Fruit Punch - A Citrusy Kick!

Fruit Punch:

Ingredients and Method:

Orange juice - freshly squeezed 1 cup
Pineapple juice 1 cup
Lemon juice few spoons
Honey few spoons
Pomegranate 1 fistful.

Mix all the above and serve chilled.

Green Grass Juice

Arugham Pul Juice:

Herbal Concoction. Arugham Pul Ras. Arugam Pul Kashayam. Dhoob Ki Kashaya. Wild Bermuda Grass Juice.

Bermuda grass, Botanical name of this grass is Cynodon dactylon. We call it as 'Arugham Pul' in Tamil, they call it as 'Durva' in Sanskrit & 'Dhoob' in Hindi.

Before going into detailing about this particular grass...let me first explain a bit about Chlorophyll(the green pigment of a leafy vegetable)! The molecular structure of these chlorophyll pigment's are much similar to our haemoglobin pigment(the red pigment found in our blood). The function of both these pigments are more or less same too(transporting oxygen is their primary function). Surprisingly both of the pigments are composed of 4 elements Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen...organised around single Iron atom.(A German Chemist, Dr. Richard Willstatter determined that the two molecules closely resemble each other in the Year 1913).

Medicinal Uses: 'Ayurveda', Traditional Indian Pharmacopoeia, states that this grass can be used in the treatment of Asthma, Bronchitis, piles, tumours, enlarged spleen and liver disorders! Another Great Traditional 'Unani system of Medicine' states, it is a tonic for brain and heart! According to the folk's remedy...they crush this grass and apply it on their minor cuts! And it can be used for any general inflammation! Regular intake of this juice has several healing properties...like it reduces body heat, relieves impurities, lowers one's blood glucose level! From my Genetic point of view...it has lot more antioxidants, in fact! So...the antioxidants, prevents the free radical damage & reduces oxidation and thereby DNA degeneration (Less the DNA degeneration...the less we age, both physically and physiologically)!

We generally don't appreciate things that we get for free, right! Off lately, even among youngsters, knowing logic behind the traditional recipes is growing, that good!

Taste: The grass has a sweet taste. And it is an excellent body coolant. I could relate this drink with modern green tea so much!

Caution: Be sure that you pick the right species(grass). Use only native Indian species that grows in wild(it usually creeps on side wards). Never attempt to try with your Bermuda grass...from the lawn (although same species, its hybrid - has modified genes)! Also never overdo with the greens. Any greens have this blood thinning property...it may not be advisable to people who have condition like Blood pressure.

I can't believe that I am posting a drink...made out of Grass!!! Some of you might think I am paranoid or something!:( Bermuda grass juice!!! Sounds so weird, but can't help it...it has lots of goodness!!! Hindus consider it as a holy Grass and include it in their pooja ceremony! Maybe it is a way of life...to protect the species from the verge of extinction!! But never seen anyone making any culinary attempt!! The street vendors used to sell this 'Arugham Pul Juice' at the Marina beach, Chennai...although never cared to try, back then. All old people from the walking club used to drink it with great passion!

Ingredients:

Bermuda Grass(native Indian species that grows in wild & not from your lawn)
Honey
Filtered water.

Method:

Trim the grass 1" above from the roots. Wash and clean them.

Now boil them in 1-2 cups of filtered water. Maybe for couple of minutes. Then filter the same.

Add honey to it. Serve warm early in the morning(preferably empty stomach & after work outs).

Ice Apple Drink

My way: Nungu Juice.


One could also eat them raw with skin-on, if it is immature and transparant.


Edile Jellies with fine skin-on.


Over-ripe Edible fruit...which could be also grilled.


Unripe fruits...which could possibly bear 2-4 jelly fruits in each one of them.

Nungu with Illaneer:

Borassus flabellifer is the Botanical name of Asian Palm tree/ Palmyra tree. The fruit looks in a jet black color...the hard shell. Although whole fruit is said edible by locals.....but it is greatly appreciated for its inner pulp(actually its endosperm and surrounding jelly )is called 'Nungu' in Tamil. The jelly fruit...is almost transparent to translucent. A fruit bears about 2-4 such jellies in them. If you happen to spot 4 in your fruit......consider yourself lucky! The icy jellies doesn't have seeds like litchi(that's good). It is also filled with nutri' tasty water(endosperm liquid) loaded with minerals like calcium and phosphorous. The fruit is counted has simple man's heaven during summer.....for the parched throat!

