MOCK TAILS | Saute Fry N Bake

roof afza lassi

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : nil minutes
Serves : 2 members

Description

Those days of video cassette recorder’s ( VCR) where we would get a black flat box called a tape to watch movies or other recorded visual treats. It mostly would be movies. All video tape movies would have advertisements in between at least twice. Those days we could count the number of advertisements that we had the privilege to watch. I some how found all the limited edition advertisements to be so interesting. To name a few .. sionara TV, Rasna drink, Amul butter, Natraj pencil, Vicks action 500 …. oops and the Rooh afza advertisement too where a young fair good looking dude holding half a dozen of Rooh ahza sherbath in his hands along with a charming smile (he sure did melt a hell lot of teenage hearts like mine ) And then there is a voice saying …
” Greatness needs greed. Don’t let your thirst for greatness fade away. Stay refreshed and re- energised with Rooh Afza with coolest blend of 13 herbal ingredients to quench your thirst .. yet leaving you asking for more.”
( Gosh , not bad I remember every bit )
I would rewind this advertisement and watch it over and over again is when my brother would start a fight with me asking for the remote control .. which always leads to a pillow fight and then wrestling … either of us getting hurt badly and I get shouted at by mom no matter what as I am the elder sibling ( cliche happenings at most homes ).
With all theses thoughts in my mind, I ended up making this awesome lassi. Happy .. joyful moods do help to create lovely dishes always.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Curd	1 cup
Rooh afza	4 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons to garnish on top
Sugar	4 tablespoons
Sweet Milk kova	1 tablespoon
Saffron strands	few
Ice cubes	6
Ice water	2 cups
Vanilla ice cream	2 scoops
Almonds + pistachios + cashew	nuts Chopped - 2 tablespoons together

Method

Blend curd, sugar and 4 tablespoons of rooh afza together until smooth. Add ice water and ice cubes and blend further.
Pour the blended mix into two tall glasses. Top with sweet milk kova equally.sprinkle chopped nuts and place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Pour remaining rooh afza on top. Finally sprinkle few saffron strands and serve chilled.

Karupetti kaapi / palm jaggery coffee

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 8 minutes
Serves : 5 members

Description

Early morning kitchen at my mother in law’s place would always have a pot full of palm sugar and ginger bubbling away in the stove top. The aroma would wake you up ( as my room was just beside the kitchen ) from your sleep signalling it’s time to wake up. Sleepy me, would enter the kitchen to get tea for hubby dear and see huge vessels of fresh cows milk and thickly set creamy full fat curd all ready to be sold out. As I never drink milk, tea or coffee .. I would just enjoy the aroma and the sight of fresh dairy produce there. Later one day hubby dear asked me to get karupetti kaapi instead of his regular masala chai. Karupetti kaapi was made in a large vessel mainly to be given to helping hands at home. It is a very lightly coloured hot drink which was watery, sweet and spiced with ginger flavour. This kaapi is had only in steel tumblers not sure why. I took the karupetti kaapi for hubby dear. He asks for mixture ( South Indian snack ), I was like so early in the morning with a million things about this in mind. He sprinkles the crispy mixture over the hot karupetti kaapi and drinks it reading his morning news paper. I found it so weird but wanted to give a try to this new combination. I take a sip from hubby dears steel tumbler. The crispy mixture which has soaked up a little of the karupetti kaapi inside them swelled a bit yet crispy, along with the sweet karupetti kaapi was a burst of flavour’s and textures in one mouth. At times the mixture is replaced with crushed muruku ( a South Indian deep fried crispy snack made with rice flour and urad dal flour ) From then on, when ever I feel like having a hot drink, I always end up with a glass of karupetti kaapi in hand. The mixture or the muruku is had only when I want to treat myself. Though this drink is called kaapi ( coffee ) it’s made with tea dust. A Few funny facts of our authentic recipes always with a twist to it like me I guess.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Karupetti / palm jaggery	1/4 kg powdered
Tea dust	1 tablespoon
Water	4 glasses
Milk	1/2 glass
Ginger	1 and 1/2 inch piece crushed

Method

Boil karupetti, water and crushed ginger together. Add tea dust and boil further for two minutes. Remove from heat and keep closed for ten minutes. Strain the above clear liquid alone leaving behind the scum below.
Add hot milk to the clear strained solution. Garnish the kaapi with mixture or broken murukku and serve hot.

