We invited Get Ahead readers to share their summer recipes with us -- light, easy to digest preparations that have a cooling effect in the sweltering heat. As part of an ongoing series, we present three such responses from readers.
First up is Snigdha Pattnaik's Dahi Bhata, a traditional Oriya dish:
Cuisine: Oriya
Type: Vegetarian
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice
- 1 cup curd
- A pinch of mustard seeds
- A few curry leaves
- 1/4 th inch ginger, shredded
- 1 tsp refined oil
Preparation:
- Pressure-cook the rice in 2 cups of water.
- Spread it in a thali and let it cool.
- Beat the curd and add to the rice.
- In a pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds.
- Let the seeds crackle, then add curry leaves and ginger.
- Sprinkle the seasoning over the softened curd rice. Voila ! It's ready to serve.
Next we have Rai Sengupta's Hot 'n' Sweet Green Salad preparation:
Type: Vegetarian
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tomato
- 1 cucumber
- 1/2 an onion
- 1/2 a carrot
- A thin slice of cabbage
- A few coriander leaves
- 1 green chilly
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- Chaat masala
- Maggi Hot 'n' Sweet tomato sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Dice all the vegetables very finely; the chilly should be sliced into tiny rings and de-seeded.
- Mix the vegetables with the spices, lemon juice and sauce. Serve.
And finally, here's how to make Aam Pora Sherbet by Gautam:
Cuisine: Bengali
Type: Vegetarian
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8-10 raw, green mangoes of medium size
- 250 gms powdered sugar
- 1 tsp rock salt
- 1 tsp red chilly flakes
- 2 tsps roasted and ground cumin powder
Preparation:
- Roast the raw mangoes over a flame. Cool and then remove the skin.
- Scoop out the pulp and mash it after removing the seed.
- Pass the pulp through a sieve, so that the fibres, if any, are removed.
- Add powdered sugar, red chilly flakes, rock salt and mix over a medium flame for a minute or two.
- Sprinkle with roasted and ground cumin powder.
- Take off the flame. Cool and store the concentrate in glass bottles.
- To make a drink, add 1/4 glass of the concentrate. Add ice cubes and chilled water.
- Note: Aam Pora Sherbet is a perfect antidote to the scorching heat of the peak summer months in India. The drink has a high nutrient value and is a saviour against heat strokes and dehydration.
Do you want to share your summer recipes with us? Simply click here and fill in the form on the page that opens up.