Cool treats to beat the heat

Summer has set in and the temperature is soaring. It’s time to treat yourself to some really cool  drinks. Loads of soft drinks and canned juices are available in the market, but this summer set aside the fizzy stuff and try out these easy thirst quenchers.

SHIKANJI
Ingredients: Fresh lime juice — 1 cup, Sugar — 3 cups.   
Method: Mix the lime juice and sugar in a steel vessel. Take some water in another thick- bottomed vessel which is bigger than the vessel with the lime juice mixture. Place the bigger vessel on the flame and then place the smaller vessel with the lime juice and sugar mixture inside the bigger vessel and let the water boil for about 10-15 minutes or till all the sugar melts in the lime juice by double boiler method. Keep a check on the water in the bigger vessel and if it dries up, add a little more. When the sugar has melted fully, remove from the flame. Take out the lime juice container and leave it to cool properly for 5-6 hours. When completely cool, strain the juice using a big strainer or a muslin cloth and store in an airtight bottle.
To serve: Fill ¼ of a tall glass with the juice and add chilled water or soda. Mix properly. Decorate with a slice of lime on the edge of the glass and serve.

KAIREE PANNA
Ingredients: Raw mangoes (medium sized) — 3-4; Sugar — to taste (approximately 3/4-1 cup as the quantity of the sugar depends on the sourness of the mangoes); Cumin powder — ½ tsp; Chaat masala — 1 tsp; Powdered black salt — ½ tsp; Finely cut mint leaves — 1 tbsp.
Method: Wash and put the whole mangoes in a pressure cooker, add some water and pressure cook upto 2 whistles. Alternatively, you can also peel the mangoes first and pressure cook whole or after cutting into pieces. Strain and cool the mangoes. Remove the skin, de-seed the mango and take out the pulp with the help of a strainer. Add the sugar and mix well so that the sugar is fully dissolved. Add sufficient water, cumin powder, chaat masala and black salt and mix properly. Garnish with finely cut mint leaves and serve chilled.

JALJEERA
Ingredients: Cumin seeds — 1 tbsp; Rock salt (black) — 3/4 tbsp; Asafoetida — a pinch; Mint leaves — 1 cup; Coriander leaves — 3/4 cup, Green chillies — to taste, Tamarind pulp — 2 tbsp.
Method: Dry roast the cumin seeds and black salt and grind them to a fine powder along with the asafoetida. Then add the mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies and grind everything  to a fine paste. Transfer the paste into a large container. Add the tamarind pulp, salt to taste and some water and mix well. Chill for 1-2 hours and serve garnished with finely cut mint leaves.
Hema Anand
You can make squash with  a variety of fruits, which include pineapple, apple, orange, grape, etc. A cold glass of fruit squash is like manna from heaven, for it provides a welcome respite from the sun’s scorching rays.
Squash is also known as cordial or juice concentrate, which is usually sweetened although there is also a possibility of having unsweetened fruit squash. The concentrate in the bottle, as the name suggests needs to be mixed with water. No sugar need be added.

PINEAPPLE SQUASH
Ingredients: Peel and core of 1 pineapple cut into small pieces; 1 quart of water; 4 cups of sugar;  ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Method: Put the pineapple peel and core in a non reactive saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid through a cloth and press the juice out of the peel and core. Measure the mixture, and for each cup (1/4 litre) use 1 cup of sugar. Heat the juice with the sugar over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool the mixture. Add the lemon juice. Pour into clean bottles, cork and store.

APPLE SQUASH
Ingredients: Fresh ripe apples — 1 kilo;  Water — 1 cup; Sugar — 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 kg; Citric acid — 2 heaped tsps; Cinnamon — 1 inch length —  6 pieces; Yellow colour — a pinch;  Potassium meta bisulphate — ¼ tsp.

Method: Peel the apples and cut into small pieces. Grind to a smooth paste with 1 cup of water in a liquidiser. Instead of using the liquidiser, you can also chop the apples, steam them until soft and mix well with 1 cup of water. Add the water slowly to the mixture, strain in a sieve and keep aside. Crush the cinnamon pieces and boil in ¼ cup of water. When it boils, filter the water and keep aside. Heat 1-1/2 kg sugar, 2 cups of water and citric acid in a thick-bottomed vessel. Stir it continuously. When the sugar dissolves in the water, add the apple pulp into it. Add the cinnamon solution and yellow colour. Remove from fire as soon as it boils and allow it to cool. When the solution cools, dissolve potassium meta bisulphate in it and store the squash in a dry bottle.