Sherbets

The word "sherbet" is from Turkish "şerbet", which is from Persian "شربت" "sharbat", which in turn comes from Arabic شربة "sharba" a drink, from شرب "shariba" to drink. Also called "sorbet", which comes from French "sorbet", from Italian "sorbetto" and in turn from Turkish "şerbet". The word is cognate to syrup. (British and American English) historically was a cool effervescent or iced fruit soft drink.

In a tropical country like India, sherbets are just one way we can get some respite from the otherwise lethal heat that scorches us all. In this post I shall discuss some of these wonderful sherbet recipes which I hope, shall beat the heat out of the you!

1. Aam Panna

Peel off raw mangoes, boil them adding a pinch of salt without adding water, in a pressure cooker. Cool. Remove the seeds and using a hand blender, mash the kernel. Add sugar (pulp : sugar = 1:1), and heat it again. Let it cool, and add, permitted class 2 preservatives, color and flavor. Refrigerate. Take two spoons of this concentrate, and dilute with water and ice cubes and serve.

     2. Strawberry lassi

Ingredients - strawberry ice cream. fresh curd. salt. sugar. rose petals.

Take 2 tbsp fresh curd, 2 scoops of strawberry ice cream, a pinch of salt, and a little sugar.

Churn all this together, in a glass and sprinkle rose petals on the froth. Serve chilled.

    3. Fresh lime with Watermelon

Scoop the inside of the water melon and using a hand blender, churn after adding a pinch of rock salt, sugar, and 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice (kagji lebu). Place in the empty shell of the water melon and serve chilled. Sprinkle some lemon rinds on top.

     4. Vanilla float with Green Mango

Churn a scoop of vanilla ice-cream with 2 tbsp of fresh curd with a pinch of salt and a little sugar. Add a little cold water, and another scoop of ice cream on top. Now add, 2 tbsp of the green mango syrup previously made (in the first recipe). Serve chilled.
  
     5. Mango Mazaa

Here's a funky way of serving peeled ripe mango ... you can also prepare similar mango shakes as before.

6. Bel-Panna

For Making Bel-Sharbet aka Bel-Panna you have to scoop out the ripe bel fruit and after removing the seeds soak it into water  and crush with your hand smoothly. Then add a pinch of salt, sugar, tamarind juice. Starin the mixture through a stainer and serve cold by adding a "gandhoraj lime" ( available in the summer). This is a very refreshing as well as healthy drink for summer!

Delicious Bel-Sharbet & Bel-Morobba

Bel (in Bengali), Bilwa (in Sanskrit), (scientific: Aegle marmelos, belonging to the family Rutaceae) is a fruit, that can be eaten when green, as well as when ripe. Apart from being tasty, it has immense therapeutic values. It is a store-house of several alkaloids, coumarins, sterols and turpenoids, which are very beneficial for the human body. The leaf of this tree, 'bel-pata' in used in pujas, and in Charakasanhita, the green fruit is compared to Amrita, the Hindu 'version' of the elixir of life. Throughout the country 'bel-panna' the sherbet made out of this crushed, ripe fruit is a refreshing drink during season changes ... especially the period around March-April.  The cooked green fruit is also used in making 'morrobbas' , a traditional candy. In some provinces 'bel' is also called 'sadaphal'.

Therapeutic values include its usage as a laxative and digestive in all forms.

Procedure:
For Making Bel-Sharbet aka Bel-Panna you have to scoop out the ripe bel fruit and after removing the seeds soak it into water  and crush with your hand smoothly. Then add a pinch of salt, sugar, tamarind juice. Starin the mixture through a stainer and serve cold by adding a "gandhoraj lime" ( available in the summer). This is a very refreshing as well as healthy drink for summer!

Scoop out the green bel fruit. Remove as many seeds as you can. If you can not remove the seeds ...no problem...you can throw it while eating. Take a large pan and soak the scooped kernel in water along with edible CHUNA (Milk Of Lime) for at least 2 hours. Drain off the water and keep aside. Boil this fruit-kernel in plenty of sugar till the pieces becomes transluscent. This special fruit candy is known as MOROBBA It is extremely hygenic and delicious too!

PANCAKE PIZZA (Valentine Day -Special)

(For the Pancake batter)

Flour: 1 Cup
Milk: 1 Cup
One beaten Egg
Baking Powder : 1/2 tsp
(For the Pizza filling)
Grated Cheese : 2 tbsp
Flour 1 tbsp
Milk 2 tbsp
Corn kernels (boiled)
Onion ( chopped, 2 tbsp)
Capsicum (chopped, 2 tbsp)
Carrot (chopped, 2 tbsp)
Black Pepeer Powder
Chilly Flakes
Grated Cheese and Tomato, Onion and Capsicum ( Cut into rings for topping)
Tomato Ketchup (2 tsp)
Salt & Sugar
Butter 2tsp


First take the flour, egg, milk and baking powder in a bowl and sift them together to have a smooth and pouring consistency. Refrigerate for 1/2 an hour.
 Now for the filling dry fry the flour in a nonstick pan and keep aside. Fry the onion , carrot and capsicum in butter for 2-3 minutes.  Add the boiled corn kernels. Mix the dry fried flour with milk and grated cheese and add the mixture into the corn and stir-fried vegetable mixture. add a little salt, sugar , black pepeer and red chilly flakes. Mix thoroughly and keep aside.

