One of my favorite summer dessert is this delicious yet so simple Fruit Salad. Especially for the weekends when you have had a heavy meal like biryani, this chilled fruit Salad is all that you want. Childhood memories were that of weekends where the fruit salad wouldn't be spared - Mama's way of getting some fruits into our tummies. Yes! You read that right we were a bunch of kids who hated fruits. Lol. Thinking back I know we should have eaten them fruits. So weekends were incomplete without finding a bowl of fruit salad in the fridge, and that made us so happy after all the play time with friends. Recently I happened to eat this at my bhabhi's place which brought back all the memories. Sometimes the easiest recipes are the best! 

My mom basically used to use the custard powder that came in a tin to make these oh-so-sophisticated dessert, pun intended! I promise you it's super easy! So while this scorching heat made me crave this dessert, to my horror, the custard powder was over. I was so desperate and depressed that I remembered I had stacks of the vanilla dessert mix that I had bought on offer and was waiting to be used. So I immediately thought of using the dessert mix for the custard.

The dessert mix is more Jelly like and may not come to the desired consisI thought to myself. So I decided to add my magic to it. Lol, just kidding! The magic is done by corn flour. I added corn flour slurry mixed in milk to the vanilla dessert milk that was coming to a boil (done as per package instructions), some extra sweetened Condensed milk and a dash of vanilla Essence! Transfered to a bowl, waited to cool and placed a cling film so that the pudding mix does not create a thin layer when it sets. Voila! To my surprise it came out the exact way I wanted. I hand whisked it and added in my chopped fruits, dry fruits, and nuts. (be careful not to add citric and acidic fruits like orange, pineapple). You may instead use canned fruits too, which may include pineapple.

Notes:

*To fasten the process of setting, I placed the custard in the freezer for 1/2 an hour and then left in the fridge for around 2 hrs.

** Do jot add in citrus and acidic in nature fruits like fresh orange, pineapple etc. 

Classic Royal Falooda

Subhan Allah! The holy month of Ramadan is surely flying away. Its already the 22nd Ramadan, this is beyond belief. Trying to stay away from social media and other activities as much as I can. 

Increase your time in Ibadah, and do the maximum for the hereafter. If you are a busy mother and you don't have the time to do Ibadah like reciting the Mushaf and standing in prayer other than the obligatory ones, remember Allah is merciful and He rewards you for all that you do, be it household chores, or any other responsibilities as a mother, wife, daughter or sister. Moisten your tongue with dhikr and make duaa for the current situation to cease. Do include me and my fam in your duaa too.

Now coming back to star recipe of the day! The well known Royal Falooda is a dessert drink that is enjoyed amongst us especially during summer. Well, it is believed that the falooda was evolved from Persia. Persians had strong trade relations with India during the Mughal Era along with which food cultures were also adopted. It is said that Falooda was once served to the upper class, which is now enjoyed in every household too. This drink is prepared in various flavors, but I stilll prefer the classic rose flavored ones. I initially thought of making mango falooda, but my heart didn't feel like it.

Basically, Royal Falooda consists of rose syrup flavored ice milk, falooda sev or vermicelli, khas-khas or basil seeds, dry fruits, fresh fruits, and Ice cream. Falooda, as far as I remember was my favorite part of visiting India. We could never hold back our ecxitement to visit our favorite ice-cream shop 'Íceberg' or the then only ice cream cafe in Thalassery. If anyone would say they were going to Iceberg everyone would just jump to the car and join the clan. Ah! Those fine days were the best, even though we have many such cafe's and coolbars now in Thalassery, the memories and nostalgia attached to our visits to Iceberg are special. Fond memories of visits to Iceberg include this particular dessert drink that would quench our thirst, refresh us and fill our tummies, and Falooda was usually the most popular order given. The one faint memory if I hated falooda was that they added tutti fruitti which I totally dislike.

So I prepared it with all ingredients that I love. One spoonfull of this dessert drink and it felt like it took me back in memory lane and it was bliss!

