Lemongrass-Gula Melaka Refresher Recipe

More alchemy happened in the kitchen yesterday. I was wondering what to do next with the gula melaka syrup (recipe here) lying around (yes, it's still good to use!) when I remembered that there is some lemongrass left at home too.

I thought since both are South East Asian ingredients, they should pretty much go together. We also have the omnipresent summer. So I made a light and refreshing drink of these two.  Presenting a new beverage straight from my kitchen: Lemongrass Gula Melaka Refresher!

Lemongrass-Gula Melaka Refresher Recipe

This drink is very light in it's flavours. Lemongrass gives it a subtle and fresh lemony fragrance without the sourness. Gula melaka adds a lovely maltiness to the drink. These flavours compliment each other beautifully.

Lemongrass-Gula Melaka Refresher Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Making Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 cup water
2 cups cold water
6 leaves of lemongrass (gavati chaha)
2 tbsps gula melaka syrup
3 cups cold water
5-6 ice cubes

Method:

Cut the lemongrass leaves into small pieces.

Put them in the water and bring to a boil. After it comes to a boil, let it simmer on low gas for about 3 minutes.

Add in the cold water to the lemongrass water.

Take ice cubes in a glass. Pour the gula melaka syrup into it.

Gula Melaka Syrup on Ice

Then pour the lemongrass mixture on top in a thin trickle along the side of a spoon. You'll get two lovely layers.

Serve with a stirrer.

Enjoy! 

Tip: You can always substitute the gula melaka syrup with sugar syrup. Lemongrass goes just as well with both.

Lemon Iced Tea Recipe

Imagine landing at the Mumbai airport at 4:30 am in the morning. You're just back from pleasantly cool weathers of Europe when your pilot announces, "The temperature outside is 31 degrees Celsius." What?!! You land on earth with a thud!

Lemon Iced Tea Recipe

Yes, summer has fully descended on us. The days are hot and the evenings and nights remain warm.Summer brings about a lot of change in our eating patterns. My most favourite one is switching over to iced tea from hot tea in the evenings.

This basic lemon iced tea recipe those is especially for those who have the powdered ones. It is very easy to make, takes just a little bit of time and is healthier and tastier. Try it out!


Lemon Iced Tea Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Making Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 cup water
2 tsps Darjeeling tea/ 2 Darjeeling tea bags
2 tbsps sugar
3 cups cold water
4 tsps lemon juice
5-6 ice cubes

Lemon slices and mint sprigs for garnishing

Method:

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Switch off the gas and add in the Darjeeling tea. Brew for 2 minutes and strain.

Add in the sugar and stir till it dissolves.

Add cold water to the sweetened tea. Now add in the lemon juice once it is cool.

In a tall glass, take some ice cubes. Put in a sprig of mint and a lemon slice.

Lemon Iced Tea Recipe

Pour in the prepared tea.

Relax and sip.

French Toast with Gula Melaka Syrup Recipe

In my last post, I showed you the simplest recipe ever of making gula melaka syrup.  You can find the recipe here. Now is the time to make use of it. With a bottle of gula melaka syrup and a thinking hat on, here is what I came up with! Presenting...French toast with Gula Melaka Syrup!

French Toast with Gula Melaka Syrup Recipe

French toast is an all-time breakfast favourite. You can make it sweet or savoury - either ways bread dipped in a fluffy egg batter and fried in butter is going to taste amazing! Many people have their favourite recipes of French toast and many like to try new recipes for it. I came up with this as a take on the classic French toast.

French Toast with Gula Melaka Syrup Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 minutes for each French Toast

Makes: a stack of 8 French toasts

Ingredients:

8 bread slices (brown or white)

6 eggs

2 tsps milk

2 tbsps butter

Gula melaka syrup for serving

Method:

Heat a flat griddle. 

In a bowl, mix the eggs and the milk. Beat briskly for two minutes till it is aerated.

Brush the griddle with some butter.

Dip a slice of bread in the egg batter and put on the griddle. Pour some batter over the toast as it cooks if needed. 

Cook to golden brown on both sides.

Serve with a little bit of gula melaka syrup on top.

Relish!

Gula Melaka Syrup Recipe

It must have been so thankful to see the light of the day. It's been lying in the refrigerator since I got it from Singapore almost a year back. Oh, I am talking about gula melaka.

Gula Melaka

Gula melaka is a palm sugar made from the sap of coconut trees. Gula melaka has a beautiful rich, malty taste with notes of butterscotch flavour. It is a regular ingredient of South East Asian cooking, especially desserts. It is served over shaved ice in a kechang, poured over sago in a sago pudding, put into falooda-like drinks with sago, coconut milk and fresh tropical fruits. To every dish, it brings a uniquely sweet flavour that you will crave.