Jasmine tea

Preparation time : 5 hours
Cooking time : 2 minutes
Serves : 2 members

Description

Jasmine flowers and South Indians are itched together for sure. Any thing and every thing auspicious we need our jasmine flowers. I am a true blue South Indian in all means but not when it comes to keeping the Jasmine flowers in the the head. Not sure why, I don’t fancy it much. We South Indians have this habit of saving the jasmine flowers tied together long stripes in the refrigerator and save it for the next day or evening. This happens very often resulting with the scent of the jasmine flower being infused with all the other food in the refrigerator. This actually was the bulb moment when I though why not try making a jasmine tea. Gave it a try and it was lip smacking good. The biggest flaw of jasmine flowers over powering its fragrance into other food items was the most brilliant idea that gave birth to this jasmine tea. Me and my crazy little self .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Jasmine flavoured green tea	1 teaspoon
Milk	1 cup
Palm sugar	to taste
Jasmine water	1 cup

Method

Marinade five jasmine flowers in two cups water closed with a lid for five hours. Strain to get jasmine water.
Add jasmine flavoured green tea to the jasmine water and bring to boil for ten minutes.
Boil milk and palm sugar together in another vessel. Strain the jasmine tea over the milk and boil further. Strain and serve hot.

Arabic mehrabi mint tea

Preparation time : 2 minutes
Cooking time : 7 minutes
Serves : 5 members

Description

A refreshing tea that’s made in such a simple way. The flavour of the mint leaves sure does enlighten your taste buds letting way to an endless craving for more such tea. Mint tea is one of the most traditional teas in North Africa and prepared with mint leaves and sugar. Originally introduced by English merchants, the tea has spread in popularity throughout Africa, France, and other neighbouring countries. Known to be invigorating and lively, the fresh mint used to prepare This tea helps cleanse the palate after meals, and is great for lethargic days.
Also well-known for its medicinal properties, mint tea is used commonly for getting over colds, sore throats, sinus congestion, and gastric ulcers. With high antioxidants and vitamins, mint helps boost immunity and health. Seasonal allergies can also be treated by drinking cups of mint tea due to rosmarinic acid, an anti-inflammatory agent found in mint. Minor aches and pains can be made better by the aspirin-like properties in mentha, even when consumed as a tea. Well, do you need any more reasons to try this tea recipe?

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Green tea	5 tablespoons
Hot Water	5 cups
Sugar	4 tablespoons
Mint leaves	one bunch

Method

Add the green tea leaves with hot water and keep covered for two minutes. Add sugar and mint leaves. Keep closed with a lid for another five minutes. Strain the tea. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve hot.

Doodh thandai

Preparation time : 10 minutes + six hours of soaking the nuts
Cooking time : nil
Serves : 4 members

Description

A North Indian version of the South Indian masala paal ( masala milk ). Doodh thandai, which is made mostly during ravrathiri and holi festivals in the state of Rajasthan and utter Pradesh. The kick of pepper and the pale white colour is the only difference in this doodh thandai from the South Indian masala paal. Well the doodh thandai is served cold and masala paal hot. I hate to have any drink made with milk. Crazy breed me never has tea or coffee too. My children also fall into the same slot but my boy loves to have milk shakes. I served this doodh thandai to him and he loved it.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Milk	1 and 1/2 litters
Sugar	250 grams
Fennel seeds	200 grams
Almonds	150 grams
Cucumber seeds	100 grams
Dried rose Patel's	100 grams
White pepper	50 grams
Pistachios	25 grams
Cardamom powder	1 teaspoon
Saffron	1 teaspoon
Sugar	to taste