It is known as Tal in Bengali, Nungu in Tamil, Thaati Munjalu in Telugu, Munjal in Urdu, Tnaot by the Khmer, Akadiru by the East Timorese, Tao in Divehi, Tadfali or Tad-fali or Taadfali in Gujarati, and sometimes "Ice-apple" by the British. I like Ice-Apple better...it truly deserves that name!

Mommy used to make simple payasam kind of thing for my lazy brother....who can't even peel the fine skin on the nungu! But I insist on consuming them raw.....in its natural form! People say....it has healing property towards, acne, boils and heat rash!

So...just peeled them and filled it with illaneer(tender coconut water).To beat the heat!!!

If you are smart to spot over ripe 'panam pazham' then you could put them on charcoal grill and burn them for few minutes and enjoy the fibrous fruit. I was kind of trekking on the local mountain(Vellore) with my maid cum cook Usha......we happen to spot a old palm tree...lucky we also spotted it had lots of over-ripe fruits! Used local help to fetch just one! Lucky me....that was the first time...I
happen to see this fruit. Looked much like mango color inside.....fibrous and fibrous to the core!

Raspberry Pop Sickle:

The Ellagic acid present in Raspberry helps to stall cancer-cell growth! These berries are also packed with vitamin C and are high in fiber, which prevents high cholesterol and heart disease. I like the part of its minute seeds! I never filter my raspberry juice. They help the vitamins to stay longer in the food track and eventually promotes maximum absorption!! Moreover these seeds act as roughage to the tummy! So good for constipation! Besides berries are packed with anti-oxidants....helps to reduce cell-aging!

Ingredients:

Raspberry fresh/frozen 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1 fistful
Lemon juice - from 1 fruit
Lemon zest from 1 fruit
Sugar syrup - 1/4 cup
Short glass 2-4(if u don't have one, use ice cube tray)
Wooden sticks 2-4.

Method:

In a blender, bring all the ingredients to gather(first 5 ingredients) blend them to thick puree.

Now pop it on tray....freeze! Pour into the short glasses, freeze! Hey...stick a wooden stick before freezing it!

Yeah....well done, flip out and serve!

Tomato Cumin Juice:

Ingredients:

Tomatoes 4
Lemon juice 1 spoon
Salt a pinch
Black salt a pinch
Chat masala powder 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds roasted and powdered 1-2 spoons
Tomatoes 1-2 sliced.

Method:

Leave 4 tomatoes in warm water for a while and peel off its skin.

Blend them to puree and add the other ingredients to it.

Serve chilled.

Lime Sorbet:

Ingredients:

Lime 4
Sugar 1/4 cup
Mint to garnish.

Method:

Make a sugar syrup. To this syrup squeeze in lime juice. Scrape the lime rind too in it.

Freeze them for 2 hours.

Blend them quickly just before serving. Garnish with mint leaves and lime slices.

Tomato Celery Juice:

Ingredients:

Tomatoes 2 large, juicy & farm fresh
Sugar as per taste
Salt 1 pinch
Celery sticks 2(without leaves)

Method:

Place the tomatoes in the luke warm water for 2-4 minutes and peel off its skin. But remember most of the vitamins lie very close to the skin.(So its optional step)

Remove the strong fibres from celery stalk and chop them roughly.

In a food processor bring all the ingredients togather and blend till smooth.

Filter them and serve chilled.

Mango Juice:

Ingredients:

Mango - 1
Sugar Syrup/Sugar.

Method:

Blend mango and sugar syrup togather and serve chilled.

Pineapple Juice:

Ingredients:

Fresh pineapple cuts
Suger syrup 1 table spoon
Cold water to make up
Crushed ice to serve.

Mehtod:

Blend pinepple with sugar syrup in a blender. Make up with limited water.

