Delicious Mango Smoothie

Mangoes are truly “King of Fruits” and if you are lucky to live in a region where you can enjoy them while they are in season, you know exactly what I mean. This is a childhood fav of mine but the current version is made without ice cream and milk is replaced with a healthier substitute of yoghurt. I used “Malda” and the sweet yet tangy taste does not need any additional sugar to be added.

Enjoyed this remembering the many summer holidays at my grandparents devouring dozens of mangoes with cousins and friends at my side. Here’s to the King of Fruits.

Kokum Sharbat – a refreshing summer drink

Kokum Sharbat

This is easy peasy provided you have the main ingredient! Heavenly Kokum.

It is a seasonal fruit found quite easily in Maharashtra – Mumbai, etc. Although I haven’t seen it being sold in the fresh form in north India. Here is a quick guide on what it is. 

So to make the sharbat or concentrate – which you can serve by adding cold water – when you want to drink it, start with soaking the kokum in warm water. Take about 150 gm and soak in a glass of warm water. Give it a whizz in the blender and strain. To the liquid – add ground pepper, ground cumin  (make sure both are dry roasted first), kala namak  (translated to black salt), 5 tbsp of sugar and mix well. Strain and store upto a week.

The beauty  of this fruit is the color. It has a strong blackish red color – which when diluted becomes a lovely red. Quite exquisite. This fruit has a number of health benefits and is used extensively in the local cuisine of Maharashtra.