Honeydew Melon Juice

A deliciously nutritious drink for your breakfast table, good enough to charge you up for the day. As other fruits, honeydew melon is a summer fruit that has lot of nutrients like vitamin C, folic acid, potassium & minerals etc. Of all the melons (honeydew, cantaloupe, musk melon, water melon), honeydew melon is the sweetest and that 's why the name "h-o-n-e-y"dew!

Personally, this is the first time I am tasting this fruit and I totally loved it in the form of juice. I ended up picking this fruit by mistake, while looking for musk melon. It was sitting on my countertop for almost a week now, when I finally decided to make juice with it. Interestingly, the fruit was super ripe (could be due to the week long resting), the flesh was very soft and the juice tasted just right; subtly sweet (taste of this fruit is not really over-powering), pulpy & thick. 

I am sipping into a glass of honeydew melon juice as I am writing this - perfectly refreshing on a dry, sultry afternoon.

Basic Info
Complexity - Simple
Prep time - 5 mins
Cook time - 5 mins
Serves - 1 cup

Ingredients
Honeydew Melon - 1 heaped cup of 1/2 inch cubes
Sugar - as required
Ice cubes - as required

Method

Wash and cut the melon into two halves. Peel & discard the rind. Scoop out the seeds using a spoon and discard. Cut the melon into 1/2 inch cubes. 

Transfer the cut melon cubes into a blender and run the blender on high speed for 3 mins (or) until all the melon pieces are blended to a smooth juicy consistency.

Add ice cubes and serve chilled.

Notes

- Always serve fruit juices fresh to get the most benefit of its nutrients.

- You can add a tsp of lime juice to enhance its flavor.

- Pick honeydew melons that are smooth & soft on the outside and that feels heavier for its size.
- Pale yellow skin with brown veins denotes that the fruit is ripe.
- This fruit in particular is a good choice for those who want to control diabetes. 

Neer More (Flavored Buttermilk)

According to me, cow's milk is the most versatile ingredient of all and a staple for most of us, Indians. Buttermilk, Yogurt, Cream, Butter, Ghee, Khoa, Paneer - by-products galore!! 

Traditional buttermilk is the slightly sour liquid that is left behind after churning butter out of cream. Being a by-product of the churning process, buttermilk contains negligible amount of fat, is very light and good for health. In a 'h-o-t' place like India, buttermilk serves as a thirst quencher & body coolant from generations ago.

Infact, it has been a tradition to set-up free buttermilk stalls at bus-stops & street-corners during summer for passers-by to quench thirst. Free buttermilk stalls is a common sight in temples especially during festival times. The trick for naturally cold and refreshing buttermilk is to store it in earthen pots, it tastes way better than the refrigerated ones!

Basic Info

Complexity - Simple

Prep time - NA

Cook time - 15 mins

Serves - 3 cups

Ingredients
Yogurt - 1 cup
Cold water - 2 cups
Salt - to taste
Hing - 1 big fat pinch
Ginger juice - 1-2 tsp (grate about an inch of ginger, extract only the juice from it)
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 1 nos (cut into half)
Curry leaves - 3-4 nos (chopped)
Cilantro - 1/2 tbsp (chopped)

Method
Churn yogurt & water with salt, ginger juice, hing until everything gets mixed without any lumps.

In a small pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add chillies, cilantro, curry leaves and remove from heat.

Add this to the buttermilk and mix well. Serve cold.

Notes
- Check out the other Shri Rama Navami specials here.

Cucumber juice

Gearing up for the Summer?! Well, here's a simple 10-min juice recipe that can rejuvenate you from the inside out! Cool & refreshing cucumber water with a minty-citrusy-gingery note - this perfectly light & bright drink can help you get going even during those hottest months of the year!

Basic Info
Complexity - Simple
Prep time - 5 mins
Cook time - 5 mins
Serves - 1

Ingredients
Cucumber - 10 nos
Mint leaves - 10 nos (optional)
Lime - 1 no
Dry ginger powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Ice cubes - as required

Method
Peel the outer layer of the cucumber and chop them into bigger chunks.

Blend chopped cucumber, mint leaves into fine paste without adding water. Using a fine seive, filter just the juice. Press the juice through the sieve using back of the spoon and discard pulp.

Stir in lime juice, dry ginger powder, salt and mix well. Add ice cubes & serve chilled.