Now heat a small nonstick pan . Grease with a little refined oil or butter and pour 1/3 cup pancake batter . Spread it and turn it when one side is completelt cooked.Make 4 such pancakes.

Finally place a pancake and spread some filling. Then place another pancake followed by some filling and finally end up with the 4th one.
Garnish with tomato ketchup, capsicum, onoin and tomato rings and also with some grated cheese. Cut the wedges with a sharp pizza cutter, keeping the pieces joined in place.

 [This recipe has been dapted and simplified from a similar recipe found in Nita Mehta's Vegetarian Dishes.]
Heat in a microwave or in a pre heated  OTG for a few seconds till the cheese melts and serve hot.
If you can cut the capsicum and red tomatoes in the shape of a HEART then I am sure that your VALENTINE would be suitably impressed!!!

Broccoli Soup

• Broccoli Forets : 1 cup (cut into small pcs)
• Milk : 1 cup
• Butter : 1tsp
• Onion :  One medium size ( grated )
• Garlic : crushed ( 2 tsp0
• Red Chilly Flakes ( 1 tsp)
• Black Peeper Powder
• Corn flour : (2 tsp)
• Salt & Sugar
• Fresh Cream (optional)

• Cook the broccoli florets in  2 cups of water by adding a little salt
• Heat butter and fry onion and garlic together 
• Add this to the broccoli broth 
• Stir the whole mixture with the help of a bar blendar
• Add a little sugar 
• Finally add milk and cornflour and stir thoroughly to make it smooth
• Boil for another five minutes
• Sprinkle red chilly flakes and black pepeer powder
• Add a little fresh cream 
• Place a blanched broccoli on top of the soup
• Serve hot with garlic bread

Broccoli, Sweet corn & Green peas Salad

• Broccoli : cut into florets with its stem (2 cups)
• Sweet corn : boiled (1/2 cup)
• Green peas : boiled (1/2 cup)
• Grated Cheese : 2 tbsp
• { Lemon juice (2tsp), Crushed Garlic (2 tsp), Red Chilly Flakes (1tsp), White Vinegar (1tsp) } for Salad Dressing 
• Sesame seed 2 tsp (roasted )

• Blanch the Broccoli Forets by keeping into boiling water for just 2-3 minutes by adding a pinch of salt to retain the brilliant green colour.
• Strain the water and keep the florets in cold water for another 2 minutes.
• Take a salad bowl arrange broccoli, boiled green peas and sweet corn together
• Now make the salad dressing  in a separate bowl by adding lemon juice, crushed garlic, white vinegar and red chilly flakes together and mixing them  thoroughly with a spoon . Add a little salt and sugar.
• Pour the salad dressing into the salad bowl and mix them thoroughly
• Sprinkle grated cheese and roasted sesame seeds from top
• You can refrigerate the salad  and serve when necessary.

Chicken-Lemon-Coriander Soup

• Boneless Chicken : (100 gms) thinly sliced, marinated with salt, black pepper and soya sauce
• Sweetcorn : (25gms) boiled and made into paste
• Garlic : finely chopped (1tsp)
• Ginger julienne (1tsp)
• Onion : finely chopped (2 tsp)
• Green chilly : finely chopped (1tsp)
• Fresh Coriander :( finely chopped,  1cup)
• Lemon juice ( 4tsp)
• Black pepper powder (2tsp)
• Butter : 1 tsp

• Heat butter and fry onion, garlic together 
• Add the marinated chicken and the sweetcorn paste into it
• Add 2 cups of water and bring it to boil.
• Add the ginger julienne, green chillies and coriander
• Finally add the lemon juice and sprinkle black pepper powder on top
• Serve hot "CHICKEN-LEMON-CORIANDER SOUP" with bread sticks/ garlic toast

(This recipe serves for two )

Chicken Stew

Chicken Pcs : 250 gms
                               Onion 1 medium size : chopped
                               Garlic 6 cloves : chopped
                               Ginger julien   :   1tsp
                               Cloves, Green Elachi, Cinnanmon : 2nos. each & crushed
                               Bayleaf : 1 no.
                               Whole black pepeercorn : 6 no.
                               Butter : 1tsp
                               Green Papia : 4 pcs
                               Potato : 2 (small)
                               Carrot and french beans :(Cut into pcs)
                               Flour :1 tsp
                              Oil :2 tsp
                              Salt, Black pepeer powder and a little sugar
                              Turmeric Powder (optional)

•  Heat 2tsp mustard oil in a  pressure cooker 
• Add crushed clove, cinnamon,  elaichi and black pepeercorn  
• Then garlic, onion and the vegetables & fry them together
• Add ginger and the chicken pieces
• Add salt and a little sugar 
• Saute' for 5 minutes
• Add a little water and then bayleaf 
• Sprinkle a little turmeric powder (optional)
• Cook under pressure for 2 mins
• Now heat butter and fry flour in it.
• then add the flour into the stewed chicken and stir to mix it uniformly. 
• Heat for 2 mins
• Sprinkle  black pepeer powder and serve hot with steamed rice.