Mango salsa

                Few months back, i went to costco on weekend.Generally on weekends,  they use to serve some food items samples to taste. When we were tasting one or other, i saw a lady serving salsa with tortilla chips. I have tasted salsa with tortilla,but after tasting the sample. I just love the taste. Normal salsa won't be sweet,but this one was bit sweeter and also spicy. When i saw the small board which is kept near to her, i came to know it is mango salsa. Nice combination of mango salsa and tortilla. I like to try preparing this mango salsa in home than buying canned one.Going through the net, i came to know the main ingredients for this salsa. I  added few more ingredients according to my taste bud.


Ingredients:

Ripe mango - 1
Onion - 1/2 ( Preferably red onion)
Jalapeno pepper - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 1 ( Medium size)
Cilantro - 5 tbsp
Oregano - 1/2 tbsp
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Crushed pepper - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Pineapple - few chunks ( optional)
Lemon juice - 1 1/2 tbsp
Olive oil - 2 tsp

Recipe:
* Chop onion into very fine pieces.
* Chop mango into small cubes.
* Chop tomato into small small chunks after scooping inner part.
* Chop cilantro into fine pieces.
* Chop pineapple into very fine pieces.
*  Remove seeds from jalapeno pepper and chop finely.

Mix everything in a bowl and adjust  salt as per taste. Serve it with any flavored tortilla chips or plain one.

Note:
* We can also add red bell pepper( Red capsicum) if needed.
* We can also grind everything in a food processor to get a semi coarse texture.
*  For more spicy,we can also crushed peppers.
*  We can also serve this salsa as stuffing for burritos.

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Masala paal

                          Climate in US is so cold. So recently i was planning to prepare some hot drink which soothe the throat and give a warm feeling. First i thought to prepare some soups , but when i was talking to my friend recently,she said she is going to her friend's marriage in india. When we were discussing about marriage costume,accessories, food ...etc .... i remembered during my childhood in few marriages they use to serve hot badam milk... which used to be my favorite. Nowadays they are serving paruthi paal(I don't have any idea what it is and what they mix )but it gives a complete feel ,drinking this drink after a big feast.  After the conversation, i thought of preparing some different milk drink other than badam milk ,rose milk ,paruthi paal.... i came across this masala milk recently when i was viewing some cooking video's in youtube randomly. I like to give a try. When i start preparing this drink,i don't have any idea how the taste will be ,because it is been long since i had it . But once i prepared and tasted it, i can bring back my memory and felt happy that i could recreate a drink which i like to have for this cold climate.

Ingredients :

Milk - 2 cup
Saffron - 1/2 tsp
Badam - 10 no
Pista - 7 no
Black pepper corn - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 1/2" piece
Cardamom - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 3 no
Ginger - small piece.
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Yellow color - a pinch(optional)

Recipe:

*Soak badam and pista in a bowl for 10 minutes.After 10 minutes,  remove the skin and grind it by adding little water or milk.
* Chop some soaked badam and pista for garnishing.
* Grind the saffron and little sugar and soak it in 2 tbsp warm milk.
* Crush pepper corn coarsely.
* Crush ginger .

1.Take a heavy bottom pan and pour the milk.Switch off the stove and heat the milk in medium flame .
2.Add pepper corn,cloves,ginger and cardamom . Stir the milk continuously.
3.Add sugar and soaked saffron . Reduce the heat and stir till the milk little bit thickens up.
4.Now add grinded badam and pista paste and mix well. Stir for some more minutes.
5.Finally add cinnamon and yellow color(If the saffron doesn't give required color).Close the pan and leave it for 5 minutes.

While serving strain the milk and serve hot or cold by garnishing with chopped badam,pista and  saffron .


Note:

* Usually in original recipe,they used to add an ingredient called sara paruppu. I couldn't able to find the ingredient,so added pista.
* Adding food color is just optional.
* I don't like over powering taste of cinnamon ,so i added it at last minute and left it in milk only for few minutes. But those who like cinnamon flavor ,can add it at initial stage.

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