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5 Healthy And Tasty Indian Summer Recipes!

India is known for its hot and humid climate, especially during the months from April- July, the temperature crosses all records. In India, many varieties of fruits and vegetables are available during summer season. These can be turned easily into yummy dishes. But, summer is the time when most of us chose to step out of the kitchen. Excessive heat and humidity makes it tough for us to cook. So, does that mean we are not going to savour yummy recipes? Hell no, in this article I am going to share with you the most amazing and yummy summer recipes filled with authentic Indian flavours. They are yummy and have many health benefits. Let’s learn how to cook different kinds of authentic Indian summer recipe!

1. Rasam :

If you have ever been to South India or tried South Indian cuisine, you know the importance of rasam. Rasam is a soup made with tamarind, tomatoes and spices. This yummy delicacy from the southern part of the nation is a treat to food lovers. In summer, when you mostly tend to suffer from digestion problem, this healthy dish can help you prevent indigestion and constipation.

Start this recipe by heating oil in apot along with mustard and cumin seeds and some dry red chillies. Next, add some garlic cloves, curry leaves and hing (asfoetida ). In another pan, tomatoes are saute along with salt and turmeric until it gets mushy. Then, add the prepared masala to it and cook for few more minutes. Pour some water along with tamarind paste and jaggery. Add salt at this stage if required.

rasam

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Bring the mixture to a boil and add chopped coriander leaves. Your delicious rasam is ready to serve. Serve this flavorful Indian summer recipe with rice and papad. You can make your rasam healthy by adding some nutritious jaggery to it. Buy our variety of authentic karupatti and enjoy the yummy flavours.

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2.Kadhi :

Kadhi is again one delicious Indian summer recipe made in nearly most part of the country. It is very easy and yummy as well. Kadhi is known for keeping the body cool during hot weather and improving digestion. Add some yogurt and besan (chickpea flour) in a bowl . Then, put some chopped green chillies, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste and salt into it. Whisk the mixture nicely by adding water, until there is no lump left. Put this mixture into a pan and boil it up on medium flame.

kadhi - Indian summer recipe

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Heat ghee in a small pan and add some mustard and cumin seeds to it. Next, put some dry red chillies, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Add some curry leaves and hing (asafoetida) to it. Lastly, add this seasoning to the kadhi along with some chopped coriander leaves. Simmer the mixture for 5-7 minutes and serve hot with rice or khichdi. This Indian summer recipe is a must try for all those who love curd.

3.Rice Pudding :

Rice is a very essential part of Indian cuisine. Whatever the recipe is, Indians don’t need a reason to dig into rice delicacies. This tasty Indian summer recipe tops everybody’s food list. Take some rice grains, water and a pinch of salt in a pan and boil over medium heat.

rice pudding

Cover the mixture and cook until all the water is absorbed. Add some milk and sugar into the mixture and cook for 30-45 minutes with frequent stirring. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Garnish with some pomegranate or any fruit of your choice and serve chilled. For more healthy and tasty rice pudding, use our variety of Kerala matta rice, which full of nutrition. We promise to serve the best!

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4. Vegetable Stew :

Vegetable stew is a great nutritious meal option. This Indian summer recipe is inspired from the one made in Kerala. Filled with the goodness of lots of yummy veggies, this recipe is very easy to prepare. Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon, cardamon and cloves. Next, add some  black pepper and saute the mixture of spices for a while. Then, add ginger, garlic, sliced onions along with green chillies and curry leaves. Saute till the onions become translucent. Meanwhile, chop down carrots, potato, french beans and capsicum (optional). You can also put onions and tomatoes if you want. Put in the veggies with some green peas. Add coconut milk and cover it so that the veggies get cooked well. Add some curry leaves and serve with rice.

veggies used in vegetable stew

5.Fruit Custard :

If you are still wondering about what to cook in summer for desert, then I have got something for you. Fruit custard or Mixed fruit custard, whatever you call it, is an amazing and healthy desert cooked in nearly all households. Take custard powder in a bowl and add 1/2 cup milk to it. Dissolve it nicely to avoid any lumps. Now. take 2 cups of milk in a pan and heat on medium flames. Add sugar and mix well.

fruit custard - Indian summer recipe

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When it starts boiling, put in the custard mixture and stir well for 5-6 minutes. Once thickened, remove it from flames and take out in a bowl. Place it into the refrigerate and chill it for 25-30 minutes. Chop down all the fruits (mango, banana, apple, pomegranate, grapes, papaya) into similar size. Add the fruits to the chilled custard and mix. Your yummy fruit custard is ready to eat. This recipe of custard helps you stay cool and is very healthy as it contains  many fruits at a time.

