Cool Treats

Bet this sultry summer, you wish you didn’t have to turn on the cooking range or grill to cook. So here goes, our mouth watering recipes that will keep you cool and your friends and family smacking their lips on a full three course meal, complete with snacks, main course and dessert.

Snacks

Paneer Squares

1 lbs tofu cut into neat squares

1 each big tomato, cucumber and beetroot shredded

Salt to taste

Chutney

1 tbsp green chili paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp mint leaves paste

3 oz coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Frosting

4 oz cream cheese

4 oz each of grated cheese and cream

Grind together all the chutney ingredients to a paste. Beat cream cheese till fluffy, add grated cheese and cream and make into a spreading consistency. Cut paneer lengthwise into two pieces, then into small squares. Sandwich the tofu pieces with chutney on a plate. Spread frosting on top decorate with shredded veggies and serve cold.

Mixed Fruit Chaat

2 oz each of peaches, strawberries
and seedless grapes

1 apple

1 banana

4 tbsps pineapple juice

2 oz castor sugar

1 tsp ginger juice

2 tbsps lime juice

1 tsp of chat masala

Black salt

Salt and chili powder to taste

Cut all fruits into small pieces, mix in pineapple, lime and ginger juice, add spices and serve with toothpicks.

Sprouted Green Gram Bhel

½ lbs. moong (green gram) sprouts

2 tbsps each of finely chopped tomatoes

and raw mangoes

2 tbsps chopped onion

1 green chili minced

2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves

1 tbsp dry mango powder

½ tsp each of black salt and chat masala

Chili garlic and sweet chutney

Mix green grams with veggies, spices and chutney. Serve decorated with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Sweet Chutney

1 oz thick tamarind

2 tablespoons grated jaggery

6 dates pitted and sliced thinly

½ teaspoon black salt

½ teaspoon roasted and ground cumin seeds

Mix ingredients in grinder at high speed and serve.

Garlic Chili Chutney

6 red chilies deseeded and chopped finely

12 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons vinegar

Salt to taste

Mix ingredients in grinder at high speed and serve.

Sandwiches

Spicy Veggie Sandwich

10 slices of bread

2 large tomatoes onions and cucumbers sliced

3 oz. grated cheese

1 teaspoon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix salt and pepper with cheese, spread on bread slices, sandwich with veggies in between. Cut into triangles and serve with ketchup and potato chips.

Cream Cheese Sandwich

10 slices of bread

2 tbsp butter

6 thin cheese slices

1 teaspoon mustard

3 oz. cream cheese

1 oz. grated cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the above ingredients and spread on the bread slices. Roll. Secure with toothpicks and serve with potato chips and salad.

Green Chutney and
Tofu Sandwich

3 oz. tofu grated

1 oz. green chutney

1 tomato

1 cucumber

1 onion

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix tofu with chutney salt and pepper. Butter slices of bread. Spread chutney and sandwich with tomato onion cucumber. Cut into neat triangles.

Dips

Till Seed Dip

2 oz sesame seeds

2 oz grated coconut

4 green chilies

2 tbsps coriander leaves

1 tbsps tamarind pulp

Salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients in grinder at a high speed and serve.

Tomato Dip

3 oz tomatoes, chopped finely

2 red chilies

1 oz grated coconut

1 oz powdered cashew nuts

2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves

¼ tsp grated ginger

½ tsp toasted and powdered cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Grind ingredients in grinder at a high speed and serve.

Chili Dip

3 oz thick green chilies

2 tbsps roasted black sesame seeds

1 oz coriander leaves

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 pinch mono sodium glutamate

Grind ingredients in grinder at high speed and serve.

Vegetables

Creamy Vegetables

¼ lbs grated cheese

100 oz capsicums and tomatoes
cut into thin strips

4 oz cream

2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves

2 green chilies, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the vegetables add salt, cream and pepper put in a serving dish decorate with coriander leaves and serve chilled with brown bread.

Mayonnaise with Vegetables

¼ lbs each of grated carrot and cabbage

1 oz each of cucumber, capsicum and tomato cut into strips

¼ lbs mayonnaise

2 oz cream

2 oz pineapple pieces

1 oz cherry pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix mayonnaise with cream, blend into vegetables. Put in a serving dish and decorate with cherries and pineapple and serve with brown bread.

Crunchy Cabbage

½ lbs cabbage cut into two inch pieces

2 red chilies

2 tbsps honey

4 tbsps olive oil

2 oz mix toasted sesame seeds,
almonds, walnuts and raisins

Salt and vinegar to taste

Pound the chilies coarsely, mix with cabbage along with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Set in refrigerator for 1 hour. Decorate with nuts and raisins and serve with brown bread.

Desserts

Fruit Surprise

15 plain sweet cookies

2 oz cream

1 oz powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lime juice

2 cups chilled milk

2 tbsps cocoa powder

1 cup chocolate sauce

½ lbs finely chopped mixed fresh fruits

12 roasted cashew nuts

Mix cream with sugar and lime juice, blend together cocoa and milk dip the biscuits one by one in milk and place in a serving dish , make layers of biscuits, fruits and chocolate sauce, start and finish with a layer of biscuits, cover with cream and decorate with cashew nuts.

Chocolate Paan

Banarsi paan leaves

Anise or fennel seeds

Gulkand

Chocolate paste

Chocolate sauce

Chunks of dark chocolate

Powder of almonds, pistachio and cashew nuts

Crystallized cherries, chopped finely

Special sweet supari (betel nuts)

Cardamom powder

Coconut powder

Grated coconut

Apply chocolate paste on the paan. Mix nuts, spices, sweet betel nut, coconut and chunks of chocolate and stuff mixture into the leaf, make into a paan and stick a clove in the center so it does not open, dip in chocolate sauce and serve at once.

Ambrosia

1 small brick vanilla ice cream

4 tinned peach halves

2 oz cream

1 oz chopped walnuts

2 oz chopped candied cherries

Take 4 plates and divide ice cream equally on them. On each ice cream in the middle place a peach half hollowed side up. Fill centre of the peach with 1 tblsp.cream. On top of each cream-filled peach sprinkle one tablespoon of cherries and walnuts.

Cashew Nut Chocolate Rolls

3 oz. ground cashew nuts

3 oz. ground cream cheese

1 oz. grated chocolate

½ lbs. sugar

½ teaspoon cardamom seeds

Dry coconut powder.

Mix together all the above ingredients with the exception of coconut and form into small rolls. Roll in dry coconut and serve.

Mocktails

Peach and Ice Cream Shake

1 oz peach puree

½ liter milk

1 oz vanilla ice cream

2 drops almond essence

Mix together all ingredients in blender for a minute and serve in tall glasses.

Rose Shake

¼ liter chilled water

¼ liter chilled milk

2 oz sugar

2 oz rose syrup

Pinch of cardamom powder

Rose petals

2 oz strawberry ice cream

Mix together all the above ingredients in a blender. When the ice cream is half melted, put in a tall glass containing cracked ice. Decorate with rose petals.

Pomegranate Cooler

¼ liter pomegranate juice

2 tablespoons pineapple squash

1 oz castor sugar

2 bottles chilled soda

1 bottle chilled lemonade

3 oz cream

Mix together pomegranate juice, squash, soda and lemonade. Beat cream with sugar; pour lemonade in glasses over cracked ice.