Refreshing Drinks and Kosumbari (Salad)

Happy Maha Shivarathri to one and all. Shivarathri is one of the many festivals celebrated by Hindus. It is said that Lord Shiva got married to Goddess Parvathi on this day.

People do visit temples and worship Lord Shiva on this special day. Prayers, bhajans and bhakti geetas are chanted on Lord Shiva. "Om Namah Shivaaya" is the Panchakshari Mantra and people keep chanting this Mantra most of the day.
People do fasting and keep themselves awake (jagaran) whole night. The next day it is a festival day. They enjoy having feast.
Here are some fresh drinks and fruit bowls, salads which can be prepared easily and quickly and enjoyed on the Shivaratri day.
We all know Fresh fruit drinks do refresh us and helps to keep us healthy. Fresh Fruits adds to our energy and it is good for health too.
Let us see some fruit drinks which can be done easily.

1. Banana Milk Shake :

Things Needed 

Ripe Banana : 2 to 3
Fresh boiled and cooled milk : 2 to 3 Cups
Honey : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method : 

Remove the outer skin of banana and put it in a mixi jar. Add milk and honey and give a churn for 2 minutes till banana grinds and mixes well with milk. Pour it out to serving glass and serve. (Adding cardamom is optional).

2. Pomegranate & Apple drink

Things Needed :

Pomegranate : 1 Cup
Apple : 1 (Red)
Honey : 2 to 3 Tablespoon
Milk : 2 to 3 Glasses (Boiled and cooled)

Method :

Wash and remove the skin of apple and cut into small pieces. Remove the pods from pomegranate.
Now put these apple pieces and pomegranate into the mixi jar. Add milk and honey and grind for 2 minutes. Put this ready drink to a bowl. Mix it well and serve . (Adding ice cube is optional).

3. Poppy Seeds & Almond Drink 

Things Needed :

Poppy Seeds/Gasagase : 2 Tablespoons (Cleaned)
Almonds : 1 Handful
Fresh coconut gratings : 2 Tablespoons
Jaggery : 2 To 3 Tablespoons
Cardamom : 1 pod

Method : 

Soak poppy seeds in water for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Soak almonds in hot water and remove its skin. Remove the seeds from cardamom. Grate coconut and grind all the ingredients nicely till paste. (Add required water to grind. Add jaggery at the end and churn for 2 minutes. Let everything mixes well. Pour it a bowl add little more water and mix it nicely and then serve.

4. Pomegranate Sweet Kosumbari

Things Needed : 

Beetroot : 1
Pomegranate : 1
Coconut : 2 Tablespoons
Honey : 1 Teaspoon

Method :

Wash and remove the outer layer of beetroot and grate. Remove the pods from pomegranate and grate coconut. Now put all the ingredients together in a big bowl and mix it with little honey and serve. (Adding Chat Masala is optional).

5. Corn - Cucumber and Gooseberry Kosumbari 

Things Needed :

Corn : 1 Cob
Cucumber : 2 Small ones
Gooseberry : 1
Coconut : 1 Tablespoon
Green chilly : 1
Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : Required

Method :

Boil corn cob and remove the seeds from the cob. (You can use frozen corns). Wash and cut cucumber and keep it aside. Grate coconut and goose berry . Wash and cut green chilly.
Now mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Add salt and mix it well.

6. Channa Kosumbari 

Things Needed :

Any Channa (Kabooli / black) : 1 Cup
Coconut : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Green chilly : 2
Coriander leaves : 2 Tablespoons
Ginger : 1 Teaspoon (grated)
Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6
Ingh/Asafoetida : a pinch

Method :

1. Wash and soak channa for over night or 5 to 6 hours and pressure cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Wash and cut green chilly, coriander leaves and grate coconut and ginger.
3. Now keep a pan on the fire and heat. . Add oil. Let it heat. Add mustard seeds. Let it splutter.
4. Add jeera, ingh and greenchilly. Add curry leaves. Add cooked channa and mix it well.
5. Add little turmeric powder and salt. Mix it nicely. Let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Add grated coconut and cut coriander leaves. Put it in a serving bowl.
Note :
Channa has to be cooked well to get good taste. Drain all the water from channa after cooking. You can use that water for rasam or soup. Adding more chilly is optional.

