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I have brought here yet another mouthwatering and very easy to make Mango Smoothie for all those mango lovers. Well I don’t think there is anybody who doesn’t like mangoes??? This king of fruits is rightly named as it deserves to be the king and makes us wait the whole year around and drool at its only mention.
I had fresh mangoes at home and had to try out something different and easy to keep cool in this scorching sun. And yes there it was….ready in just no time and even polished off in no time….It was looking fantastic with its bright yellow colour and I had to speed up to take the pictures as I thought I wouldn’t get any. Here presenting the world’s best Mango Smoothie and do try it out this season….!!!
What is a Smoothie:-
A smoothie (alternatively spelled smoothy) is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit (fruit smoothie) and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients. They have a milkshake-like consistency that is thicker than slush drinks. They can also contain milk, yogurt or ice cream. Smoothies are often marketed to health-conscious people, and some restaurants offer add-ins such as soy milk, whey powder, green tea, herbal supplements, or nutritional supplement mixes. Smoothies became widely available in the United States in the late 1960s when ice cream vendors and health food stores began selling them. By the 1990s and 2000s, smoothies became available at mainstream cafés and coffee shops and in pre-bottled versions at supermarkets all over the world.
History of Smoothie:-
Health food stores on the West Coast of the United States began selling pureed fruit drinks in the 1930s, based on recipes that originated in Brazil.[1] The 1940s-era Waring Blendor cookbooks published recipes for a “banana smoothie” and a “pineapple smoothee.” The name “smoothee” or “smoothie” was used by books, magazines, and newspapers for a product made in a blender. Dan Titus, the director of The Juice and Smoothie Association, states in his book, Smoothies, The Original Smoothie Book, that “smoothies became popular in the middle 1960s, when there was resurgence in the United States in macrobiotic vegetarianism.” The first trademark for fruit slush was in the mid-1970s with the name “California Smoothie”, which was marketed by the California Smoothie Company from Paramus, New Jersey. Smoothies from the 1960s and early 1970s were “basically fruit, fruit juice, and ice”; in some cases in the early 1970s, ice milk was also blended in to create the “fruit shake”. These shakes were served at local health-food restaurants and at health-food stores alongside tofu, fruits, carob, and other health-oriented foods.
In the early 1970s, the co-founder of Smoothie King, Stephen Kuhnau, began selling blended fruit drinks under the name “smoothie”. However, Kuhnau admits that he “didn’t invent the word smoothie”; instead, he states that the term dates back to the “fruit and fruit juice based drinks made by the Hippies” in the late 1960s. In the 1980s, the increasing popularity of sports and fitness led to the marketing of supplement-fortified health food products. During this time, the first specialized juice and smoothie bars opened. By the 2000s, the “juice and smoothie industry [was] a multi-billion dollar industry.”
Since the 1990s, many smoothie companies like Booster Juice have been using frozen yogurt to give their smoothies a thick, creamy, milkshake-like texture.[citation needed] Many types of fruit smoothies are found in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern cuisine and Indian Cuisine, including sharbat, which is typically made using yogurt and honey, as well as a range of fresh fruit. In India, the traditional Mango Shake is really a summer smoothie in which tota puri mango, crushed water ice, milk and cane sugar are mixed into a thick smoothie using a blender, while in South India, pineapple smoothies with crushed ice & sugar (without milk) are more popular. Smoothies can also be mixed with soda pop and/or alcohol to make cocktails.
What do we need:-
3 Large Ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped
6 tbsp Yogurt
3 cups Milk, chilled
8 tbsp Sugar
1 medium Ripe mango, peeled, 1 cm cubes
How do we do it:-
1 Keep the chopped mangoes in the freezer for some time.
2 Take the yogurt in a smoothie maker or Mixer jar.
3 Add frozen mango pieces and milk. Blend it till its smooth.
4 Add sugar and blend again.
5 Put some mango cubes into a serving glass
6 Pour the smoothie and serve immediately garnished with some more mango cubes.
Mangoes are one of the finest tropical fruits, which are originated in India and are the most frequently eaten fruits in South East Asia. Now hundreds of varieties are grown all over the world. People like different varieties in different parts of the world. But according to one survey, Indians prefer yellow skin variety. However, Europeans, prefer yellow turning to red. Americans like red skins.
This fruit is available during the summer season in India. In India summer is a much-awaited season only for the valuable fruit – mango. This fruit’s motif, pattern can be seen in day today life of Indian culture. These mango motifs are used in many art pieces, sari borders, carpets and sculptures. So this exotic fruit not only inspired designers, but also poets and writers. Here is a quote from an author “The flavor is as though nightingales were signing on the palate. The texture is like cream melting on the tongue. What the gods gorged on, at Olympus, is called nectar and ambrosia, but mangos are plainly meant “.
