Category: Drinks

Watermelons originated in Africa. They grow in abundance in India and we simply feast on them in the summers in Ahmedabad. You see watermelon carts at every nook and corner of the city. Most of these are the seeded variety.

Ripe watermelons should feel heavy to the touch and sound hollow when tapped and their rind should not be bruised or scratched. Choose those with symmetrical stripes.

I know somebody who makes kofta curry with watermelon rind. The rind can also be pickled. Does anyone know how to pickle watermelon rind?

Mark Twain was very fond of watermelon and called it the food of angels.

Did you know watermelon is an aphrodisiac? It is the rind of the watermelon that possesses most of the aphrodisiac qualities but isn’t the red of the watermelon in itself so sexy?

This recipe of watermelon juice should be had chilled. It’s totally tempting! Mom made it for one of my birthday parties and my friends devoured it. They said they’d never had something so refreshing. Also, it’s really simple to make.

Here’s the recipe.

Watermelon Juice

Makes 3 – 4 glasses

Ingredients

1 1/2 kg or 3.3 lb watermelon, rind removed and chopped into large pieces

2 1/2 cups cold water

3 tablespoons sugar or 1/4 cup sugar

Juice of 2 lemons

A pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

5 pepper corns

1/2 inch piece ginger, chopped

8-10 fresh mint leaves

Method

1 Put the cold water into the bowl of the electric mixer. Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt, cardamom powder, pepper corns, ginger, fresh mint leaves, and add just about enough of the chopped watermelon so that the electric mixer doesn’t overflow when you switch it on. Pulse the ingredients for 3-4 minutes. Remove the juice and strain it into a medium sized container. Pulse the remaining watermelon pieces. Strain into the container with the rest of the juice.

2 Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

When I read Tiffin by Rukmini Srinivas, it took me back to my childhood in the Air Force camp at Lohegaon in Pune, where my friend Silky and I enjoyed soft, spongy idlis with spicy saambar and gun powder chutney, which her mom used to lovingly cook for us. I adore gun powder chutney, and although MTR and some other companies from the South sell it these days, it’s never come close to what aunty made for us. Those were wonderful times, without a care in the world, and Silky and I are still friends, 30 years later.

Holi hai! Spring is in the air, the crops have been harvested, and its time for love, friendship and forgiveness, and the mending of broken relationships. Bring out your pichkaris (water guns) and your water balloons and your colours and get ready to have fun. But, here is what I wish to say. Be gentle, don’t hurt or harm, and be considerate to people who don’t enjoy being smeared with colour. And importantly, save water; water is a precious resource.

What is Holi without Thandai? The delicious drink is among the many eats and drinks customarily had on Holi. This recipe for Thandai is from the Milkmaid Gold Collection of 101 Desserts, a lovely, rare book that is from my cookbook collection and which I don’t think is available in markets any longer. Here is the recipe.

Thandai

Serves 12

Ingredients

1/2 tin Milkmaid

1 1/2 litre milk

8 to 10 soaked and peeled almonds

5 to 6 peppercorns

3 to 4 cardamom pods

2 teaspoons fennel seeds or sauf

1 teaspoon poppy seed essence or khus khus essence

Crushed ice

Garnish

Rose petals

Method

1 Grind soaked and peeled almonds, cardamom and fennel seeds to a fine paste. Blend with other ingredients till well mixed. Strain.

2 Half fill each glass with crushed ice and top up with the above mixture.

3 Serve garnished with rose petals.

You can use 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds or khus khus in place of khus essence.