So, no matter how high the temperature gets now, you have learnt all easy, tasty and healthy Indian summer recipes. Try these recipes in your kitchen and let us know in the comment section.

Stay Happy And Healthy This Summer!

External Reference :

How to make rasam

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Must Try Summer Foods – 5 Healthy Juices To Stay Fresh!

Summer is always the most tiring seasons of all. Hot scorching sun, extreme humidity and warm breezes, all combine together to give us a pretty hard time. If you are in the southern part of India, you really need some great measures to protect yourself from it. With temperature rising up to 40°C and the increasing humidity, every passing day in summer season tends to become tough. In this article, I will be sharing with you some healthy and much needed recipes of juices to help you stay cool and fresh in this hot weather. So, let’s get rolling!

1.Watermelon Slush :

I have got the most easiest recipe for you, especially for all my lazy folks out there. This refreshing recipe is a treat to every fruit lover in summer. Cut down watermelon into small pieces. Add lemon juice, mint leaves and a bit of chaat masala in a mixture. If you don’t like it much tangy, then chaat masala can be avoided. Blend it all along with watermelon pieces and your watermelon slush is ready. Serve chilled with ice cubes and lemon wedges.

watermelon slush

2. Cucumber Lemonade:

Summer is the time when lemonade is made on a regular basis in every household. Cucumber has high water content (nearly 96%) while lemon improves digestion and removes toxins from the body. So, what better than both these nutritional fruits combined together. Cucumber Lemonade is just perfect for summers.

cucumber lemonade

Start this recipe of lemonade by making simple sugar syrup. Refrigerate the syrup until chilled. Take the cucumber slices in a blender and mash it into a pulp. Strain the pulp and extract as much as liquid possible. Add the cucumber liquid, sugar syrup and lemon juice in a jar. Mix well and serve with ice cubes and mint leaves.

3. Rooh afza – Faluda

It doesn’t matter in which part of the country you stay in, Rooh Afza is everybody’s favourite. This yummy recipe of Rooh Afza is a treat for every foodie. Soak basil seeds for an hour or so and then drain it. Boil it for a while and keep aside for later use. Next, boil the vermicelli noodles, drain and keep aside. Put sugar and vanilla essence along with few drops of red food colouring in a pan. Add corn flour paste and simmer the mixture on medium flame until it thickens. Then, remove it from flame and cool it down to room temperature.

Add all the ingredients together along with Rooh Afza syrup in a big bowl. Add some nuts of your choice to enhance the flavour. Refrigerate until chilled and serve with a scoop of your favourite ice-cream. Garnish it with some rose petals and serve. This version of Rooh Afza will surely help you to win hearts of your closed ones. Savour this yummy drink and stay fresh in upcoming summer days.

Rooh Afza Faluda

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5. Panakam – Traditional Summer Drink :

The state of Tamil Nadu is known for its tradional food and drinks. Panakam is one such easy and healthy recipe. Add jaggery into cold water and dissolve it along with a pinch of cardamom powder. Serve it chill with some ice cubes.

panakam - traditional summer drink

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Isn’t this the easiest recipe of all ? Let’s make it a bit healthy then. We have already shared with you the amazing benefits of consuming jaggery. Buy these fresh and nutritious karupatti online and savour health along with flavour this summer!

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6. Menthi Majjiga – Traditional Summer Drink :

Buttermilk is everyone’s choice when the temperature reaches its peak. In South Indian cuisine, buttermilk occupies an important position. Menthi Majjiga, a very popular drink in Andhra Pradesh is very simple to prepare. First, make the normal buttermilk. Then, saute some mustard seeds and dried red chilli with few curry leaves. Add fenugreek seeds, rock salt, Green chillies and ginger into the buttermilk and mix well. Garnish with mustard seeds, dried red chilli and curry leaves and serve chilled.

menthi majjiga - traditional summer drink

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This tasty buttermilk acts as a coolant and improves digestion as well. Have it along with rice or simply after meals.

Now that you have all hacks to keep yourself fresh and cool, drop off your experience  with these amazing drinks.

Stay healthy and hydrated this summer!

