.....From My Palate

summer drink

Cold Coffee With Ice Cream

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As the temperature is rising up, colorful flowers and lush green grass are welcoming us for more outdoor activities, we need a instant energizer and a drink to beat the heat of a full sun. I am a true, loyal tea fan, yes! adrak ki chai but to beat the heat of summers my all time favorite drink is Cold Coffee. I don’t remember going to any restaurant in India that does not serve cold coffee. Cold coffee with vanilla ice cream…what a wondrous combination. And if its served with the cucumber sandwich then, well, I am in a food heaven!

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I do not want to advertise Nescafe …for free 😉 but I totally trust the brand for my cold coffee. It is so easy and quick to make, with ingredients most of you probably already have in the kitchen. It is, in fact,  the very first drink I used to make myself in my younger days with lot of crushed ice to make the coffee more frothy and icy.

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Cold Coffee With Ice Cream
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Milk
  • 1 tbsp. Instant Coffee
  • Sugar to taste
  • 1/2 cup Ice Cubes, crushed
  • 2 scoops Vanilla Ice-cream
Instructions
  1. Blend milk, coffee and sugar in a mixer for 30 seconds.
  2. Add crushed ice and ice cream.
  3. Mix it again for few seconds.
  4. Serve cold with the topping of your choice.
  5. I like it with an extra scoop of ice cream and grated chocolate on top.

Thandai

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What an invigorating drink this is!
Made with mix of nuts, saffron, rose petals, poppy seeds and my another favorite fennel seeds, “Thandai” is my all time favorite milk based Indian drink. All my growing up summers, this used to be my morning delight. Halidiram’s Mishrambhu, can’t even count number of bottles I have consumed.  Holi, Festival of colors is incomplete for me without Thandai.  In US, where temperature is not quite appropriate for this drink, still on holi, with Gujiya, Thandai always remains on my must- to do list.

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Thandai tastes good when served chilled and is a very refreshing summer drink. Due to its ingredients it stated as a high calorie drink but in humid summer days when people perspire a lot, it act as a instant energizer. Some people like the Thandai to be spicy( increase the amount of black pepper corns or add any spice of choice that goes well in the drink) or nutty and sweet.

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Almonds
  • 1/2 cup Cashew nuts
  • 20 -25 Kali Mirch (Black peppercorns)
  • 1/4 cup Raisins
  • 20 Choti Elaichi (Green Cardamom)
  • 2 tsp Khuskhus (Poppy seeds)
  • 2 tsp Saunf (Fennel seeds)
  • 2 tsp Khabuje Ki Giri (Melon seeds)
  • 4-5 cups Milk
  • 1/2 cup Sugar (or as per taste)
  • 1/4 tsp crushed Kesar (Saffron) soaked in milk
  • few drops Rose essence (optional)
  • Sliced Pistachios and rose petals for garnishing

Method

  • Soak almonds, cashew nuts, peppercorns, raisins, cardamom, poppy seeds, fennel seeds and melon seeds in 2 cups of water for overnight.
  • Grind everything in a blender to a smooth paste.
  • Add little water if required while grinding.
  • Add chilled milk, sugar, soaked saffron and rose essence (can use rose water too)
  • Mix it well in the mixer.
  • Strain the mixture.
  • Pour it in to serving glasses.
  • Garnish with rose petals and sliced pistachios.
  • Serve and enjoy….