History:
Mango- the king of fruits is native of India, cultivated for thousands of years. Akbar the Moghal ruler planted a mango tree orchard at Darbhanga in Bihar, called “lakh bagh” because the number of the trees was supposedly one lakh (one hundred thousand). So mango cultivation has been in India for at least 4000 years.
The mango was first made known to the outside world by the Chinese traveler Huen T-sang, it is said. Cultivation of the fruit then spread to the east and west, arriving in Persia, by the tenth century. In sixteenth century, the Portuguese took the mango from India to Africa. By eighteenth century, the mango had reached to West Indies and Brazil. In the nineteenth century, this fruit came to US and was known in Mexico, Florida and Hawaii. Now mangoes are grown in all these places, but India is still the world’s largest mango producer.
Here I have brought yet another must try raw mango recipe this season. It is the famous and very traditional Maharashtrain recipe of Gulamba. In Gulamba, Gul means jaggery and amba means mango.It can also be prepared with sugar and is called as Sahkaramba in which Sahkar means sugar. But the jaggery version is the traditional and authentic one. This taste great with chapatti, roti’s or bread. It is also used as an accompaniment. It is also very popular in Gujarat. There it is know as Chunda. As a kid I used to love the sweet and sour taste of it. But I have tried it for the first time and it turned out perfect. I have already finished half of the tin. Do try it out as it is very simple to prepare and requires just 3 ingredients. It gets ready in just 10-15 minutes and is very yummy. So friends what are you waiting for try it out to see for yourself….
What do we need:-
2 Cups Grated Raw Mango
2 – 2 ½ cups Jaggery , Grated
1 tsp Cardamom Powder (elaichi powder)
How do we do it:-
1 Peel raw Mangoes. (Mangoes should be big in size) Then Grate it neatly.
2 Squeeze the grated mango in between the palms to remove the juice of the mango to reduce its sourness.
3 Now shift it in a heavy bottom vessel.
4 Add jaggery to it. Quantity of jaggery depends upon the sourness of a mango.
5 Put this vessel on medium flame. Cook it till this syrup gets thicker (one string consistancy).
6 Keep it stirring in between. Now turn off the flame.
7 Add cardamom powder and mix well.
8 Gulamba is ready. Cool it and store it in a glass jar. You can store it for 5-6 months in fridge.
Here is yet another authentic and very traditional recipe of sandage/vade made of Bengal gram (chana dal). I remember my grandmother make it when I was small. I never made it though till now but I liked it very much. So I decided to make it myself this summer and share it with you all.
It is prepared during summer season as it needs to be kept in sun to dry. It is used all year around to make sabzi’s. In regions where there is no more growth of vegetation such preserve recipes are made and are consumed all year round. These are also made of Green gram dal (moong dal) and called as moogvade/mangodi.
This is one of my favourite sabzi and even my dad likes it very much. I am very happy to have made it this season. It is also very easy to make and the sabzi is also very easy to prepare. When you are in a hurry and don’t have any vegetables at home this can be made in jiffy as it gets cooked very fast.
It is very famous and made regularly in north Karnataka and even Maharashtra. It is also very popular in Gujarati cuisine.
Do try out this traditional an authentic recipe of my grandmother and enjoy it.
How do we do sandage/mangodi:-
What do we need:-
½ kg Chana dal/ moong dal (I had made of 1 kg, they shrink and become small so don’t seem too many, if you want to year around you can make of more quantity in batches)
5 tbsp Cumin seeds (jeera)
Green chillies as per your taste and liking
½ bunch coriander, cleaned
1 tbsp Asafoetida (hing)
Salt to taste
How do we do it:-
1. Clean, wash and soak the moong dal for for 6 to 8 hours. Drain and keep aside.
2. Grind the Chana dal/moong dal to a smooth paste without using any water.
3. Make a paste of green chillies, cumin seeds and coriander.
4. Add the asafoetida and green chili paste and mix well.
5. Put the mixture in a piping bag fitted with plain nozzle and pipe out small dots on a greased thali. Or you can put small dots by your fingers on a big plastic sheet and keep it in the sun to dry.
6. Keep the mangodis in the sun for 2 days or until the mangodis dry out completely.
7. strore in an air-tight container.
8. Use as required.
How do we do Sandage/mangodi sabzi:-
What do we need:-
1 cup Sandage/mangodi
1 large Onion, finely chopped
1 Tomato, finely chopped
1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste (adrak-lehsun paste)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
8-10 curry leaves (kadipatta)
1 tbsp red chillie powder/ as per your liking
2 tsp garam masala powder
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 cups water
Salt to taste
4-5 tbsp oil
How do we do it:-
1 Heat some oil in a kadhai. When it is hot enough add the Sandage/mangodi in it and fry for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame till they become lightly golden. Remove and keep aside.