External Reference

Traditional South Indian Drinks

 

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An Amazing Food Guide For Vishu And Puthandu – 4 Tasty Recipes!

With Vishu and Puthandu aka Tamil new year at the doorsteps, the thought of celebrating them in all best ways possible has  filled everyone with excitement. Auspicious days, other than being religious, also offer an amazing and tasty variety of delicacies. Food is the reason why most of the younger generation usually awaits for the festivals. So, what better than trying out some yummy festive recipes from the southern part of the country. This food guide is not only for people who celebrate Vishu and Puthandu, but it also can be tried by those who love to eat. Let’s get started!

food for vishu and puthandu

 

Mangai Pachadi

As mentioned previously, Mangai Pachadi is the traditional recipe cooked during Tamil new year and Vishu. Made from fresh raw mangoes and healthy jaggery, this recipe is a must try.

mangai pachadi

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Add some chopped mangoes to a pan along with some turmeric powder and a pinch of salt and let it cook for 8-10 minutes. Side by side, add some tablespoons of water to a pan with jaggery, and give it a nice boil, your jaggery syrup is done. Add the strained syrup to the mangoes and cook it for another few minutes. Make a mixture of mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies and add to the pachadi mixture. Your Mangai Pachadi is ready to serve. Want to make your dish more healthy? Grab these awesome and nutritious Karupatti aka palm jaggery online and add some health to taste. We ship all across the country.

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Pasi Paruppu Pradhaman

Indians don’t need a reason to dig into sweet dishes and Payasam is everybody’s favourite. Payasam is the traditional dish of every festival in South India including Vishu and Puthandu . Made with the goodness of coconut milk and moongdal, this variety of Payasam is a very healthy option.

Like every other Payasam recipe, first you have to prepare thin and thick coconut milk. Next,  fry  the moongdal and cook it in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles along with rice and 1/2 cup of water. Mash the mixture for later use. Prepare the jaggery syrup along with this.

Strain the jaggery syrup and boil it for 5 minutes. Then cook the syrup  with mashed rice and dal mixture. Next add the thin coconut milk to it and boil it for another few minutes. Now, add the thick milk to the mixture and remove it from flames. Serve hot with cashew and coconut peices.

Moong dal payasam

 

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Thakkali Thokku

Thakkali Thokku aka Tomato Thokku is also an important dish prepared during Vishu. Be it spread, pickle or just side dish, you can eat this yummy tomato recipe the way you like.

tomato thokku

This mouth-watering recipe starts with blanching of tomatoes and cutting them into smaller pieces. Next, saute mustard seeds and curry leaves in a pan for a while. Then, add the chopped tomatoes to it along with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and cook it again. You can add tamarind if the tomatoes aren’t too tangy, else it can be avoided.

After 25-30 minutes, when the tomatoes have become mushy and there is no juice left, add grated jaggery and fenugreek seeds. Remove the dish from  flames and allow it to cool for sometime. Store it in an air-tight container and refrigerate the dish. Your Tomato Thokku is now ready to be eaten with curd rice, idli or chapatti. It sounds  yummy, doesn’t it? So, how about adding some healthy jaggery to it? Buy our variety of fresh karupatti and savour the authentic flavour. We promise to provide you with the best always!

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Aviyal Kuzhambu

Here, I have the ultimate vegetarian recipe filled with the goodness of yummy veggies. Cut  Raw banana, drumsticks, potato, brinjal, snake gourd , cucumber and carrot into length-wise and cook it in a vessel with water and some turmeric. Meanwhile, soak the rice in tamarind juice for sometime.

Add the soaked rice, coconut, cumin seeds with some red and green chillies in a mixer and grind it into a fine paste. Next, add some tamarind extract and a pinch of salt to the half cooked vegetables. Then, add the ground paste to the vegetables and turn off the flame when the mixture starts boiling. Add some curry leaves and coconut oil to complete this mouth-watering recipe. Serve it hot and enjoy the flavours of different vegetables cooked together.

aviyal kuzhambu

Now that you are familiar with these amazing delicacies, how about trying it out for your family and friends? Cook these traditional and tasty dishes and let us know in the comment section how did you enjoy them .

Wishing You All A Very Happy, Healthy And Prosperous Festive Season From The Team Of South Indian Store! Spread The Joy Through Food!

 

External Reference

Recipe for Vishu and Puthandu