Bubble tea pearls

Circuit breaker leads to create all recipes at home. Bubble tea shops closed, so found a way to do it at home. Check the recipe in the below video:

Used Sago pearls to make it easy and quick. Can also made more chewy with tapoica flour. Will share that recipe soon.

Jigardhanda

Jigardhanda is a famous drink, a delicacy originated from Madurai, Tamilnadu. Many think that it is made from crushed idli, but the main ingredient is Badam pisin or Almond gum.

Badam pisin or Almond gum is the natural edible gum obtained from almond trees. It's the best ingredient to keep our body cool. Good healing for stomach ulcers or burn. We can get it from provision stores, looks like small brown rocks.

Adding nannari (Indian sarasaparilla) syrup makes it a coolant to escape from hot summer days. It is obtained from the roots of nannari plant. Also, it is a blood purifier and good home remedy for constipation and urinary infection.

Try this healthy drink on a hot day to avoid dehydration. Check out my simple version of the recipe.

Ingredients:
Badam pisin - 1/2 tablespoon or 5-6 small pieces
Nannari syrup - 6-8 tablespoons(adjust accordingly for the sweetness)
Milk khoa - 3 -4 tablespoons (sweetened or unsweetened)
Milk - 3 cups, boiled and chilled

Method:

Wash the gum rocks and soak it in water overnight. Place it in big cup as shown in the picture below. It will expand drastically.

Drain excess water and crush big lumps gently with hand or a spoon.

Mix the crushed gum, khoa, syrup and chilled milk.

No sugar is needed as nannari syrup is sweetened. Adjust accordingly to your taste.

Serve it cold and relish it.

Note: Can do some variations for a different taste, like adding almond or cashew paste. Few add vanilla icecream to have a creamy texture.

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Serves 3 persons

Tom Yum Prawn Soup

Tom Yum or Tom Yam soup - name derived from two thai words, 'Tom' refers boiling process and 'Yum' or 'Yam' refers to the spicy and sour flavours. Feels good to have it on a rainy day or when we are having a severe cold and headache ;-)

Thailand's signature dish which is widely prepared with variety of variations. But still, the main ingredients remain lemongrass, galangal, kaffir leaves. It was proven that these ingredients along with cumin and grachai helps in reducing Cancer risk. These form the main ingredients of Thai cuisine, so you can try thai dishes often to boost your immune system.

Source here.

Even if you don't get fresh ones, go for dried bottled spices. My variation of tom yum soup below:

Ingredients:
Prawns - 10-12 nos
Tomatoes - 2 sliced
Galangal (Thai ginger) - 1 inch piece, sliced
Kaffir leaves (Lime leaves) - 8-10 leaves
Lemon grass - 2 stalks, sliced into small pieces
Lemon - 1 (extract juice)
Thai chilies (Green/Red) - 4 nos each (Thai red chilies will be damn hot, so I use a mix, adjust accordingly for spice level)
Button Mushrooms - 4-5 (optional), sliced
Oyster or Fish sauce - 1/2 tablespoon (optional)
Chicken stock cubes - 2 (I used Knorr ones)
Coriander leaves few for garnishing
Salt to taste
Water - 4 cups


Method:

Peel, devein and wash the prawns and keep aside.

Boil water in a large pan. Add chicken stock cubes and mix well until it dissolves.

Then add galangal, lemon grass, kaffir leaves, tomatoes, chilies and bring it to a boil.

Add prawns, mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of the prawns.

Once prawns are cooked, add oyster sauce and mix well.

Taste and add salt as oyster sauce has salt in it.

Switch off the flame, add lemon juice and mix well.

Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy it hot.

Note: If it is too spicy, adjust adding more lemon's juice.


Cooking time 15-20 minutes
Serves 4 people