Method

Soak the almonds in water for six hours and peel the skin. Keep aside. Soak pistachios, dried rose petals and fennel seeds separately in water for two hours. Strain and keep aside.
Dry roast cucumber seeds and white pepper for two minutes. Remove and cool completely. Then powder together to a smooth powder.
Grind soaked fennel seeds, almonds, sugar and rose Patel’s with 1/4 litters of milk to a smooth paste. Place in the refrigerator for one hour.
Mix in the remaining milk, cardamom powder and powdered cucumber seeds + white pepper. Mix well and Strain. Add saffron. Place in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

Sulaimaani tea

Preparation time : 2 minutes
Cooking time : 2 minutes
Serves : 2 members

Description

After a heavy meal of biriyani or anything like such at home the sulaimaani tea is a must drink to make you feel light to awaken you from the drowsiness. This tea is flavoured with spices and garnished with saffron which works perfect to alert you. This sulaimaani tea is actually the Indian version of the Arabic ghava tea where we changed it a bit to our standards. The arabs drink their ghawa tea with dates beside so they add no sugar but here we add sugar as we drink it as it is with out any accomplishment’s.
Me having a weakness towards hot and light beverages, I am totally in love with the sulaimaani tea. I can have it any time of the day. The first time made sulaimaani tea as a new bride, it was a total flop show as the honey coloured sulaimaani tea looked black instead. I didn’t know what went wrong. Later my mother – in – law let me know that the secret to make a good sulaimaani tea is the lesser the tea dust the better the flavour. There after, I always make sure to use 1/8 teaspoon of tea dust for one cup of water which works perfectly well. Now that I have shared our family secret of making a good sulaimaani tea with no more further delay, gear up give a try.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Water	3 cups
Tea dust	1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon	1 inch piece crushed
Cardamom	2 crushed
Saffron	a pinch
Lemon juice	a teaspoon
Sugar	3 teaspoons ( I add 5 teaspoons )

Method

Boil water with cinnamon + cardamom crushed. Add tea dust and boil. Remove from heat and keep covered for five minutes.
Strain the tea. Add lemon juice, sugar and saffron. Mix well and serve hot.

Pomegranate mock tail

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes
Serves : 2 members

Description

Getting to see all high end, classy looking mock tails at restaurant’s as a kid during my holidays to Bangalore, I used to wonder how they make these. Now, when I experiment with such mock tails, my mind travel’s back to those day’s of me awe struck seeing those long glass filled with chilled delicious drinks. I remember, at chola Sheraton hotel , chennai .. my cousin Aneez , my little brother and myself were having breakfast . We showed the waiter pointing our fingers to the next table mock tail drink and said ” we want that exact drink that they are having “. We were a crazy bunch I guess.
This mock tail was made to duplicate the mock tail I had at Bangalore in Nando’s restaurant. I just fell in love with how the pomegranate kernels were floating like jewels on top with the clear sparking water. I took my time to study what they must have done to get this effect. Then slowly drank it tasting it carefully registering the ingredients used. I tried my best to and came up with this mock tail drink that was yum. The sparking water sure does pep you up. Apt drink for the up coming summer for sure.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Pomegranate juice	300 ml
Sugar syrup	10 ml
Ice cubes	8
Sparkling water / soda water	180 ml
Strawberries	2 cut into heart shape
Pomegranate kernels	few

Method

Mix pomegranate juice and sugar syrup together. Pour into two tall glasses to hall full.
Top with 4 ice cubes. Pour the sparking water slowly into the glass with the help of an inverted spoon.
sprinkle pomegranate kernels over. Decorator with heart shaped strawberries on the side of each tall glass. Serve chilled.

