Cold Coffee

This is a simple and refreshing drink for those hot days. The recipe of this Cold Coffee was shared to me by my sister who knows tons of such beverage recipes.
For the cold coffee:
2 Cups ice cream (Vanilla or chocolate)
1 Cup Chilled Milk
2 spoons Sugar
1/2 spoon Coffe powder

Blend all the ingrdients together in a blender for about a minute.
Serving Suggestion: Add some whipped cream on top just before serving(If you do not care about the calories)

Sweet Lassi

Summer is round the corner and this beverage will do good for your health as well as the hot climate. It is basically a yoghurt based drink and those who detest yoghurt would be better off keeping away from it.

For the Lassi,
2 parts - yoghurt,plain
1 part - ice
sugar - to taste

In a blender jar,add the ingredients and blend till smooth. Your Lassi is ready. Serve chilled or immediately after blending.
For a variation,try adding some juice just before serving. I added orange juice and it gave me lassi a twist that I enjoyed

Avial

Here's a dish from Southern India that is full of vegetables and rich in taste. Not only is this a versaltile dishes(you could mix and match your own veggies) , it consumes less time as well for preparation.
The origin of Avial dates back to the state of kerala in Southern India. I have tasted many variations of Avial and I still do not know the authentic one and neither have I done any research on this. If any of you probably know,then do post it here for me and others to get educated. This is one dish you will love to cook over and over again.

For my version of Avial, here is what you will need:

Vegetables:

Any of the following(atleast 3-4)

2 medium carrots

3-4 string beans

1/2 of a cucumber

1 medium potato

2-3 Drumsticks

2-3 pieces of cubed brinjal
a few pieces of chooped snake gourd pieces

a handful of peas(frozen or fresh)

Grated Cocunut,about 1 cup(A little more or less is fine)

2-3 spoons,Coconut Oil(I used parachute oil)

a few curry leaves

greenchillies,3-4 or to taste

cumin seeds, 1 spoon

2-3 spoons of plain yoghurt

turmeric,1/4 of a spoon (optional)

Salt to taste

Chop all the veggies that you will be using length wise and keep aside.

Heat a skillet and add a spoon of coconut oil. Add the turmeric and then the veggies. Toss it lightly and then add a little water.Water should be just enough to cover the veggies. Throw in the curry leaves. Cover it and cook for about 10 minutes.Let is come to a boil. The vegetables need to get tender and soft.

In the meanwhile, grind together the grated coconut,green chillies and cumin seeds adding little water.

Once the veggies have cooked, add this coconut paste to it and mix well. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes.Now,switch off the stove. Drizzle the remaining coconut oil on top of this.

Add yoghurt just before serving. This is a very good side to rotis as well as rice.

Spinach and potato stuffed parathas

I love spinach and had a bunch with me today. In the mood to experiment? Try these spinach-potato stuffed parathas.

You will need:
1/2 bunch spinach - chopped roughly
2 medium potatoes - boiled and shredded
Wheat Flour/Chappati Flour - 1.5 to 2 cups and a little extra for dusting
Green chillies - finely chopped,to taste
Garam masala - optional,to taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
cooking oil, 1 spoon
water for the dough,about 1 cup

In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except water and shredded potatoes. Mix it well. Slowly,add water till it forms a dough consistency that is used for parathas. Let the dough stand for about 20 minutes atleast. Next,make small balls of the shredded potato and keep aside. Using a rolling pin and your kitchen counter top, start to roll out the parathas half-way. Stuff it with the potato filling and again roll it to an even shape.
In the meanwhile, heat a skillet on low flame. Place the parathas on the skillet and let it get cooked for about 30 seconds. Then,flip the side. After 3o seconds,smear both sides with oil and take it off the skillet. The cooking time may take a little longer than 30 seconds too,depending on the flame.
Enjoy with Onion raita and pickle or any gravy side.