Black Grapes & Cranberries Cooler with a Hint of Tragacanth Gum !

By -
As a kid, I remember in the scorching heat of summers whenever I returned from school in the afternoon, my mum kept a cooler drink ready which used to be made with Roohafza and Tragacanth Gum, more commonly known as Gond Katira in Hindi. I am not sure if many people know about this gum that comes from a shrub and is loaded with immense cooling properties which keeps our bodies at bay from heat strokes and thermic fevers. After a long time, I saw this gum in the shelf of a supermarket which instantly struck me with an idea of making a summer drink using this exotic ingredient. So, here I came with this cooling and refreshing Black Grapes Cranberries & Gond Katira Cooler.


Ingredients

 Black grapes - 2 cups
Cranberries - 1 cup
Gond Katira - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp (adjust according to your taste)
While Salt - as per taste
Black Salt - 1/4 tbsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/8 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tbsp

 Method

 1. Soak the gond katira in a cup of water for about 2 to 3 hours or until it swells.
2. Blend black grapes and cranberry to a smooth puree. Strain it well.
3. Heat a saucepan and add in the puree along with lemon juice, sugar, cumin powder, salt and black salt. Cook for a while until the puree thickens a bit. Keep aside and let cool.
4. Now, in a glass, add in a 2 to 3 tsp of swelled gond katira, 2 to 3 tbsp of black grape puree; pour in plain water, sparkling water or soda and serve chilled.

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by. Your comments, suggestions and feedback are always welcome.

Regards

Popular posts from this blog

Best Homemade South Indian Sambar Recipe

By -
Image
A hearty stew made with yellow lentils, vegetables and heaps of aromatic spice powder, Sambar is a staple served with all the meals at every South Indian household. The flavorful lentil curry tempered with aromatic curry leaves, mustard seeds and whole dried red chilies makes for a delectable accompaniment whether having hot idlis , vada, dosa or even plain steamed rice. It won't be incorrect to say that while sambar is majorly known for its tongue-tickling taste, it is also packed with a lot of health benefits; toor dal lends it that much needed dosage of protein, the vegetables provide it with all the essential vitamins and minerals and lastly, addition of hing and tamarind loads it with immune-boosting properties. Having said that, every household has its own recipe of making sambar. Some like it to have thick, others a bit runny. Some like the chunkiness of vegetables whereas others like their sambar to be smooth. Some like it on a tangier side, others with just a hint
Read more

Farali Dhokla - Navratri Special [No Eno Fruit Salt] | Vrat ka Dhokla | Barnyard Millet Savory Steamed Cake

By -
Image
Recently my husband travelled to Ahmedabad and while returning brought a 3-in-1 dhokla/idli/patra steamer for me. Since then, I am always in lookout for opportunities to use this versatile steamer. Well! in the past 15 - 20 days I have already tried my hands making the instant KHAMAN DHOKLA and the 3 GRAIN DHOKLA , both of which were a big hit on my blog. It was now time again to experiment something new; and because we all are observing the Navratri fasts , there was no choice but to come up with a farali dhokla . A few days back, I was just scrolling through various blogs to find a dhokla recipe for the vrat (fasting) but each one listed a recipe that called for use of either eno or baking soda. Since I did not want to incorporate any of these ingredients in my fasting recipe, I thought of  going the old-fashioned way i.e. fermenting the batter overnight so that it gets a natural rise while steaming. And to my utter surprise, it actually worked. I got a nice spongy and fluffy
Read more

Almond Toffee Rolls | Caramel Badam Rolls | Butterscotch Almond Rolls | Diwali Sweet Recipe

By -
Image
Made with ground almond paste, flavored with caramel sauce, some butterscotch essence and crushed almond praline which provides it with that amazing crunch, these Almond Toffee Rolls are an absolute delight and something that you are definitely gonna relish this Diwali.  Now, some of you may ask, why the name "Toffee"? Well, that's because the caramel sauce and the butterscotch lends it a beautiful caramel toffee flavor...and was named so by my husband because when he tasted it, his first words were like "oh..it tastes like a toffee"...so initially I was about to name them as caramel almond rolls or butterscotch almond rolls but this "toffee" thing actually changed my mind and I named this beautiful sweet as Almond Toffee Rolls. They are very easy to make and require just a few pantry ingredients. So, if you are planning to make something unique for this festive season, do try them out. I am sure you are gonna love them. Let me tell you, they also
Read more

