Badam paal / Almond milk

Almonds, the protein power house are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease. More here.

Here is one sweet delicacy that can be prepared before hand and stored in the refrigerator and can be used as and when needed. This almond drink can be had hot or cold. Makes a warm drink on a winter night and a cold drink on a summer afternoon. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Almonds or Almond meal - 1 cup

Granulated sugar - one and half cups

Reduced fat milk - 2 cups

Water - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon

Saffron strands - 1 pinch

Method:

If using almonds, blanch the almonds by boiling almonds in hot water for thirty minutes. Cool off and peel the skin.

Grind the blanced almonds to smooth paste using half cup water and half cup milk.

Transfer the ground almond to a heavy bottomed kadai and add half cup water and half cup milk.

Add the saffron strands and allow it to cook in reduced heat.

If using the almond meal (ground alomond), whisk half a cup water and half a cup milk and cook in a heavy bottomed kadai.

Stir every other minute for atleast 15 minutes or until the raw almond smell goes away.

If required add more milk.

When the almond paste is cooked, add the sugar.

Let the sugar dissolve.

Allow it to cook until the mixture thickens.

Add the cardamom powder and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Turn off heat.

Take half a cup of this almond paste and pour half a cup milk and serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

This badam paste can be stored in the fridge in an air tight container.

Just mix milk to the paste as and when needed.

This badam milk can be called badam payasam too.

Thanks to my mom for teaching me this delicious recipe.

This is my entry to sweet series - cool desserts.

Mango lassi

I hail from the mango city Salem, India - famous for Malgoa/Malgova maambazham (mango), reminds me of the beautiful childhood rhyme,

"maambazhamaa maambazham, malgova maambazham, selathu maambazham, thithikkum maambazham.....".

In my hometown, we get rains during summer and we call it mango showers (rains). We used to have one mango a day for the most of our summer vacation. Whenever we visit our relatives in other cities during summer, my dad will proudly share a few malgova mangoes with them. In fact, our relatives would wait to relish the sweet salem mangoes. Once I came to the US, I rarely visit India when it is summer there. There is a big 'Bangana balli' mango tree in my Inlaw's place in Chennai. We loved eating those sweet mangoes last summer when we were in India.

It is now summer in the US and the grocery stores are filled with the aroma of delicious mangoes. Summer is no fun without mangoes and here is one sweet lassi that I learnt from my dear friend Priya. She prepared a delicious mango lassi when I visited her last weekend.

Ingredients:

Ripe mangoes - 2

Sugar - 3 tablespoons or as per taste

Milk - half cup

Yogurt - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - half teaspoon

Method:

Peel the mango skin and separate the pulp from the seed. Discard seed.

Substitute 1 cup canned mango pulp in case you don't have fresh mangoes. If using sweetened mango pulp, reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe.

Combine all the ingredients in a mixer/blender.

Adjust the ingredients as per your taste.

Serve cold.

This is my entry to the following events:

WYF - Juices and Ice cream event hosted by EC in Simple Indian food.

WBB-Summer Feast hosted by Sia of Monsoon spice

Eating with the seasons hosted by Maninas of Food matters

MM: Mango mania hosted by Meeta of What's for lunch honey?

Sweetseries - Cool desserts hosted by me.


Summer Splash! hosted by Aartee of From the kitchen.

This is also my entry to "Recipes for the rest of us" event hosted by Ramki of One page cookbooks.

Thank you so much bloggers, for hosting the various events.

Strawberry Milkshake

Ingredients:

1 cup Fresh Strawberries chopped (Avoid using strawberries with very coarse skin)
Milk – 1 ½ cups
Sugar – 3 teaspoons
A scoop of Vanilla or Strawberry Icecream. (optional).
Cardamom – 2 pods

Method:

Blend the strawberries with sugar and little milk to a smooth paste. Add the Icecream, Cardamom and rest of the Milk and blend it again to a frothy consistency.

Serve cold.