Bangalore right now is at its worst weather ever. A couple of days ago it touched 40C. Until a decade ago, Bangalore was famous for its cool climate & it would never touch beyond 35 C even during summers. I guess those days should be long forgotten now.

The little one does not want to drink warm milk anymore & is always wanting some Juice. As soon as he is back from his Summer Camp, he wants demands a big glass of juice. 

So, I've been making a lot of fresh juices this season. It's so hot that it has replaced my evening cup of Masala chai. Now that Mangoes are in season, a lot of Mango milkshakes & Mango Lassis have been happening too 

Almost a decade ago, I went to US for the first time and it was when I had Mango Lassi for the first time. Its quite strange that Mango Lassi is not very popular here in India But every other Indian eat out in the US will have Mango Lassi on the menu

Nevertheless, it is a very delicious drink & I got quite hooked to its taste. I make it quite regularly during the Mango season. A big glass of Mango Lassi is quite filling & can make for a great breakfast 

You Will Need:

How To:

Peel & roughly chop the mangoes. In a blender, add all the ingredients one by one & whizz a couple of times until well blended

Pour into individual  glasses & serve

NOTE:

You could use any variety of Mangoes, I used Alphonso

If making just for myself I do not add sugar or any other sweetener. 
But you could try adding powdered Jaggery for a slightly different taste

You can add a sprig of Mint Leaves while blending.

You can strain watermelon pulp before serving. It will result in a slightly thinner concoction. I preferred to have that little bit of fibre left so I didn't strain the juice 

Make sure you remove all the seeds from the watermelon before blending

It's Summer .. Well almost. Bangalore has been quite hot since a week & my evening Chai has been replaced by chilled Milkshakes or Smoothies. I have been trying different recipes of Milkshakes & I came across this very  Milkshake recipe famous all over Kerala. Sharjah Shake it is :)

 

So, what is Sharjah Shake? Doesn't the name sound interesting? I was intrigued too when I heard it for the first time, It is a creamy  Milkshake made with frozen milk, Banana, nuts & a dash of Chocolate flavoured malt. It is Kerala's way of making Banana Milkshake

I read somewhere that Sharjah Shake was created by Kalanthan Koya, who ran a small juice bar in Calicut & it was first served to a few customers who were watching the then famous 'Sharjah Cup' cricket series on TV, hence the name Sharjah Shake :) And, I was initially of the opinion that this drink originated from Sharjah :)

HOW TO:

Pour Milk in an ice tray & freeze into cubes. If you buy milk packets, you can dump the entire packet in the freezer.

In a Blender, Add chopped Banana, Almonds/Cashewnuts, Bournvita, Sugar & Milk cubes  & blend until frothy

Pour into a tall glass & Slurrp !!

NOTE:

I don't add any sugar as there is enough sweetness from the Banana & Hot chocolate Malt

You can even use frozen Bananas

Using Frozen Milk is very important to get a nice creamy texture

Ragi also known as Nachni or Finger Millet is one of the most staple & common grains in Karnataka  It is a nutrition powerhouse. Besides being Gluten Free, it is a very rich source of calcium.

Now that half the world is going crazy over Millets, This humble grain is back in spotlight. One of the most common ways of consuming Ragi is in the form of  a cooked dumpling called Ragi Mudde and is eaten with a lentil based gravy


Another favorite way of consuming Ragi is a buttermilk based drink called Ambli. It has a thin porridge like consistency & is flavored using a hint of green chilli (opional ) and onion. It makes a very filling drink & can be had for breakfast if you are short on time & yes, It is very Healthy

Mix 1 tbsp of Ragi Flour in about 1/4 cup of water. Whisk well to form a smooth paste without any lumps. Roughly chop the onion & blend it into a paste & add it to the ragi flour mixture In a saucepan, cook this paste on low flame for about 2 mins till it gets cooked. keep stirring at regular intervals.

Once done, turn of the heat & allow it to cool. In a blender, blend together the cooked Ragi mixture & Buttermilk together along with some salt.

In a small pan, heat Ghee, splutter mustard & cumin seeds along with curry leaves. Add it to the drink Pour the drink into tall glasses and Garnish with finely chopped coriander




You can also add half a green chili while grinding the onion but I usually give it a skip. 1 glass of this in the morning, I am good to go. You can also have this as a post workout drink. I even have this for dinner sometimes when I feel too lazy to cook a meal for myself

There is also a sweeter version of this usually made with milk which I will be posting in sometime. Meanwhile, enjoy this one !!