You may add any fresh fruits of your choice or nuts preferably non-tropical fruits, I have added chopped apple, banana and pome aril seeds (anar seeds) in my demostration. You may add other fruits like sliced grapes etc. 

For iftar, we open our fasts with dates, juice and an array of fruits, why not try Royal Falooda since it is all in one and definitely a tummy pleaser.

Ingredients (makes 2 tall glasses of Falooda):

• 5 tbsp rose syrup
• 1 cup chilled milk
• 1 cup cold milk
• 4 - 5 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp basil seeds (soaked in 2 tbsp water for 10-15 minutes)
• 3- 4 tbsp cooked falooda sev or vermicelli
• 6 tbsp cherry or strawberry jelly (prepared according to package instructions)
• 4 scoops vanilla or pista ice cream
• 6 tbsp chopped apple and banana
• 2 tbsp dried fig and almonds chopped
• 1 tbsp pome aril seeds
• 1 tbsp slivered pistachio, for garnish
• 1 strawberry, for garnish

Instructions:

1. In a tall glass, add you bloomed basil seeds.
2. Next, add your falooda sev or vermicelli and pour 1 tbsp rose syrup around the edges of the glass.
3. Now in a blender, pour 1 cup cold milk, add 2 tbsp rose syrup and sugar. Blend well and add the chilled ice milk to the blender and pulse for a second or two.
4. Add 3 tbsp jelly to the glass and pour in your prepared rose milk.
5. Next add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and add your fresh cut fruits.
6. Next add your dry fruits and almond and some pome aril seeds (anar seeds).
7. Scoop in a couple of tbsp of jelly and finally finish off with a scoop of ice cream. Garnished with slivered pistachio and pome aril seeds.

                   

Notes:

• Use Pistachio Ice cream for added nuts effect, I only had vanilla ice cream so used it.
• My mom suggests to add sago seeds instead of Chia seeds or along with it. 

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡

Overnight Chia Oats with Blueberries and Kiwi

Mirror Mirror on the wall, which is the easiest and healthiest breakfast of them all?

It is definitely these Oats Chia Pudding!

It is not only a piece of cake to make this nutrient-boost/on the go breakfast with has full of life. Who wouldn't love to have a dessert/pudding right in the morning? This is not only going to give you your full potential to your day but will keep you full for a long time. Now ain't we looking for something like that, huh? We all might have had those days where we wanted to eat healthily but don't know how to start healthy. Well, this is absolutely dedicated to you guys. Well, I do not have a step by step image of this one, but hey, even a 5-year-old can make this! It's that simple. 

Ps: I wasn't actually planning to post this on the blog, this explains why there isn't a step by step recipe. *Posting because of popular demand!😊

Let me be frank here, I am not a big fan of oats that is made into porridge. I actually feel empty within an hour or so when I have oats in the morning. So I pretty much don't like it, it is like the last resort I think of when it comes to breakfast ( like when there is only milk and oats to hog in the morning😬)

However, this cold oats pretty much changed my perspective on cold food; when you are up from the bed. You are going to love your mornings when you make such delights. These creamy, rich and nutritious, slightly sweet course is undoubtedly going to make it to your favorite breakfast menu. Your fam is going to love you even more. 

All I do is grab my jar of Oats that has been sitting in the fridge since last night or 2 and grab a few berries and fruits or if I am much more in a hurry just put in a dash of dry fruits and voila! Delicious and filling breakfast ready! Hassle-free mornings are the best. Aren't they? So what are you waiting for? Grab your mason jars and get ready to indulge! 

1. Combine Chia seeds, Oats, Almond milk, Salt, Cinnamon Powder, Maple Syrup and Honey in a mason jar or a glass container. Give it a good shake or mix.
2. Place it in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Give the mixture a good stir to make sure the chia seeds have soaked up all the goodness.
4. You may add in berry puree or fruit smoothie for some extra craziness, but I prefer bite-size fruits in my jar.
5. Top up with some cereals for crunch, any dry fruits (I used walnuts), fruits and berries. (all these are optional)
6. Voila! Your Oats is ready to be relished.