2 Heat the remaining oil in the same kadhai. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves and wait till they splutter.
3 Add the chopped onion and sauté till they are translucent.
4 Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté.
5 Add the chopped tomatoes, red chillies powder and salt. (Remember mangodi’s also have salt so put the salt cautiously.)
6 Saute the tomatoes till mushy.
7 Add the fried Sandage/mangodi’s and 2 cups of water. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or till they can be broken between fingers but still retain their shape.
8 Add the garam masala and chopped coriander.
9 Serve hot with chapatti or roti’s.
Note:- Do not overcook them as they will break up.
After being busy for the last 15 days with lot of travelling and guests finally got the time to write down. Had a lot of fun and nice holiday but was fed up of the hot hot sun. as the mercury is rising there is a need for cool recipes and shrikhand is one such dish.
Shrikhand is a flavored sweet yoghurt dish that is served as a dessert. The dish is a festive dish that is specially made for Janamashtami in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The dish has a sweet, tangy taste and it’s commonly served as a breakfast dish in the North of India but as a dessert in the South of India. The ingredients are basically the same and the shrikhand recipe is very easy to prepare at home. I had prepared it on the occasion of Gudi padwa but yes you don’t need an occasion to eat it. It is specially done on festivals especially in Maharashtra. The shrikhand puri is very famous combination dish for festivals in Maharashtra.
History of Shrikhand:-
The exact origin of Shrikhand is unknown but Western India is credited with the first historical mention of the dish. The dish is very popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan but other states like Maharashtra and Punjab do have local variations that are popular too. Although there is no exact record of how the dish came about, the legend states that traveling herdsmen hung curd or yoghurt overnight to make it easier to carry while traveling. The thick yoghurt that was collected the next day was mixed with sugar and nuts to make it palatable during the long journey.
Ingredients Used and Popular Method of Preparation of Shrikhand:-
Different states tend to have different names as well as a different shrikhand recipe for the same dish. Preparation methods and the shrikhand recipe may vary slightly along with additional ingredients that are added to make Shrikhand palatable to local state customs. For example, in Gujarat and Maharashtra, curd is first prepared from milk. The curd is filtered and hung in a muslin cloth overnight to remove the extra water. Once the curd is ready, it is then called as chakka. The next morning, the thick concentrate of curd or chakka is removed and beaten well with powdered sugar, nuts, saffron or kesar and additional powdered milk to make it richer in taste. In West Bengal, sweet milk is cultured with cultures to make sweet curd called as Mishti Doi. But this dish is not the same as this yogurt dish even though the basic ingredients are the same.
Serving and Eating Shrikhand:-
Gujarati’s prefer to mix mango pulp into the Shrikhand to make it more palatable and to sweeten the dish. Fresh fruits can also be added to the dish for breakfast and this is then referred to as Matho. Maharashtrians serve this dish with puris as a breakfast. There are several large dairy companies that also provide readymade versions of this flavored and colored yogurt dish.
Nutritional Value:-
Shrikhand is essential yoghurt with added sugar and fruits. The dish is very nutritious and filling and it is ideal as a breakfast or dessert dish.
What do we need:-
500 gm Yogurt/ curd (Dahi)
8-9 tbsp Castor Sugar /as per your taste
1 tsp Green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
Almond slivers for garnishing
How do we do it:-
Preparation:-
1 Tie the 500 gm yogurt in a muslin cloth and hang it overnight/ 4-5 hours so that all its water is drained off and you get the think yogurt without water.
How do we proceed:-
1 Take the hung curd in a bowl.
2 Add the castor sugar and the green cardamom powder in the yogurt.
3 Whisk it with the help of a whisker manually till the yogurt become a smooth paste. It will take only 5 -7 minutes.
4 Chill it in the refrigerator and serve garnished with almond slivers.
Note:- You need to keep the Shrikhand in the refrigerator only if you want to keep it for 2-3 days.
We all remember our mothers and grandmothers make this when we were small. And apart from seeing the one thing that we used to love the most was to eat it then and there as it was being made and get scolded for that. But we never used to stop doing it…isn’t it. All these wonderful preserve bring wonderful childhood memories back in a moment. Now as an adult and a mother we make these for our children and give them their lifelong memories which they will remember after years as we do now.
Mango pickle is a pickle made with raw mangoes. It is a popular Indian pickle which has a wide variety of recipes across geographical regions. It is called ‘Aam ka achar’ in India, and is the most commonly found pickle here. It is also popular in many other countries of the world. The common mango pickle recipe typically suggests raw mangoes, oil, spices and salt as the basic ingredients.
