Mint Lemonade

Ingredients:

Lemon Juice (squeezed out of fresh lemons) - 1 cup
Sugar - 4 to 5 cups
Water - 3 cups
Fresh Mint Leaves - A handful
Salt - A pinch

Method:

Clean and wash the mint leaves.  Chop finely.

In a large vessel, add sugar and water and allow to boil for around 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove dirt, if any, floating on top with a spoon.  Alternatively, we can strain the liquid once the sugar is dissolved and then continue to boil the sugar syrup until sticky consistency.

Add the finely chopped mint leaves and allow to boil for 2 minutes more at low medium flame.  If desired, add a few drop of mint flavor (I did not add, wanted it the natural way).

Remove from the stove top and allow the sugar syrup to cool completely.

Mix in the lemon juice and stir until combined well.

Mint lemonade is ready to be stored in cleaned, washed, and dried or sterilized glass bottles.  This lemon mint syrup stays good in the fridge for up to a month.

While serving, pour the lemon mint syrup to around a quarter of the glass and fill the rest with plain cold water or soda water (I use the clay pot water - gives natural chillness to your drink).  Mix with a spoon and serve immediately topped with ice cubes if desired.

A cool, refreshing mint lemonade with specks of greenery here and there is the best thing to have in hot summer days.  Replenishes instant energy to our body.

Do give a try to this easy, simple, and natural mint lemonade recipe.



Notes:

Adjust sugar according to your taste.

While serving, the syrup to water ratio can be varied according to your personal taste. 

Add a pinch of jeera/cumin powder to the lemon mint juice while serving if desired. 

Vetrilai/Betel Leaf Health Drink

Recipe Source

Doctor Vikatan


Ingredients

Betel Leaves - 7
Milk - 2 cups (boiled and cooled)
Sabja Seeds (Sweet Basil seeds) - 1/2 tsp (soak in water)
Rose Syrup - 1 tbsp 
Gulkand (candied rose petals) - 4 tsp 
Almonds, Cashews, Pista - 2 each (chopped)
Dried Fig - 1 (chopped)


Method

Wash the betel leaves well and grind to a fine paste adding just enough water.

Mix this with milk, gulkand, soaked sabja seeds, rose syrup, chopped nuts and figs.

Chill and serve.


Notes

Adjust the quantity of rose syrup according to taste.

Benefits

Betel leaves helps avoid bad breath; moistens the gums.  The sabja seeds have high iron content which helps in resolving anemia.  Mouth ulcers/infections can also be reduced.  Vitamins and minerals are found in abundance in the dry fruits and nuts.  Gulkand is a best body coolant; also improves digestion.

Pistachio Sponge Cake (Eggless)

Source:

Neha Divakar, HBG

Ingredients:

Milk - 100 mL
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Castor Sugar - 70 gm
Flour - 75 gm
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Pistachios - 30 gm (powdered)
Oil - 4 tbsp
Milk - 1 to 2 tsp
Green Color/Pista Essence - 1 drop (optional)

Procedure:

1.  Mix 100 mL milk and vinegar in a bowl and keep aside for 10 minutes.  it would have curdled in 10 minutes.

2.  Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

3.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 6 inch round pan with oil and line the base with parchment paper.

4.  Sieve together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

5.  Mix in the pistachio powder to the sifted flour.

6.  Add sugar to the milk-vinegar mixture and whisk well until the sugar dissolves.

7.  Add oil to this and whisk well.  Add the green color or the pista essence and mix.

8.  Fold in the dry ingredients (the flour mixture) into this.  Add 1 to 2 tsp milk if needed.

9.  Pour the cake batter into the lined baking tray and bake at 180 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

10.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Turn the cake tin upside down after running a knife around the edges to loosen from the tin onto a wire rack and allow to cool.  Serve or cling wrap and store in freezer until use.

Notes:

I made this pista cake and filled and frosted with mango mousse and whipping cream and mango jelly drip along with pista praline.