought, till I moved to Chandigarh!

Chandigarh – the city beautiful! It truly is. From my perspective, there are a lot of positives – planned layout, wide clean roads, hardly any traffic, beautifully manicured parks, green zones, a lake, fresher air, proximity to the hills and to top it all, friends who are now family. Dilli bhi door nahin! But what takes the cake is the variety of flora that thrives here. Most houses have beautifully maintained lawns and the ones that have the luxury of space have fruit trees growing too. At this time of the year, mangoes and litchis abound. Much to my delight, my neighbour’s mango tree has had a good bounty this year and has been magnanimously shedding its fruit on to my balcony. I have had a whale of a time gathering my booty every morning and churning out summer coolers out of raw mangoes.

Summer Coolers! That’s the theme this time. I am going to share a series of recipes of a few homemade beverages that are perfect to beat the heat. I will start with the ‘Aam Panna’, the recipe for which was not formally shared with me by anyone but I picked it up by watching my parents as they used to make it every summer.  Rightly so, the credit for this recipe goes to my parents.

AAM PANNA

Ingredients: 1. Raw mangoes – 500 Gms. (around 3 -4 medium sized ones) 2. Sugar – 3 tbsp.  (can start by adding 2 tbsp. and add more, if required) 3. Salt – I tsp. 4. Black salt – 1 tsp. 5. Black pepper powder – ¾ tsp. 6. Cumin (jeera) powder – dry roasted and ground finely (preferably freshly done) 7. Fresh mint leaves - 1 cup (100 gms. approx.)

Method: 1. Pick raw mangoes that are firm to touch and have shiny skin. 2. Rinse them in water; remove the stem and steam in the pressure cooker. Make sure that you are using potable water as the same will be used to make the beverage. Allow 3-4 whistles till they become completely soft and pulpy. 3. When cool, drain the mangoes, remove their peel and take out the mango pulp. 4. In a blender, add the mango pulp, sugar, salt (both black and white), black pepper powder, roasted jeera powder and fresh mint leaves. . Blend it into a smooth mixture. Add the drained water (if any) and mix well. 5. Do a taste test to check the balance. In case it feels sour, add some more sugar & salt. 6. Store it in an airtight bottle and keep it in the refrigerator. Ensure that the aam panna is consumed in the next 4-5 days. 7. Shake well before serving. If the mix that you had made is quite thick, then add the water in the ratio of 1:3. Otherwise, go with your taste and add water accordingly. Stir well and add ice cubes.

Aam Panna is best served chilled.