Think of innovative ways to use this syrup. I am coming up with some in the next few days!!

Gula Melaka Syrup Recipe

It is very easy to make a syrup of this sugar. It takes 2 ingredients and 10 minutes. The results, however, are priceless!

Gula Melaka Syrup Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

150 gms gula melaka chopped
60 ml water

Method

Chop the gula melaka into small pieces.

Heat a small pan and add the water and gula melaka.

After the water warms a little, lower the flame.

Keep stirring till the gula melaka melts gently into the water. Do not put it on high flame, or it will burn the sugar.

Remove from heat, and pour it in another cold vessel.

Let it cool completely into a thick golden syrup before you store.

10 Quick Weekend Brunch Recipes

It's Friday! The day of the week everyone looks forward to. It's the last working day of the week which means weekend's going to be here soon!

10 Quick Weekend Brunch Recipes

Weekends mean waking up late, cooking easy and delicious meals and eating it with family and friends. Weekends mean brunches where kids look forward to treats, and older kids like us look forward to more treats!  

Here are ten delicious weekend brunch recipes that are quick to make and very yummy!

1. Veg Coleslaw Sandwich

The recipe can be found here.

Veg Coleslaw Sandwich

This is the most popular recipe on my blog. I've made a vegetarian version of the sandwich. It has a lightly flavoured garlicky yoghurt spread, with lots of crunchy veggies. Make it 15 minutes in advance, chill the spread a bit and serve fresh!

2. Masala Upma

The recipe can be found here.

Masala Upma

Masala upma is my take on the breakfast classic. I've used congruent tastes of rasam powder to spice up the traditional upma. Serve hot with a squeeze of lime and see it dissapear!

3. Waldorf Salad

The recipe can be found here.

Waldorf Salad

Waldorf salad is an American classic. Fresh sweet red apples are mixed with hints of sharp celery, crunchy walnuts and served in a creamy mayo dressing. The best way to have this is chilled and served on lettuce.

4. Fettucine in Pesto Sauce

The recipe can be found here.

Fettucine in Pesto Sauce

This one is for the kids! Which kid doesn't love pasta? Make the pesto sauce in advance. Cook this noodle pasta in 10 minutes, toss it with sauce and top it with parmesan, or your kid's favourite cheese. Serve with lots of love.

5. Homemade Apple Cinnamon Jam

The recipe can be found here.

Homemade Apple Cinnanmon Jam

Brunch can never be complete without some hot buttered toast slathered with a thick layer of jam. Make some homemade apple cinnamon jam for your next brunch. It takes about half an hour to make and is not rocket science! Feel free to gather all the praises!

6. Pan Seared Aubergines with a Yoghurt Dip

The recipe can be found here.

Pan Seared Aubergines with a Yoghurt Dip

Having friends over for brunch? Cook something 'fancy' in 15 minutes for them. This recipe preserved the flavour of aubergines and mixes it up with a light, refreshing yoghurt dip. Worried that your friends (of you for that matter) don't like aubergines? Trust me, people who hate aubergines have loved this dish and eaten loads of it!

7. Homemade Pizza Sauce for Pizzas

The recipe can be found here. 

Pizza with Homemade Pizza Sauce

Satisfy your weekend pizza cravings (I know you have them!) with pizzas made from a homemade sauce. It takes 10 minutes to make this sauce. You'll have something fresh and preservative free (which just tastes so much better!) on your pizzas. Trust me, your phone-dialling for pizzas is about to go down quite a bit!

8. Veg Hakka Noodles

The recipe can be found here.

Veg Hakka Noodles

This is another very popular recipe on my blog. A dish that is the favourite of adults and kids alike. It's very easy to make and the recipe demands for quick cooking as the technique to get the flavours right. So there you have it... a perfect recipe for a weekend brunch! 

9. Mooli Ke Paranthe

The recipe can be found here.

Mooli ke Paranthe

Do you crave carbs when you wake up on weekend mornings (or afternoons?) How do hot parathas sound? Make these mooli ke paranthe in 15 minutes. They are bursting with taste and love. Sounds like you need just a dollop of butter and a plate now.

10. Kulhad Masala Chai

The recipe can be found here. 

Kulhad Masala Chai

Is your first thought of the day "chai!" like me? Then brew yourself this spicy, sweet decoction and you won't be disappointed. You'll simply be hooked!