Serve chilled.

Ginger Mint Juice:

Ingredients:

Mint leaves 25
Ginger 2-4" peeled & chopped
Hoeny 2-4 heavy spoons
Cold water
Crushed ice.

Method:

In a blender, blend mint and ginger togather with limited water.

Now squeeze them to extract strong juice.

Add honey to it. Make up the volume with ice water and crushed ice.

Serve chilled.

Tomato Punch:

Thakkali Juice.

Ingredients:

Tomato 1 large
Pineapple chunks 6 cubes
Orange juice - freshly squeezed from 2 fruits
Lemon juice from 1 fruit
Sugar as per taste.

Method:

Peel the tomato skin off(after leaving it in warm water for 4-6 minutes) Core them if you hate seeds in your drink.

If you are using organic veggetables...retain the skin. As many of the vitamins are lying just beneath the skin.

If it not using organic...try to avoid skin, as many of the pesticides and fertilizers get accumulated in the skin.

I prefer to make juice along with seeds. As seeds give you an excellant rouphage.

Well...now blend all the above mentioned ingredients in a blender. Add limited cold water if needed.

Serve chilled.

Beet Root Juice:

Ingredients:

Beet root 1
Carrot 1
Sugar as per taste
Cold water 1-2 cups
Mint leaves to garnish.

Method:

Peel the skin off the beetroot. Grate or chop them down.

Trim the ends off carrot. Chop them as well.

Now blend them into thick puree. Maybe add cold water to make it thin.

Now run this puree over a seive/filter. Extract the strong juice.

Add sugar to this. Serve chilled. Garnish with mint leaves.

Kirni Pazha Juice:

Mulam-Pazha juice. Cantaloupe Juice

Ingredients:

Cantaloupe Fruit - 1
Sugar 1/2 cup

Method:

Cut the fruit into 2 halves. Remove the seeds off. The using a spoon..gently scoop only the pulp. Make sure the fruit is ripe enough.

Now mix sugar to it and belnd till foamy.

Serve chilled with crushed ice.

Pine Apple Sorbet:

Sorbet is something served between 5 or 7 course meals....to clean up the palate. Its nothing but frozen drink....but served in short glass!

I chose pineapple for several reasons! The Bromelain, a digestive enzyme present in it...has shown to alleviate symptoms of mucos membrane inflamation! It makes bronchial secretions more fluid and helps to decrease the amount of secretions. So naturally this sorbet improves nasal inflamation and breathing difficulties! Besides they also promote fibrin breakdown. Bromelain enzyme helps to prevent the formation of the hard, lumpy skin that forms around the varicose veins!

Ingredients:

Fresh or canned pine-apple 1 cup(chunks)
Clear water 1 cup
Sugar as per taste
Mint leaves for decoration.

Method:

Blend sugar and pineapple to thick smoothy using very limited water.

Then transfer them to a closed container. Freese this box or container for 4-6 hours.

Whent he juice is completely frozen. Remove it carefully and give a quick blend again. Just to break the frozen juice to crunchy one.

Serve in a short glass. Maybe garnish with mint leaves.

Sugar Cane Juice:

Cane Sugar Juice. Lemon-Ginger Cane Sugar Juice.

This is semi-home made drink. Generally we get ‘crushed sugar cane juice’ from road side vendors. I used to add flavor to it. I am not sure…about any ‘trade name’ for this juice here.

Ingredients:

Fresh Sugar cane juice – 2 cups
Ginger 2” size peeled and roughly chopped
Lemon 1 small

Method:

Wet-grind ginger with limited water. Extract strong juice from it.

To this ginger juice, add lemon juice too. Mix sugar cane juice to it.

Serve chilled in a tall glass tumbler.

This is perfect choice during sunny days. Very comforting drink.

Spicy Tomato Juice:

Ingredients:(Serves 2)

Roma Tomatoes/ Hybrid Tomatoes – 4
Ice Cold Water 1cup
Salt little
Pepper powder ¼ spoon
Coriander seeds powder ¼ spoon
Cumin seeds powder ¼ spoon

Method:

Dip the tomatoes in warm water for 10 minutes. Then peel its skin off. Core the seeds.