7. Mash Mellon & Banana Fruit bowl :

 Things Needed :

Mash Mellon : 1 (Small One)
Banana : 3 to  4 (Ripe Bananas)
Chat Masala : 1/4 Teaspoon

Method : 

Wash and remove the outer layer of mash melon and cut into pieces. (According to your wish). Remove the skin of bananas and cut into circle shape. Mix it well in a big bowl and sprinkle chat masala. Fruit bowl is ready to serve.

Bottle Gourd & Cow Pea + Moong Curry

Bottle Gourd & Cow peas and Whole Moong Curry is a side dish. We can have this curry with plain rice or any masala rice or with chapatis, rotis, poori, dosa and idli. It is nice to have this curry with even bread and buns . This is one of the mild spicy curry.

I have used bottle gourd, cow peas (alasande Kalu) and whole moong.
Some thing interesting is that the cow peas I have used is from Malasia. I know this is not believable. I usually bring this cow peas, horse gram and other legumes from my village which is near by Udupi. We have a small shop and it is run by a konkani family. (They are famous for trading). We get almost everything there with good quality too. This time when I went to buy cow peas there he said it is from Malasia they got the stuff. I just murmured what? from Malasia? We have become to that stage to import legumes from other neighbouring countries? But it is a fact. Legumes have been imported from our neighbouring country. Our problems in the village is that we are not getting workers to work in the field. Younger generation flee to cities to find a better job. Wow Modern India where are you heading to?
It has become once upon a time where they grew these legumes in our field and it was fantastic feeling to dry them in the court yard. May be some still do that and they themselves by getting themselves into the field to work. I remember the saying " Kai kesaradare bai mosaru. (The one who work hard has the benefits).
Let us know about the benefits of having Tamarind in our diet.
Tamarind has tangy and sweet taste. It is used widely in the South Asian cooking. Tamarind contain good amount of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber helps to prevent constipation. The pulp helps to lower the bad cholesterol from our body. Tamarind is rich in tartaric acid. It gives sour taste to food and it is also a good oxidant content. So it helps the body and protect it from harmful free radicals. It contain many medicinal properties. Tamarind has good source of minerals like copper, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc and magnesium. Potassium helps to control heart rate and blood pressure. Iron helps in red blood cell production. Tamarind is rich in many vital vitamins like, Vitamin C, thaiamin, Vitamin A, folic acid and other vitamins. They help to boost metabolism inside our body.
There is no onion or garlic used in this curry. 

Things Needed :

To Cook :
Toor Dal : 1/2 Cup
Moong Dal : 1 Cup
Cow Peas : 1 Cup
Bottle Gourd : 1 Bowl (Medium sized)
To Grind :
Coriander seeds (Raw) ; 1 Tablespoon. (Full)
Jeera : 1Teaspoon
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Red chilly : 6 to 8
Tamarind : 1 Small Marble size.
To Add:
Methi Seeds/Fenugrik seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Green chilly : 2
Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard, curry leaves, ingh seasoning : 1 teaspoon
Oil to season : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : As Required
Turmeric powder : a pinch

Method : 

1. Wash and cook dal, whole moon and cow peas in a pressure cooker. Leave it for cooling.

2. Grate coconut and grind it with coriander seeds, jeera/cumin seeds and tamarind with little water and remove it from mixi jar.
3. Wash Bottle gourd and cut it into small and cook them separately till soft.
   Wash and cut curry leaves and green chilly and keep it aside.

4. Now keep a big pan on the fire and heat. Add cooked dal, cow pea,whole moong and cooked bottle gourd.

5. Add turmeric powder,cut green chilly and required salt. Mix it well and let it boil for a minute.
6. Add ground coconut mixture and mix it well. Add methi seeds. (raw).
7. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Shift the curry to a serving dish and add mustard seasoning and coriander leaves.

9. Serve with any main dish you have prepared.

Note :

You can soak the legumes (cow peas and whole moong) over night or 5 to 6 hours. ( I did not soak it). You can use little garam masala to give a spicy taste. You can also use more vegetables like beans, brinjal etc. Adding onion or garlic is optional. Adding methi seeds is optional. (It helps to reduce the cholesterol content in the curry). Adding jaggery is optional. (I did not use).
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 4 to 5