Quick Watermelon Slush with Ice Cream

Now that the weather is getting hotter and hotter day by day, the quantity of water intake in very important. I make sure we drink atleast 1.5-2 lts (Its been more than a year since I came to the US, but I still haven't got used to the 'oz' measurements and I still am more comfy with 'lts' :)... ) of water daily. Apart from that, I make sure I have enough fruits like watermelons, tangerines,grapes in my pantry which are also a good source of water content.
I usually prefer having fresh fruits directly instead of making juices out of them...... Juices need extra sugar/sweetners to be added, which I usually try and avoid. But watermelon slush is my all-time favourite and it brings back my sweet ol' memories.... As a kid, I lived in Mangalore and my parents used to take me to the beach every sunday evening. On our way back we would go to Ideal's/Pabbas and have an ice-cream..... And I always ordered either Gadbad or Watermelon slush with Ice cream. Any of you Mangaloreans out there??!! You'll know what I'm talking about.... :). I missed the slush so much after moving out of Mangalore, that I started making it at home, myself !!

This drink was ready so fast that I thought its apt to be entered into Nupur's "Q for Quick" event. Here's the recipe for it. Hope you like it too!!

I just realized that WBB has a similar theme this time-"Summer Fruits". So, I am entering my Watermelon Slush into WBB#11-Summer Fruits hosted by Padmaja of Spicy Andhra.

Ingredients:

1 cup Watermelon cubes, de-seeded
1/2 cup Ice cubes
1 scoop Vanilla Ice-cream
3-4 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Black pepper powder
1/2 tsp Lime juice

Method:

1. Blend the ice cubes in a blender until they are crushed into small pieces.


2. Add watermelon and blend further to make a juice. Add sugar, pepper, lime juice and mix well.


3. Pour into tall juice class until it is 3/4 full.


4. Add a scoop of Vanilla ice cream; Add remaining slush on the ice cream and serve immediately!!

Godambi-Thondekai Palya / Cashew-Tindora Sabzi

Surprised that a sabzi is made with cashews??!!?! So was I, when I heard about it for the first time a year ago. Like I said before, Naveen is a Big.... BIg....BIG lover of godambi/cashews. He had been asking me to make godambi-thondekai palya since a long time . I finally called my M-I-L , took the recipe from her and made it. The idea of making a sabzi out of cashews didn't sound so great to me, initially. But I must admit... I was wrong. The palya tasted really good!!! I loved the palya, though I am not a great lover of cashews.
Godambi-Thondekai palya is a very famous side dish in the Mangalore/Udupi parts of Karnataka. Its rich, as well as healthy. Here's the recipe for it....

Ingredients:

1 cup Thondekai/Tindora, chopped lengthwise
1 cup Whole cashews
2-3 tbsp Fresh grated coconut
3-4 Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tsp Oil
2 Dry red Chillies
2-3 strands Cilantro
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Lime juice
A pinch of haldi
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook tindora and cashews separately until they are done. Immerse cashews in water while cooking;However, tindora can be cooked even without water.


2. Heat oil in kadai and add mustard seeds; Add curry leaves, haldi and dry red chillies after the mustard splutters.


3. To this, add cooked tindora and cashews; Mix well.


4. Add salt, sugar, grated coconut and mix well.


5. Remove from stove; Add lime juice, chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice or rotis. Enjoi!!

Mango Something!!!

Like the rest of the Indians, Kannadigas are also very fond of Mangoes!!! We use both raw and ripe mangoes in cooking. The most common Karnataka dishes with mango are : Rasaayana/Payasa, Seekarane, Maavinakai Chitranna, Uppinakai, Burfi and many more.
After my wedding, my MIL took me to one of her friends houses and there they offered us Mango Burfi. It was sooooo delicious that I gobbled up around 3-4 pieces :)....And now that its the season for Mango again, I got reminded of the dish. I made a few changes to the burfi recipe and came up with a new recipe of my own!!! I offered it to my friends and they all loved it!! But I still didnt know what to call it.... Some of my friends called it Peda, some called it laddu/ladoo and some others called it mango balls.So, I leave the name to you.... Call it whatever you think is appropriate.... Enjoi!! :)

This will be my entry for the 'AFAM-Mango' Event hosted by Deepa of Recipes N More

Ingredients:

1 tin Condensed milk
2 cups Mango puree (fresh or canned)
3-4 tbsp Cashew pieces
3-4 tbsp Raisins
4 tbsp Dry, powdered coconut
6-7 strands Saffron
2 tbsp Milk
1/4 cup Sugar (optional)

Method:

1. Empty the condensed milk and the mango puree into a heavy bottomed pan(non-stick pan, preferrably) and mix well. If you like it very sweet, you can add some sugar.... But keep in mind that the condensed milk and the mango puree are already sweet!!
   
2. Heat the mixture on medium flame until it thickens and forms a single lump (appr. 40-45 mins). Saute continuously.
   
3. Meanwhile, soak saffron in 2 tbsp warm milk and keep aside for a few minutes. Add cashews, raisins and soaked saffron to the mango mixture on stove and mix well. Continue to boil the mixture. Keep in mind not to increase the heat too much; The mixture might start getting burnt from the bottom otherwise.
   
4. Switch off the stove when the mixture thickens to form a single lump and it comes out of the pan without sticking. Let it cool for about 5 mins.
   
5. Make small balls out of the mixture and roll them in dry coconut powder; Note that the balls should be made when the mixture is still hot.


6. Cool completely and store in airtight containers. Enjoi!!