Mango pickle is often prepared during summer season in Indian homes, as this is the time when raw mango is found in abundance. It is kept out in the hot summer sun, and salt, spices and oil added to it act as preservatives. Mango pickle is stored in air-tight glass or porcelain jars.
Indian pickles consist of a large variety of pickled fruits and vegetables which are marinated in oil or lemon juice and different Indian spices and salt. Some regions also specialize in pickling meats and fish.
Pickled items include mango, lemon, lime, cauliflower, carrot, radish, tomato, onion, pumpkin, palm heart, lotus stem, rose petals, ginger, Indian gooseberry, garlic, green or red chili peppers, kohlrabi, gunda, kerda, zimikand (purple yam), karonda, karela (bitter melon), jackfruit, mushroom, eggplant, and turnip.
Homemade pickles are prepared in the summer and kept in the sun during daytime for at least three weeks before use. They are stored in porcelain or glass jars with airtight lids. The acidic nature of the marinade retards bacterial growth, and oil acts as a preservative. Pickles retain their freshness and flavor so long as they do not come into contact with moisture. Commercially produced pickles use preservatives like citric acid and sodium benzoate.
Indian pickles come in a wide variety of flavors; thus, a mango pickle from South India may taste very different from one made in North India. In the southern states, sesame oil is preferred, while mustard oil is preferred in northern states for making pickles.
Local Name for Pickles:-
The term for pickles in Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali is pronounced as achār, and written in their respective scripts as अचार”>अचार, اچار, and আচার.
The Kannada, Telugu and Tamil words for pickles are respectively pronounced as uppinakaayi (ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ), pachchadi (పచ్చడి), and oorugai (ஊறுகாயஂ).
In Marathi it is known as loncha.
The Malayalam word for pickles is pronounced as uppillittuthu, each type of pickle being given its own name, such as maangaacurry for mango pickle and ingicurry for ginger pickle.
The Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati words for pickles are respectively pronounced as uppinakayi (ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ), lonache (लोणचे (page does not exist)”>लोणचे), and athāṇũ (અથાણું).
Tamil Nadu State have a typical p mango pickle, maavadu, which is usually made early in the summer season when mangoes are barely an inch long. The preservation process uses castor oil, giving the pickle its unique taste. Another pickle from Tamil Nadu is narthangai, which consists of unripe citrons cut into spirals and stuffed with salt.
Tender whole mango pickle is one of the traditional pickle recipes of Karnataka. This is preserved entirely by dehydrating tender whole mango by salt and is very salty and sour. A special kind of it is jeerige midi (ಜೀರಿಗೆ ಮಿಡಿ), which is prepared using special tender mango with a refreshing aroma.
Raw mangoes, lemon, green chilis, gunda (Cordia) and kerda are commonly used as key ingredients in Gujarati cuisine. Varieties of pickled mango commonly found in Gujarati households include salted mango pickle, made with groundnut oil and spiced with fenugreek seeds, and red chili powder; hot and sweet mango pickle, made with groundnut oil, and jaggery, fennel seeds, dry dates (kharek), mustard, and red chili powder; and hot and sweet mango pickle, made using sugar syrup, cumin, and chili powder.
In South Africa, Indian pickles are called atchar, and are sometimes eaten with bread.
What do we need:-
For a small quantity:-
3 Raw Mangoes (medium sized)
4 tbsp Red Chili Powder
4 tbsp Mustard seeds (rai/sarson)
3 tbsp Salt
200 ml Oil
1 tbsp Fenugreek Seeds (roasted)
2 tsp Asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp Turmeric powder (haldi)
How do we do it:-
Praparation:-
1 Clean and wipe dry the mangoes.
2 Cut the mangoes into small pieces and discard the seed inside.
3 Dry roast the mustard seeds for 2 minutes. Remove and crush them to make a coarse powder.
4 Dry roast the fenugreek seeds for 1 minute. Remove and make fine powder.
5 Heat the oil in a small vessel till it’s very hot and them off the flame and then keep it to cool.
How do we proceed:-
1 Take the diced mangoes in a mixing bowl.
2 Add the red chillie powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, salt to taste, mustard seeds powder, fenugreek powder and mix all nicely.
3 Add the cooled oil (remember the oil should be fully cooled before you add it) and mix thoroughly.
4 Bottle the pickle in a sterilised glass jar.
5 Keep it outside for a day then you can keep it in the refrigerator for a longer use.
Note:- This pickle is not for the yearly store. It is the instant pickle and should be finished at the earliest. So it should be always made in a small quantity.