Masala tea

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 3- 5 minutes
Serves : 3 members

Description

Growing up to see my grand mother drink tea from soup bowls. I can still hear her shout out loud “kottarala chaya kondu va ” which means bring tea in the bowl. On my last visit to my brothers home at London. Early morning I come down to make some tea. I see my little nephew Aniq drinking tea from a bowl just like how my grand mother used to. Our generation’s of love for tea, seriously is something. My eyes welled with happy tears, I just hugged him tight. He had a surprised look not knowing why he got the hug for. He’s not seen my grand mother but he’s got her habit in him, god does has his way of reminding us about our long lost loved ones. Well family is a connection to life, a tie to the past and a road to the future. I realised this with this mighty tea. My mind works perfect only through food .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Milk	3 cups
Water	1/4 cup
Ginger	1 inch piece crushed
Cardamom	1 crushed
Tea dust	2 teaspoons
Sugar	3 teaspoons

Method

Boil milk, water, ginger crushed and cardamom crushed together for four minutes.
Add tea dust and boil further for another two minutes in low heat.
Add sugar and dissolve. Strain and serve hot.

Sheer chai

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Serves : 3 members

Description

Sheer chai or pink tea of Kashmir is had during special occasions. The colour of the tea is pale pink that reminds you of all the beautiful faces you get to see in Kashmir with their pale pink cheeks and lips. I didn’t get to taste this tea on my visit to Kashmir but came across this recipe when I was in search of another salted tea ( noon chai ) recipe of Kashmir. The colour of the tea sure did make me want to try it out. I did and the tea was so rich with an inviting colour. The only thing I missed was to sip the sheer chai in Kashmir’s natural beauty. Blessed is that land with abundance of beauty in all means. From nature, people, trees, flowers, snow caped mountains, food to every thing. Peeps don’t miss visiting the paradise on earth….

Ingredients	Quantity
Water	4 and 1/2 cups
Milk	1 and 1/2 cup
Green tea	1 teaspoon
Cardamom powder	1/2 teaspoon
Baking powder	one pinch
Cinnamon	1/2 inch piece
Whole pepper corns	4
Poppy seeds	30 grams
Salt	a pinch
Fresh cream	30 Millie litters
Almonds + pistachio	1/4 teaspoon each chopped
Saffron	a pinch
Sugar cubes	to taste

Method

Boil 4 cups of water with green tea, baking soda and cardamom powder together.
Lower the flame and let it boil further for another eight minutes.
In another vessel Boil 1/2 cup water with pepper, cinnamon, salt and poppy seeds for 2 minutes.
Now, mix both the boiled water mixtures together from a distance at least for 20 times. This helps to give a pink colour to the tea. Strain and keep aside.
Boil milk with cardamom for two minutes. Remove the milk from heat. Add it to the strained mixture and boil again. Strain the tea.
Top with fresh cream, almonds + pistachio chopped and saffron. Serve along side with sugar cubes.

Kashmiri kawa tea

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes
Serves : 2 members

Description

After a long tedious road trip from sri nagar to gulmarg in Kashmir. We were welcomed at the vintage hotel with hot Kashmiri kawa tea. I am not a tea person but in that cold and chill wether, I wanted to soothe myself with a hot drink. Took a cup and saw almonds and saffron floating. My mom with raised eyebrows gave a sign with out opening her mouth expressing the tea is too good. I took my first sip and it was refreshing with a new combination of nuts and saffron in it. I shamelessly had another cup too. I made sure to ask the waiter who came to pick up the cups after some time about what this tea’s name is. He told “kawa”. Now I wanted to know how it is made. Though we have access to a million recipes of any dish that we want to know about, there is nothing like getting to know a recipe through the concerned person who made it. I made sure to get the recipe from the chef there. Through out my gang ( parents, children and hubby dear ) were making fun of me about thi. Well only a food fanatic like me will know what it means to get a recipe, then try it out and share it with you all for free with a bonus of my thoughts and crazy stories attached with it. Kashmir with its abundance of natural beauty offered me a wide range of their authentic tea’s too. That did get me addicted and yet another reason to fall in love over and over again with Kashmir.

Ingredients	Quantity
Green tea	1 teaspoon
Almonds	7 peeled and powdered coarsely
Cardamom	3
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Sugar	3 teaspoons
Saffron	a pinch
Water	3 cups

Method

Grind green tea, cinnamon and cardamom’s to a coarse powder.
Boil 3 cups of water. Add the coarse powder. Boil for five minutes in low flame.
Strain the tea. Add sugar and saffron. Mix well. Garnish with almonds and serve hot.