Cucumber | Oh Taste n See.....

Minty green cucumber juice

May 312011

I came across the recipe for ‘Mean Green Cucumber Juice’ by Sunny Anderson, and I loved the green color. The fact that the juice was sweet, yet green made it an exciting recipe to try. I altered the recipe a bit, by flavoring the juice with mint, which added great flavor. I also reduced a lot of the sweetness, as I wanted the flavor of the cucumber to come out.

Ingredients:
1 English cucumber
2 tbsp sugar
4 sprigs mint
1/4 cup water + 1/4 cup water(as needed to thin juice)
ice cubes, to serve

Method:
Start by placing the sugar and the 1/4 cup of water along with the sprigs of mint in a saucepan. Bring this to a boil and let it simmer until the sugar dissolves. Set this aside until completely cooled. Squeeze the mint and discard. Pour this mint flavored simple syrup into a blender.

Chop the cucumber and place it in the blender along with the remaining 1/4 cup of water. Blend until completely pureed. Pour over a strainer and drain completely, pressing with your fingers to extract every bit of juice. Serve this over ice in chilled glasses, garnished with a slice of cucumber.

Verdict: This is a very refreshing juice, perfect for summer days. I loved the emerald green color and its amazing the amount of minty flavor you obtain by just making a mint flavored simple syrup. The opportunities are endless as to the different variations you can create with this recipe. I am thinking about a ginger flavored simple syrup for the next time around.

Note: Please note that you need an English cucumber, not the American cucumber, as the skin is waxed and is not safe for consumption.

Sending this cool cucumber delight to:
1. ‘Fun n Sun’ @ Tickling palates
2. ‘Seasonal Indlugence – Summer coolers’.
3. ‘Mocktails and Coolers’ event.
4. ‘Kids Delight – Cool Comforts’, event series by Srivalli and to
5. ‘Serve it – Chilled’ event series by me and Krithi of Krithi’s kitchen.
6. And finally to: ‘Show me your Summer coolers’ event.

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English Tea Party – Cucumber sandwiches

Cucumber, Herbs, Mint, Sandwiches

Feb 272011

Although being colonised by the British, was one of the tainted pages of Indian history, there is no denying the fact that the English influence did India some good. From rail roads to education, their influence is probably one of the reasons India has been able to grow as much as it has today. English culture, at least to me, has never been a very foreign one. Almost all the books we read in school were written by someone from Britain, all the poems that we had to memorize and recite were by Wordsworth and Shelley, heck I even remember a passage from Shakespeare’s Macbeth by heart, which I had to learn when I was in 10th grade. Even apart from that, reading for pleasure included Sherlock Holmes, Enid Blyton books: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven etc.

One image that I couldn’t get out of my head, about all of the English reading, was an English high tea. English folks mostly take tea between 3-5 PM, and it served as a leisurely affair, of catching up and socializing and most often gossiping. Most tea menus included some type of mini sandwiches, scones with Devonshire clotted cream and shortbread cookies of some sort. I have attempted to create the famous cucumber sandwiches here…

Ingredients:
6 slices white bread
2 tbsp salted butter(I used I can’t believe its not butter spread)
2 tbsp cream cheese(I used neufchatel cheese)
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1/2 an English cucumber slices
pepper, a pinch

Method:

Wash and dry the mint leaves. Chop the mint leaves finely, but without bruising it. Stir the softened butter and cream cheese into a bowl until well mixed. Add the chopped mint leaves and stir to combine. Cut the crusts off of the bread and slater one side of each slice with this herbed butter. Line one buttered slice with the sliced cucumber. Top with a smidgen of pepper and close with another butter slice. Cut either into finger sized rectangles or across to form triangle shaped sandwiches. Serve!

Verdict: Have you experienced how tasty the very simple preparations are? This is one of them. We couldn’t stop eating them, and the mint gave it a very vibrant kick to it.

Sending this to ‘Celebrating Sandwiches’ event and to ‘A.W.E.D – British’ event series by DK.

Also to ‘Only Cooking with bread’ and to ‘Herbs and Flowers – Mint’ event.

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Grilled Corn & Mango salad in Cucumber Boats/Cups

Corn, Cucumber, Mango, Phase 2, Salads, South Beach Diet

Jul 062010

As is usual, at the nick of time, here I am with my entries for the ‘Sizzling Summer Contest’. For this contest, I wanted to make something that immediately comes to my mind when I think of summer. When in India, summer meant mangoes…a lot of them…And although you complain about the sweltering heat that you experience in summer in India, there is a joy in enjoying a cool cucumber or a watermelon wedge sold by the vendor on the roadside. It tastes best when you are hot and sweaty and your throat is parched. Somehow, I can never relish the same foods here in the US. But here, we have our own summer traditions..we almost always host a barbecue party every summer and grill our favorite foods. My favorite is grilled corn. This salad is reminiscent of all the summer memories I cherish, both past and present.

Also, this makes a great finger food, appetizer. I have this recent craze about ‘pick me up’ foods. Bit sized, easy to eat foods. And this is a take on that. Although I came up with this recipe on a whim, it tasted absolutely refreshing and delicious. More than I expected.

Ingredients:
2 ears of corn
1 english cucumber
1 lemon
2 tbsp diced red onion
5 cherry tomatoes quartered
2 tsp cilantro chopped
1/2 cup mango, diced
pinch chilli powder
pinch chaat masala
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Grill the corn, either on a stovetop or a grill. Cut the lemon in half. Juice one half of the lemon and set aside. Cut the other half into small wedges. When the corn is grilled and still hot, rub it with a lemon wedge and sprinkle it with chilli powder. Set aside to cool. When cooled use a knife and scrape the corn kernels onto a bowl.

To make the cucumber boats. Cut the cucumber in half. Scrape the seeds off using a spoon to create a canal in each half. With a vegetable peeler, peel off the skin from the base of the cucumber, to provide a flat base for the boat to sit on the serving platter. Sprinkle some chaat masala on the cucumber canal to flavor it.

To make cucumber cups: Cut the cucumber into 2-3 inch lengths. Scoop out the seeds to create a well in the center. Sprinkle some chaat masala on the cucumber well.

Toss the cooled corn kernels, with the red onion, tomato, mango and cilantro. Mix in the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning. Fill the salad into the prepared cucumber boat or cup. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Verdict: The lemon juice awakens the flavor of the mango and the tomato. The onion adds a crunch to the dish. It was a sweet and spicy salad, and the cucumber boat made it really fun to eat.