Farali Dahi ke Kebab | Vrat ke Dahi Kebab | Navratri Recipes

By -
Image
So soft, delectable and absolutely melt in mouth, Dahi ke Kebab are one of the most loved and popular vegetarian appetizers served in almost every North Indian restaurant. While, authentically these kebabs either have besan (gram flour) or bread crumbs for the binding, however, when craving for these kebabs during fasting, you can't have them because of them having these grains. So, just so that I could enjoy these heavenly goodies in fasting too, I tried creating a farali version of them by adding makhana (foxnut) and sabudana flours instead of besan or bread crumbs for the binding. Trust me, they came out absolutely mindblowing and super tasty. If you too are someone who likes to fast and enjoy the delectable stuff at the same time, then this recipe is absolutely a must try.....  Farali Dahi ke Kebab | Vrat ke Dahi Kebab | Navratri Recipes INGREDIENTS Hung Curd -  1 Cup Grated Paneer - 1/4 cup Sendha Namak - as per taste Kala Namak - as per taste Sugar - 1 to 2 tsp F
Read more

Instant Moong Dal Idli Recipe | How to Make Instant Moong Dal Idli

By -
Image
Idli is one of the healthiest Indian breakfast options by far. These soft, pillowy and melt-in-mouth lentil cakes are traditionally made by fermenting rice and urad dal batter overnight; however, the entire process could be quite cumbersome and involves a little amount of planning ahead. Therefore, instant versions of idlis come very handy when you want to have something quick and yet wholesome and healthy in the breakfast . And especially when it comes to me, I am a big fan of instant recipes, be it instant sprouted moong dal dosa , instant rava & oats idli or instant dhokla , you would find me making these items very frequently as they are not only very quick to make and save you a hell lot of time in the kitchen but, at the same time are quite tasty as well as wholesome. Moong Dal Idli Recipe | How to Make Moong Dal Idli Talking about the instant moong dal idli , as I said it is a very quick and easy recipe and doesn't require an
Read more

Gujarati Sweet Sata | Thor [BAKED VERSION]

By -
Image
Festivities like Ganesh Chaturthi , Dussehra and Diwali are just around the corner. For me, this is the most awaited time of the year with decked up markets, a little chill in the air and happiness all around, emanating an aura of positivity and elation in each and every heart. This is also the time when I gear up for the celebrations indulging in shopping, decorating the house and offcourse preparing some traditional sweets and savories at home for all my friends and family. While last year, I made this melt-in-mouth kalakand , vanilla sandesh with strawberry dust and Punjabi style meethi mathri , this time I am planning to go ahead and make this popular sweet from the state of Gujarat: the sweet sata also called as thor . Traditionally, sata is a deep fried pastry, but just to keep the calorie count low this festive season , I decided to go a healthy way and instead of frying, opted to bake them. Trust me, they came out as flaky, crispy and delectable. If you are also looki
Read more

Restaurant Style Paneer Pasanda | Stuffed Cottage Cheese in Creamy Tomato Sauce

By -
Image
Paneer Pasanda is a rich and creamy delicacy from Mughlai Cuisine wherein stuffed fried cottage cheese cubes/triangles are dunked in a luscious tomato & cashew based gravy. This is a perfect recipe for parties, get-togethers and festive occasions. Well, paneer or cottage cheese is one ingredient that is so so versatile. There are literally an endless number of recipes that can be cooked with it; palak paneer , shahi paneer, paneer butter masala , paneer tikka, kadhai paneer, matar paneer, paneer kofta  and paneer bhurji are some of the common ones that are cooked most often at homes. Coming to Paneer Pasanda , making it is slightly complex and time consuming when compared to other paneer dishes. But, just in case you want to add a variety to your usual paneer accompaniments, it makes for a perfect dish to go on your menu. It is one recipe that was long-due on my to-do list and fortunately I got the opportunity to make it last Saturday for a small get-together at our place.
Read more