MANGO WATERMELON MILAN

Mango Watermelon Milan sounds great right😛 It also tastes soo yummy and refreshing as well. Therez nothing special in this as we all make normal fruit juice, I just mixed the combi of 2 fruit together to make a Milan type😍 You can infact make triple layer as well with ur fav fruits as well. Fresh sip are the great way to enjoy fresh juice and cool off in the heat.

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING MANGO JUICE
1/2 Cup Diced Mangoes
2 tsp Sugar
1/4 Cup Water
Ice cubes

METHOD
Blend all the ingredients together until smooth juice. Add water if you want to dilute more. Keep it aside

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING WATERMELON COOLER
1/2 Cup Diced Watermelon
2 tsp Sugar
Ginger small piece
1 tsp Lime juice
2 3 leaves Mint leaves (optional)
Water as needed.

METHOD
Blend all the ingredients together until smooth juice. Add water if needed. Strain the juice and keep itside.
Now the fun part comes. Take a serving glass. Chill atleast for 15 min in the freezer. Now fill the glass half with mango juice. Next gently pour the watermelon cooler over the back of the spoon. This should be very carefully in order to avoid mixing. Add few fresh fruit pieces at the time of serving.

Enjoy!! 

COLACASIA STEM SIDEDISH [ VENTHI UPKKARI]

Colacasia leaves are famous in Konkani's cuisine. In konkani we say as 'TERE PAN'. The first dish which struck my mind is the Pathrode . I am the most craziest fan of pathrode. I could have them any time- day, night or everyday I could say😝😝 U can check out for Pathrode recipe HERE. 

Now todays recipe is the dish made of its stem which is fully loaded with vitamins, iron, fiber and minerals. Well there are many dishes made using leaves and stem but here I have come up with the simple UPKARI which is dry type and this can be served along with the simple meal or with Kanji (peej)

Point to be noted : These stems should be cooked properly if not they may cause irritation which will lead the mouth and throat to itch.

NOTE: Colacasia plants with purple stems are considered less toxic compared to green stemmed ones.

INGREDIENTS
10 TO 11 Colacassia stems
2 tsp Coconut oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tsp Red Chilly powder
2 tsp Tamarind extract
2 tsp Sambhar powder
3 tbsp Water or less.
Salt to taste

METHOD
Wash the stems thoroughly and peel the outside part to remove any tough fibers. Then cut the stems into 1 inch long pieces. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and red chilly powder followed by the cutted stem. Add salt, tamarind extract, little water and cook till the pieces become tender. Once its cooked and the water get dryed, add sambar powder. Give it a quick stir and remove from the flame.

ENJOY!!

BANANA STEM SALAD

Banana stem or the flower stalk are very high in fibre and rich in potassium. These have the crispy texture with mild bitter flavour. Adding banana stem to our daily diet helps us to stay fit and healthy. It cleanses the digestive system, promotes weight loss, treating kidney stones, manages cholesterol, BP and keeps many diseases at bay. The juices works well on acidity conditions as it has a soothing effect on the stomach. 
Now coming back with my amma's recipe, I have prepared a healthy and yummy Banana stem salad in coconut gravy which can be served as a side dish along with a simple meal or with chappati. The interesting thing is therez no cooking process in this :) Just add up all the ingredients one by one and serve.

TIPS: The cut pieces of the stem oxidizes and changes colour so inorder to prevent this, keep the pieces immersed in water with a tsp of curd mix.

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Chopped Banana stem
1 Small Onion
2 Green chillies
2 tsp Grated Ginger
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish

INGREDIENTS FOR COCONUT MASALA
1/2 Cup Fresh Grated Coconut
2 Roasted Dry Red chilly
1 tsp Roasted Coriander seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds.
1/2 Tsp Tamarind Extract
Water as per needed for grinding

NOTE : Adding Tadka is optional. If needed, then heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds, jeera and curry leaves and pour it on the salad at the end.

METHOD
Grind the ingredients given above for the coconut masala and keep it aside. Make a slit on the banana stem and remove the porous outer layer. Sometimes you may need to discard 2 or 3 layers until you reach the hard and firm inner layer. Now slice the stem into circles. While cutting you will get lots of thread like fibers. Just pull them off and discard them. Now chop those circles into small pieces and put them into curd water. ( Before adding it into the dish, make sure to drain the water and then clean them again with normal water for 2 times & then add it)
In a serving bowl, add the drained banana stem pieces, chopped onion, green chilly, grated ginger and salt. Mix them well followed by the coconut paste. Add water only in needed. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve :)

ENJOY!!