Kolimbi Chi Khichdi (Prawns Khichdi/ Pulao) Recipe

I've achieved yet another distinction in my cooking. For the first time I've made 'kolimbi chi khichdi' (mostly) by myself and it turned out pretty tasty!

Kolimbi Chi Khichdi (Prawns Khichdi/ Pulao) Recipe

Kolimbi chi khichdi is a family favourite for us.  We make it at least once in every two weeks. When we can't think of what to make for dinner (and there are prawns in the refrigerator) this is our go-to dish.

Kolimbi Chi Khichdi (Prawns Khichdi/ Pulao) Recipe

Kolimbi chi khichdi can make for a great one-dish meal for lunch or dinner. It has carbs from rice and proteins from prawns. There are quite some spices and fresh herbs in it that bring a lot of flavour.

Kolimbi Chi Khichdi (Prawns Khichdi/ Pulao) Recipe

While we use a homemade spice mix (baazaracha laal masala) for this recipe, store-brought red garam masala works just as well for this recipe. Garam masala has a lot of the spices in it that are there in our homnemade spice blend, so it works out great! 

Kolimbi Chi Khichdi (Prawns Khichdi/ Pulao) Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the marinated prawns:

150 gms medium-sized prawns: defrosted, de-shelled and de-veined

1/2 cup packed corriander leaves

5 cloves of garlic

1 inch piece of ginger

1/2 tsp asafoetida

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp baazaracha laal masala/ garam masala

Salt to taste

For the khichdi

3 tbsps oil (peant/ sunflower/ olive)

1/2 tsp asafoetida

1 tsp turmeric

1 inch cinnamon stick

3 medium sized onions thinly sliced

3 tsps baazaracha laal masala/ garam masala

2 cups of rice soaked

4 1/4 cups hot water

Marinated prawns

Salt to taste

Fresh corriander leaves to garnish

Ghee and lemon wedges for serving

Method

Grind the corriander, garlic and ginger with 2 tsps of water to make a smooth paste.

In a bowl, mix the prawns with about 4 tbsps of the paste above, salt, asafoetida, turmeric and laal/ garam masala.

Coat the prawns well with the mixture. Cover and let them marinate for at least 30 minutes.

In a deep kadhai (if you have a brass one, use that!) heat the oil.

Add in the asafoetida, turmeric and the cinnamon stick and fry for about 10-15 seconds.

Put the thinly sliced onions in and fry till they turn translucent and slightly pink. Do not let them go red or brown or they will overcook when the khichdi is boiling in the water.

Now put in the laal/ garam masala, salt and stir well.

Add the soaked rice and mix well.

Pour in 4 cups of the hot water and cover and cook for about 5 minutes on a low flame.

When the rice is partly cooked, add in the marinated prawns with the marinade. 

Put in 1/4th cup of the hot water and mix well.

Cover and cook on a low flame for about 15 minutes till the rice is cooked. Use a thin iron plate under the vessel if it overheats.

Serve hot with ghee, a squeeze of lemon and lots of love.

Kerala Style Red Coconut Chutney Recipe

You wake up in the morning: still half asleep. Then you remember that you will be having idlis for breakfast. What excitement! And to remember that you've also put red chillies to soak for your favourite chutney... trust me, that just wakes you up!

Idlis with Kerala Style Red Coconut Chutney (Recipe)

This chutney is a particular favourite of my husband. Every time we had it at any restaurant, he'd say, "Please learn how to make this!" I used Google to search for some recipes, added my two cents, and voila! I've come up with a recipe for this chutney that he likes!  Success!

Kerala Style Red Coconut Chutney Recipe

Kerala Style Red Coconut Chutney Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 minutes (to soak the red chillies)

Making Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the chutney

3 dried kashmiri red chillies 

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 medium onion sliced

3 cloves garlic peeled

1 cup grated fresh coconut

Salt to taste

For the tempering

1 tbsp oil (peanut/ sunflower/ rice-bran)

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp asafoetida

5-6 curry leaves

1/2 tsp white udad dal (skinless split black gram) (optional)

Method:

De-seed the dried kashmiri red chillies and soak them in the warm water for about 20-25 minutes. 

In a grinder, grind together the soaked chillies, onion and garlic first for about 30 seconds. 

Then add the grated coconut, salt and half the water the chillies have been soaked in. Grind for about 1 minute till it's a little smooth. Adjust salt and water if required.

Remove in a bowl and keep ready for tempering.

Heat the oil in a tempering pan on low heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida and let them crackle. 

Now add the curry leaves and fry on low heat till crispy. 

Lastly, add in the udad dal and fry till slightly red. 

Pour this tempering on the chutney. 

Mix well and serve.