Mango Sherbet / Mango Nannari Sherbet

Every year I used to wait for the batch of Organically grown Mangoes ripened in natural way which makes it naturally sweet. They offer bountiful benefits hence its crowned as King of Fruits. It is rich in Vitamin A and good amounts of Vitamin C, E, K and B6. Hence it promotes Eye Health and clears the Skin. Mango fruit has carotenoids, ascorbic acid, terpenoids, and polyphenols which are responsible for the anti cancer properties. It also maintains the Alkalinity level of the body. It improves digestion due to the fibre content and boost up immune system. It also prevents heat strokes. It is also known to reduce cholesterol levels. 

Used home grown, well ripened mangoes to make this delicious Mango Nannari Sherbet (Mango Sarsaparilla Sherbet) with goodness of Almond Gum which has natural cooling effects. 

Have a Cool Week Ahead :) 

Gujarati Special Cooler - Komal

And the harsh, unrelenting Summer Season is here and we do yearn for some cool at the same time natural drinks to hydrate our body and quench thirst. We have lot of native drinks that are made during the season made out of familiar ingredients which are healthy. One such drink which is a signature recipe of Gujarat is Komal. Its a blend of Spiced Curds with healthy and naturally cooling coconut milk. The curd that is spiced with green chillies and the tempering adds up to the flavour and taste. It has a very cooling effect and naturally refreshing. Discard the green chillies while drinking and enjoy this summer delicacy.

For the benefits of coconut milk check out another coconut milk delight here 

Have a Cool Week Ahead :) 

Tropical Delight - Ice Apple Hibiscus Cooler / Nungu Chembaruthi Sherbet

And the summer is here, which brings in the delicious and naturally cooling Ice Apples for us to relish. I have already shared various Ice Apple Recipes last summer and adding few more to the list this year too. Got some fresh and tender Ice Apples directly harvested from trees on demand on the way back home after a short trip to Auroville this week. We got one full bunch of the fruits carefully scooped out without breaking the delicate skin, as the juice inside the Ice apples are the excellent hydrating agent and has lot of medicinal properties. The juice when applied on prickly heat,rashes or sun burns will reduce irritation and burning sensation, cures them fast. The peels can be used for this purpose as it will have some juice and flesh. Just by rubbing the inner portion of the peels on the affected areas will give soothing effect.

Sharing another interesting blend of Ice Apple with Hibiscus which is a delightful cooler to enjoy this summer to harness the benefits of both.

Hibiscus is rich in Vitamin C and Flavanoids. It displays Anti Bacterial and anti Cancerous Properties. It is known to reduce Blood Pressure Level and Cholesterol levels in body. It is also proven to calm down the hot flashes that women faces during hormonal period of menopause. It is not recommended for Pregnant and Lactating women or those who are taking fertility treatments.It boosts up immunity and maintain body temperature.

Check out for an array of Ice Apple Recipes and its Benefits Here.

Happy and Healthy Week to all :) 

Lemon Mint Cooler

The Summer hasn't kicked off officially but we started feeling the aggression of Sun Rays already. Wont it be a cool idea to start making our own native coolers with natural home grown ingredients to beat the heat? Yes, starting this year's cooler series with this greeny green and refreshing Lemon Mint Cooler made with Home Grown Mint and Lemon.

Have enhanced this regular Lemon Mint Cooler with Himalayan Pink Salt which will recharge our system with essential minerals and this is an excellent re-hydrating drink.

The Benefits 

The Recipe

Have a Refreshing Week :) 

Watermelon Agua Fresca / Watermelon Honey Cooler

Can we imagine a Summer without Watermelon? Obviously..No.
Watermelon is one incredible fruit that offers enormous health benefits apart from being a excellent hydrating agent. It has 92% water along with enormous amounts of vitamin and minerals that help in healing various ailments of body in summer.Not only the fruit, the rind and seeds are also edible.It promotes Cardio Vascular and bone health. The fruit is known to boost up the immune system, heals muscle soreness after a heavy workout.  
Make sure to pick the ripe fruits as it has the richest amount of Phenolic compounds which has antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. The pretty pink colour of the flesh is due to the presence of lycopene (which is present in tomatoes as well) a  powerful carotenoid antioxidant.
Citrulline, an amino acid present in watermelon helps in reducing the accumulation of fat in our body cells. It is also a natural diuretic which helps in free flow of urine without straining the kidneys.
Watermelon is a rich source of Beta Carotene which is converted to Vitamin A that is crucial for Eye Health. It prevents Age Related Macular Degeneration of the Retinal Cells of the Eye and also promotes healthy skin. Vitamin C that is in abundance in this fruit helps in healing of wounds and healthy gums and teeth.

