SUMMER DRINKS!

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.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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, garnished with rose petals.

MANGO LASSI

Lassi is the perfect cooler on a hot day. You can add extra sweetness to it (if you like) with sugar or honey. If you're making it for kids and want to avoid the sugar, use unsweetened fruit juice or pulp. This recipe makes 4 glasses of lassi.

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 glasses of yogurt (use a glass you will serve the lassi in, to measure)
• 1 glass of crushed ice (measure as above)
• 1 glass ripe mango pieces or pulp
• Sugar to taste/unsweetened fruit juice or pulp
• 1 tsp slivered almonds for each glass
• A dollop of thick cream for each glass (optional)

Preparation:

• Put the yogurt, mango, ice and sugar/juice/pulp in a blender and blend till smooth.
• Pour out into glasses, top with a dollop of cream each and slivered almonds and serve.

• 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

NIMBOO PANI

Cool down on a hot summer day with this very refreshing drink. It's lemonade with an Indian twist!

Ingredients:

• Juice of 4 lemons
• Sugar/honey to taste
• 2 tbsps Jaljira powder (available at most Indian groceries)
• Chilled water

Preparation:

• Squeeze all lemons to remove juice and strain the juice to remove seeds. Pour into a large jug.
• Add all the remaining ingredients to get desired strength and sweetness and mix well.
• Serve in chilled glasses garnished with lemon slices.

BADAAM MILK

Delicately flavored with cardamom, the nuts in this chilled, cooling drink don't just make it tasty, they pack a mighty nutritious punch too! I often make it for my son... he enjoys it just as much as me. Cold Badam Milk is a great summer cooler but if you use warm milk to make it, it's a great winter drink too! This recipe makes roughly 4 glasses of Badam Milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup pistachios
• 3 cups chilled/ warm milk
• Sugar to taste
• 2/3 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsps kewra essence (available at Indian groceries) - optional
• 2 tsps rose water

Preparation:

• Grind the almonds and pistachios to a smooth paste in your food processor. Add a little milk to do this. A lot of people like to remove the skin from the almonds before grinding them. I don't do this as the skin contains many nutrients. You can do it if you wish, by soaking the almonds in hot water for 5 minutes. When soaked, press the almonds between your thumb and index finger. The skin will slip off quite easily.
• Add the milk, sugar, cardamom powder, kewra essence (if using) and rose water. Blend well

( about.com).