Mango Lemonade

Juice of 8 to 10 Meyer lemons (or regular lemons)
About 4 cups (32 ounces) mango juice
About 1 cup Simple Syrup

Mix lemon juice with mango juice.  Add water and simple syrup to taste.

Simple Syrup

Combine equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir just until the sugar dissolves; when the sugar granules are no longer visible, stop stirring.  The syrup will continue to clear as it approaches a boil.  As soon as it comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.  Store the syrup in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to 2 months.


From Homemade Soda by Andrew Schloss

Roasted Gobhi Aloo

1 medium-sized cauliflower, trimmed and divided into florets

1 pound baby red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters (or 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks)

3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature

Heat oven to 425° F.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Add the florets and cook until they are slightly softened but still retain some crispness, about 4 minutes.  Drain.

Place the cauliflower and the potatoes in a roasting pan and toss them in the oil.  Sprinkle with the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and salt, and mix until the vegetables are well-coated.

Roast (uncovered) in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until somewhat browned, stirring once or twice so the pieces will brown evenly.

Remove from the oven and mix in the yogurt or sour cream.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from Lord Krishna’s Cuisine by Yamuna Devi (originally “Cauliflower and Potato Surprise/Gobhi Aloo Bhaji")

Tandoori Marinade

2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mace blades
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
1 1-inch piece cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 tablespoon hot water
1 small onion, coarsley chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsley chopped
6 slices (each 1/4 inch thick) peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
2 jalapeno chilies, preferably red, seeded and coarsley chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups plain yogurt
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2-4 drops orange food coloring (optional)

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat.  Add the coriander, peppercorns, cumin, mace, fennel, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, and toast, shaking the pan until fragrant, 3 minutes.  Transfer the spices to a bowl to cool.  Grind to a fine powder in a spice mill.  

Crumble the saffron threads and place in a small bowl with hot water.  Let the saffron infuse for 10 minutes.

Combine the onion, garlic, ginger, chilies, lemon juice, and oil, in a blender or small food processor and puree to a smooth paste.  You may need to add a tablespoon of water or so to obtain a paste.

Combine the yogurt, spices, onion paste, saffron mixture, salt, and food coloring, if using, in a bowl and stir to mix.  Use right away and transfer to a large jar, cover, and refrigerate.  The marinade will keep for up to 3 days.


Makes 3 cups (enough to marinate 1 cut-up chicken or 2 pounds of lamb or seafood)

From Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen

Masala Chai

5 3-inch cinnamon sticks (preferably ceylon)
10 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced 
Half of a vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise
16 peppercorns
3 whole cloves
3 allspice berries
2 to 3 tablespoons tea
3 tablespoons sweetener (honey, agave, jaggery or sugar)
1 1/2 cups milk or milk substitute, such as almond or coconut milk

In a large saucepan, combine all of the spices with 6 cups of water.  Bring to a bare simmer, reduce the heat, and cook at a bare simmer for 30 minutes.  Turn off the heat, add the tea, and let steep for 10 minutes.  Add the sweetener and milk and warm over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pitcher or measuring cup.

Drink hot, or cool and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.  Warm as needed, or drink chilled.


Makes 6 1-cup servings.

From The Bojon Gourmet blog

Honey Cardamom Soda

16 green cardamom pods
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Spread the cardamom pods in a single layer on a solid work surface.  Pound the pods with a hammer, meat pounder, or small heavy skillet until the pods are crushed and the cardamom seeds inside are bruised.

Combine the crushed cardamom pods, honey, water,and lemon juice in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let simmer, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the liquid reduces to one-third of its original volume.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.  Strain out the solids, reserving the liquid.

To serve, add seltzer to syrup to taste.

The syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.


Serves 3.

From Homemade Soda by Andrew Schloss

Cucumber and Radish Pickles

2 cups seasoned rice-wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons coarse salt

2 tablespoons red chili flakes

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

3 cucumbers, thinly sliced

3 radishes, thinly sliced

1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced

In a large saucepan bring 2 cups water, vinegar, sugar, salt, chili flakes, and coriander seeds to a boil over medium-high heat.

Place cucumbers, radishes, and onions in a medium heatproof container; pour hot liquid over cucumbers and radishes and weigh down with a plate to submerge. Cover and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.

Makes 1 quart.

From Kenmare restaurant, via Martha Stewart.com