Mixed Berry Milkshake

My children luv this drink a lot. Very easy, gets ready in a minute and is very healthy. You can twist it the way you like, there is nothing hard and fast here. The main requirements are a some berries and milk.

Mixed Berry Milkshake

Ingredients
Mixed Berries - 1/2 cup
Chilled Milk - 2 cups
Honey or Sugar - 2 tb.sp
Ice cubes (optional)

Method
Puree the berries first in a blender. Then add the milk, sugar. And blend together. Pour it in glasses and serve cold.

This is going to FIC - Pink event hosted by dear Priya of Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes.

Holi Hai

Sending both these entries to Holi Hai event hosted by Purva of Purva's Daawat.

 

 Please find the recipe here

Please find the recipe for this tempting Kesari here

Idli Milagai Podi / Spiced Powder Accompaniment for Idli, Dosa

Idli Milagai Podi is very common and very famous in Tamil Nadu. Idli milagai podi mixed with gingelly oil or ghee is a wonderful/winning accompaniment for Idli/Dosa. You will find it every where in Tamil Nadu in hotels, messes, houses, marriages, functions etc. Each and every tamilian house is sure to have this podi stocked in their shelves. Though there are many varities of sambhar and chutneys to accompany Idli and Dosa, still this podi has it own place. If you go to hotels in tamil nadu and order for idli or Dosa you will get two to three varieties of Chutneys, one sambhar and also this Podi mixed with some gingelly oil.

My husband loves this Podi very much and can eat just about any tiffin item with this podi. It was one among the very first items I learnt to make after I got married.

Each one has their own version of this podi. Here I am producing my mother's recipe for this Idli Milagai Podi. My mother used to sometimes pack idlis/uthappams coated with oiled podi for lunch. This used to be the greatest hit not only among my friends but also among my fathers friends. For him she had to pack one more box extra for his friends. She has so many fans for this Podi in the appartment we used to live before marraige. Very often she used goes to others houses to make this podi for them. One of her friends used to call to make this Podi, and sends it to America where her daughter lives.



Idli Milagai Podi
Dry Red Chilli - 2 cups
Urad Dal / Split Black Gram - 1 cup
Channa Dal / Bengal Gram - 1 cup
Moong Dal / Split Peeled Green Gram - 1 cup
Roasted Channa Dal/ Chutnika dal/ Roasted Bengal Gram - 1 cup
Peanuts - 1 cup
Dry Coconut Grated - 1/4 cup
Til / Sesame Seeds - 5 to 6 tb.sp
Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized ball
Asafoetida - 1 tb.sp

Method

1. Roast each of the following seperately in one t.sp oil : Red Chillies, Urad dal / Split Black Gram, Channa Dal / Bengal Gram, Moong Dal / Split Peeled Green Gram, Roasted Channa Dal/ Chutnika dal/ Roasted Bengal Gram. 
2. Roast them in medium/low flame and preferably in a thick bottomed vessel. 
3. Roast them till the aroma of the dals start coming and till they start changing colours. 
4. Do not over roast them or under roast them. 
5. Roast the Peanuts without oil. Remove the skin if they have it. 
6. Roast the coconut and sesame seeds one at a time without oil. 
7. Heat the asafoetida and the tamarind a little.
   
8. Let them all cool down.
9. Grind all them one by one in a mixer to a coarse powder.
10. Mix them together. Add salt.
11. Again grind the mixed powder in a mixer, little at a time.
12. Store it in a clean and dry bottle. Will stay good for months.

You can also add Fenugreek Leaves, Garlic etc according to your liking. Roast them before adding it to the powder. The measurements I have given the ones which I always take. But you can take it the way you like, you can reduce some dals and just omit some dals depending on the availability and the taste. The compulsory ones are channa dal, urad dal, red chilli, salt, tamarind. Others all you can change it according to the availability and taste.

This podi is going to the Lentils Mela hosted by Ashwini of Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine and to the Colors Of Taste - Powders: Podi's as an Accompaniment event hosted by Smitha of Kadumanga.

Easy Tomato Soup

We all like to drink soups not only because they are healthy and but also many a times the climate demands for a soup. A Hot soup on a snowy or a rainy day tastes like heaven. My five year old son comes running to me on such days and asks me to make soups. Mostly I make them this Easy Tomato Soup. It gets ready in a jiffy and is very easy.

Easy Tomato Soup

Ingredients

Tomato Puree - 1 cup

Salt

Freshly crushed Pepper - 1 t.sp

Sugar - 1 t.sp

Cornflour - 2 tb.sp

Fresh Cream - 2 tb.sp (optional)

Water - 2 cups

Method

1. Mix together the water and the tomato puree with a ladle. 
2. Add sugar and heat it. 
3. Let the mixture boil for about five to seven minutes so that raw smell of the tomato goes away.
4. Add salt. Dissolve the cornflour in 1/4 glass of water and add to the soup.
5. Let it boil it the soup thickens. Add fresh cream if you are using it.
   
6. Remove from fire and strew the crushed pepper.
7. Serve hot.
   

 Easy, isn't it. In this recipe nothing is hard and fast rule. Just change anything according to your choice and availability.

This soup is being served to SWC : Soups event hosted by Neha of #Tasty Recipes. SWC is an event started by dear LG of the famous blog Taste of Mysore and

To Think Spice : Think Pepper hosted by Divya of Dil Se. Think Spice event was started by Sunita of Sunita's World.
And to Sanghi's Fall in Love With Food : Tomato at Sanghi's Food Delights