Twilight ~A mocktail

Twilight ~A mocktail

This Blogging Marathon the theme I have chosen is Mocktails.

Let’s begin with cocktails …

What a cocktail is? I am sure you know but for the sake of repetition let’s see what a cocktail is.

When I googled I found this site.

 She has said,” The earliest definition of this type of drink comes from the May 13, 1806, edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository, a publication in Hudson, New York, where the paper provided an answer to the question, "What is a cocktail?”

 It reads:"Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters — it is vulgarly called a bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said, also to be of great use to a Democratic candidate: because a person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow anything else."

A cocktail is a mixed drink of   spirits, sugar, water, and bitters originally but now it means almost any mixed drink containing alcohol. Modern cocktails have a mixture of one or more types of liquor and flavorings and one or more liqueurs, fruit juices, sugar, honey, water, ice, soda, milk, cream, herbs, bitters, etc.  Cocktails are made with gin, whiskey, rum, tequila, brandy, wine, beer, vodka, etc.

So what are Mocktails?

According to the Hindu,”mocktails are smooth blends of non-alcoholic beverages — fresh fruit juices, syrups, cream, herbs or spices. They are meant especially for those who do not consumer alcoholic beverages or need to refrain from them, and so, the blends can be enjoyed by anyone. You don't need any sophisticated equipment to churn out an exotic mocktail. All you need is a lot of innovation and imagination to produce some unusual, delicious blends.”

In short a mocktail is a non-alcoholic cocktail. Again like a cocktail you mix 2 or more non-alcoholic ingredients to get a mocktail.

The different ways of creating a mocktail are:

• Shake and strain that is you shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain in an appropriate glass.
• You can stir and strain the ingredients in a glass then serve it in another glass.
• Blend with a blender and then transfer to the serving glass.
• Build in the serving glass itself.

Mocktails are offered because the host is responsible for the well-being of the guests. It is important to offer guests an alternative to drinks with alcohol. Some people, such as designated drivers or pregnant women, will be grateful to have a drink selection that is non-alcoholic. Even people who are having a few drinks might like to alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the evening.

Ambe che Sasav/ Mango Sasav ~A traditional Goan Dish

Ambe che Sasav/ Mango Sasav

The market is flooded with mangoes this season. The aroma of the mangoes is so delicious that I wonder why I plan on making a vegetable, dal, chapattis, rice etc. Can we just not eat mangoes?

Though my younger daughter will worship me for suggesting this, my older one will happily ask me for money to eat in the canteen! She hates mangoes and cannot stand the smell of them!! Well it takes all kinds…

There are many varieties of mangoes available here in Goa to name a few we have  the famous Mankurad , Malgesh, Culas, Bishop or  Bispo, Afons or Goa Appus or Goa Alfonso, Hilario  also known as Mang Hilario, Mangilar, Mangilal, Mussarat or  Mussarat or Monserrate de Bardez, Fernandin, Xavier. Each has a different use like mussarat is used to make jams.

This is what I have already made with ripe mangoes Ambe che Satt or Mango Jam,Mango Shake, There is Aam Ras, Amrkhand a few more options that will be shortly coming up. With raw mangoes I have blogged Raw Mango in Salt,Raw Mango Chutney, Panha, Mavani kai Chitraanna or Raw Mango Rice. O I have never blogged mango pickle Mixed Pickle yes but no Mango pickle. Okay that the next one. I make them often!

Koyaad~Indian State Maharashtra

Koyaad

One of the curries my MIL prepared in summer was Kooyad! I could just remember the name not the ingredients and that it is made in summer… big help that it was!

I asked on the whatsup group about making of this curry both in the BM group and the family group.

My elder SIL, Seema rang me up. She told me since she cannot type all this on the mobile she is ringing me up. How I wish she had written I just would have copied and pasted! :D

So what is Koyaad? It’s a piquant curry prepared from the seeds of a mango! Koy in Marathi is the hard seed of Mango! After cutting up the raw mango for pickle, she used make a lot of them you are left with the seed which has some of the fruit but it cannot be used.

What better representative of Maharashtra where you are encouraged not waste foodstuff! 

How do you make it?

Koyaad

Indian State: Maharashtra

Ingredients:

• 4-5 mango seeds
• 2 tsp oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp mango pickle masala
• 1 lemon sized ball Jaggary (adjust as per taste) 
• Water
• Salt

Method:

• In a pan take a non reactive one okay that’s too big a word steel container add mango seeds.
• Cover them with water. A little above the seeds, say 2 cups of water and boil it, say 10 minutes( next time one whistle in the cooker).
• Cool the water. Then remove all except 2 seeds out and remove the pulp of the mangoes. Discard the seeds. 
• In the chutney pot of the mixer mash the mango pulp to a smooth consistency.
• In a kadhai/wok heat the oil and add mustard seeds.
• Add the mango pulp, jaggary, salt, pickle masala, the reserved mango seeds and bring to boil.
• Once it thicken a little your koyaad is ready.
• Serve with rice.

Notes:

•  Adjust the jaggary as per taste. You will need more or less jaggary depending upon your taste and the sourness of the mangoes.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 40

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Keri Ki Launjee/ A Raw Mango Preserve

Keri Ki Launjee

I love mangoes both raw and ripe mangoes so when I picked up the book of Marwari Vegetarian cooking by Sanjeev Kapoor I jumped with joy. Valli announced MAngo Mania  as a theme. Finally all my pictures will have a draft. This is a cause for celebration!!

Since, I had Marwari neighbours as a kid, this was an opportunity to re- explore old tastes, revive old memories. The process was started by Vaishali I plan to continue…

This Keri ki Launjee is made using unripe mangoes which are good to beat the dessert heat.  This preserve, a sweet pickle can be preserved for a long time.