Nimbu pudina sherbet / Lemon mint-ginger cooler

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it
 - Russell Baker

Summer
It beats us down with heat......
We need solace from the hot winds and the harsh sun......
We need shady trees and cool evening breeze.....
We need a lot of breaks......

But mostly we need to quench our unending thirst time and again.
And thus, the season of lazing around begins....

Lemon mint ginger sherbet 

You will need
Indian lemon or lime- about 14 in number
Mint leaves- 1 cup, cleaned and washed well
Sugar- 250 gm
Water- enough to cover the sugar.
Ginger- 2" piece (optional)
Kala namak/ red salt- 1 tsp

Method
Take sugar and water in a pan. Keep it on low flame till the sugar dissolves. Bring it to a boil. Lower the flame and cook for a minute or so.
Remove from flame to cool till room temperature.
Remove the seeds and squeeze the juice out of lemons or alternatively, strain the juice.
Blend the mint leaves with ginger. Do not add water. Add lemon juice if required.
Add the lemon juice and mint-ginger mix to the sugar syrup and mix.
Your sherbet is ready!

To serve
Pour about 1 tbsp syrup in a glass.

Add ice cubes if not using chilled water.

Add water or soda (if you like)
Add some more red salt..adjust to your taste.

Garnish with mint leaf and serve. You can also add a slice of lemon to it.

Enjoy the summers!!

Lauki Ke kofte- Bottle gourd dumplings in tomato-curd gravy

Plant a radish, get a radish,

never any doubt, thats why I love vegetables,

You know what they are about!

-Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt

Vegetables are the best thing to eat...everyone knows that. But sometimes you need to add a little twist to them for creating new...psst...also you need to hide it for little ones to eat.

That's when you take a homely bottle gourd and elevate it to the princely kofta status.

You will need

For koftas
Lauki/ Dudhi/Ghiya/ bottle gourd - 1, medium, grated
Besan/ chickpea flour- 4 tbsp
Green chillies- 1 or 2, chopped fine
Salt- 1/3 tsp
Adrak /Ginger- 1/2 " piece, grated
Coriander/ Dhaniya leaves - 2 tbsp (optional)
Oil- for frying

Method
Mix all the ingredients of koftas/ dumplings except oil and leave it for 5 min for the chickpea flour (mota besan) to absorb water. If your chickpea flour is ground fine then you don't need to leave it.

Heat oil in a wok/Kadhai.

Take the mixture in a spoon and pour in the oil. Cook on medium flame, till the kofta changes color to golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and keep aside on a paper towel.
Make in batches.

 For gravy
Tomatoes- 2, medium
Green chili- 1
Adrak /Ginger- 1" long
Curd- 1/2 cup
Coriander seed powder/ Dhaniya powder- 1 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp or to taste
Haldi/Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Garam masala- 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder- 1/4 tsp
Oil- 1/2 tbsp
Heeng /asafoetida powder- 1 pinch
Jeera / cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Method
Blend tomatoes. ginger and green chilli together in a blender.

Heat oil in a Kadhai.

Add a pinch of heeng and jeera /cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle and brown.

Add the tomato mix and let it cook for a few minutes. Add salt and haldi powder.

Take curd in a mixing bowl. Add dhaniya powder and red chili powder. Mix it together.

When the tomato mix is cooked, add the curd mix and keep stirring for a minute or till it comes to a boil. Even if it does boil over, keep mixing for a few minutes. The oil will come on the top. If you feel the gravy is drying out, then add water. I added about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water.

Add koftas to the gravy and serve hot.

Enjoy hot with Rotis or paranthas.

Grilled Sandwich on a Sunday morning

I love sandwiches. Let's face it, life is better between two pieces of bread. ~Jeff Mauro, a.k.a. The Sandwich King

Let's go a little easy this Sunday.....
No elaborate brunch, no fancy dishes...just a comforting sandwich. 
Easy to put together, especially when you have 4 people at home eating at 4 different times. You can serve these hot, every single time!

Happy family secret..;)

You will need
Onions- 1, medium, chopped
Tomatoes- 1,medium, chopped
Cucumber- 1, medium , chopped
Capsicum- 1 tbsp, chopped
Sweet corn- 1 tbsp
Black olives- 5, chopped finely
Olive oil infused with basil and rosemary- 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper- 1/2 tsp or to taste

Method
Mix all the stated ingredients for the filling.
Put it between two pieces of bread and grill it.
Dip it in mustard sauce or ketchup and enjoy your Sunday.

You can also enjoy basil pesto sandwich or try the tasty sandwich. This curd filling sandwich is also a winner with me, plus you don't need a grille for it.