In a blender….blend these tomatoes to smooth paste.

To the above tomato puree, add ice cold water. Further add salt and other remaining ingredients to it. Mix thoroughly.

Serve chilled in glass tumblers.

Very refreshing drink and very easy to fix.

Apple Honey Juice

Apple Honey juice:

Its not simply said 'An Apple a day keeps the Doctor away', certainly it got to do with something. Yes, the quercetin present in these red apples (so don't throw away the skin)plays a vital role in building one's immunity.

I like thin apple juice than a milk shake. I like its color especially. Hmmm….apple juice was 10 times tastier, when I used honey replacing sugar.

Ingredients:(Serves 2)

Fresh firm Apples 2
Honey 4-6 spoons(or as per taste)
Crystal Clear Cold Water 2 cups
Ice cubes few.

Method:

De seed the apple carefully. Maybe cut each apple into 2 half and deseed them first.

I would like to retain the skin here….for my juice. (As I told you….I like the color of my juice this way)

So retain the skin of the apple and chop them roughly.

By add 1/2 to 1 cup of cold water….wet grind the apple chunks.

Run this puree along the thin mesh(filter) to extract thin clear ‘apple juice.

Make this strong apple juice with remaining cold water.

Mix honey to this.

Serve chilled along with ice cubes in short glass cups. Sure sounds yummy right!

Almond's Milk

Thandai:

Almond’s Milk. Badam Juice. Almond Drink. Badam Drink. Badham Paal.

Ingredients:

Almonds 25
Sunflower seeds ¼ cup(I used sarai paruppu)
Sugar 1 cup
Cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Saffron few strands
Black pepper powder – ¼ spoon

Just before Serving:

Cold Milk or Cold Water – 1 cup
Water melon seeds few – for decoration

Method:

In a bowl of warm water(1 cup water) add almonds, sunflower seeds for 20 minutes.

In a blender add this soaked nuts and seeds…..grind it into thick paste.

In a boiling water, add sugar, pepper, saffron and cardamom seeds powder. Let it come to syrupy consistency.

Then add the ground paste to it. Allow it to boil for 3-5 minutes. Then remove from stove. Store in jar and leave in the refrigerator.

Just before Serving:(Serves 1)

In a tall glass tumbler…add ¼ portion of prepared juice + 1 cup of cold water/cold milk. Mix well. Garnish with melon seeds.

Serve chilled.

Lime Salt Soda:

Salted Lime Soda.

When we were in school and Undergrad College(back home). My brother pari used to make this lime-salt-soda drink. He says its the best thirst quencher in the summer. As salt helps to replace the lost minerals(when we sweat). Nice idea.

Ingredients:

Fresh Lime juice from 1 fruit (raw lemon – lime)
Salt ¼ spoon
Cold Soda 2 cups
Ice cubes few
Lime 1 round slice for decoration.

Variation: One can use fresh ripe lemon in place of Lime(raw lemon).

Method:

In a tall glass tumbler, add salt and lime juice. Mix well.

Now gently add cold soda slowly to this. (it may bubble and raise….so watch out)

Then decorate the tumbler with 1 round slice of lime. Serve chilled.

Hibiscus Flower Juice

Chembaruthi Juice:

Hibiscus Rosa-sinensis is the boanial name of this flower. Its called 'chemaruthi' in Tamil. I am not sure, what they call in any other Indian Language.

Ingredients:

Regular deep red colored Hibuscus flower - 5 (that has 5 petals each)
Crystal Clear Cold Water - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 spoons
Ice Cubes - as per wish
Hibuscus petals 3 (for decoration).

Method:

Wash and clean hibiscus flower. Remove its petals and set aside.

In a vessel, heat sugar along with 1/2 cup of water. To this add the petal. Let it boil well. Maybe until the petals wilt. Then set them aside for 1/2 an hour.

Then filter it. Make up this with cold water. Add ice cubes too.

Serve chilled in tall tumblers. Maybe decorate the tmbler with 2-3 Hibuscus petals.