Watermelons are great to be consumed as a fruit as such and as fresh juices. Here I have given a simple recipe " Watermelon Agua Fresca" a real refresher during hot summer. Agua Fresca is a spanish word for the beverages made out of pureed fruits along with fresh water and some natural sweeteners. You need only three ingredients to prepare this refreshing summer cooler.

This will be a great welcome drink in parties :) 

Nellai Pazharasam / Fruit Mixture / Fruit Sherbet

The one smoothie made out of the native seasonal fruits which I have always cherished whenever I happen to visit that small Juice shop opposite to Mylapore Tank, Abirami Juice Shop. A very small shop owned by a man who sits inside and serves all the delicious freshly made juices and you can always see a big crowd there. I personally prefer this one delicacy that is popular too, The Original Nellai Pazharasam  (Thirunelveli Special) they call it and it is must to have during the summer season. One is the Original Fruit Mixture made of of fresh seasonal fruits and other variant is with a mix of Badam milk into it. It is absolutely an irresistible smoothie and happens to be my personal favorite all time. Thought of making this at home , this season and it happened to be a huge hit and I was so happy it matched the one I have always tasted.

The main Ingredient is the readily available Banana which forms the base and add the flavour. Here I am giving the recipes of the Fruit Mixture as well as the Badam Fruit Mixture. It is very easy to make in minutes if you have the fruits ready with you.

The Juice Shop @ Mylapore (PC: Google)

Hope you will enjoy making this..Welcome your valuable feedbacks :) Check out my other Coolers in this Series :) 

Lemongrass Lemonade - A Miraculous Medicinal Cooler For Migraines

Migraine..The word itself will sound terrific to those who are suffering with that worst demon..Am one among the hundreds who are living with migraine..a living migraineur. Till now the medical field hasn't got anything as cure for this problem only because it has a big list of potential causes which differs from person to person. The medicines which are available now also has lot of side effects and I write this with my own experience over the past 10 years and I have tried every other treatment modes ranging from Allopathy to Ayurveda. Nothing has really helped me in avoiding migraines and once you get your attack there is no other go, you have to fight out the phase which might last for few hours to few days too. I have a bad experience of 6 days of suffering.

Basically every migraineur wish would be to combat and alleviate the pain once you get an attack. Migraines alters our normal body functioning by altering the levels of the neurotransmitter, the Serotonin (hence the mood swings)  which in turn affects the normal functioning of the platelets (causing the clumping of the platelets) and disrupts the body's electrolyte balance which is essential for the proper nerve functioning and muscle functioning (hence the nausea, dehydration and stiffness of muscles and nerves).

In this post, am sharing a miraculous medicinal cooler recipe which will help to alleviate the migraine pain. It has Lemon Grass as the main constituent, which is known and proved by research for its highest content of Eugenol, which actually inhibits the clumping of the platelets by balancing the serotonin levels.

The other important ingredient here is Himalayan Pink Salt, which has lot of trace minerals and electrolytes (It has almost 84 of those 118 known elements on Earth) and thus helps in restoring the body's electrolyte and alkaline balance.

The Lemon Juice again with the Himalayan Pink Salt act as a magic in relieving the pain. This is an excellent cooler not only for migraineurs but for everyone on any day to keep our body hydrated.

Here's the recipe...Hope this helps atleast few who suffer like me..

Please do post your feed backs..Would love to hear..:) 

Ice Apple Sarsaparilla Sherbet / Nungu Nannari Sherbet

Summer is the season where we get lot of delicious fruits and the nature by itself has ensured that it gives us natural coolants to beat the heat. One such wonder fruit is the fruit of Palmyra Trees (Panai Maram in Tamil). The fruit is called as Ice Apple or Palm Fruit (Nungu in Tamil). The benefits of this fruit is huge and it act as an excellent hydrating agent.

This fruit is loaded with Vitamins A, B and more amount of Vitamin C (100 gms Flesh has 5 mg of Vitamin C). It is rich in essential minerals like Potassium, Calcium and Phosphorous which are prime most for teeth and bone health. It also aids in weight loss, improves digestion and prevents constipation in Pregnant women.

Ice Apple is available during the months of May to August and the fruit can be eaten raw (eating along with the skin is highly recommended to harness the complete health benefits) or it can be made into delicious Coolers or Desserts. This season I made four different recipes to try with this cool Ice Apples.

Check out for the other three recipes here :

Ice Apple Milk Dessert / Nungu Paal
Ice Apple Rose Milk
Ice Apple Mango Dessert

In this Sherbet recipe, I have combined three great cooling agents, Ice Apple, Sarsaparilla and Basil Seeds. This is a Unique Blend to beat the scorching summer heat and this prevent heat strokes. A must try during this season.

Hope you will enjoy this tasty and delicious sherbet :) Welcome your feed backs :)