Fruit Salad and Awards

The Indian sky is changing - the March winds are coming in and winter begins to bow out. Holi is the festival that carries the country into the bright days of summer. A feeling of plenty is in the air with the crops cut, and the farmer enjoying a bountiful of harvest. 'Holi' falls on the full moon, in the month of Phalgun, which spans the end of February and the beginning of March on the Gregorian calendar. A time when spring is in the air.

Holi is a harvest celebration marking the climax of spring. Bonfires are lit, marking both the end of winter and the death of evil, and proceeds from the seasonal harvest- grains, coconuts etc- offered to the flames. The next day, dhuleti involves plenty of colour throwing, prayer, fasting and feasting. People have fun throwing coloured powder and colourful water at each other. This year I am at my hometown Mumbai celebrating the festival at the fullest. I had prepared Fruit Salad for the dessert on Holi. This simple dessert, packed with delicious fruits will be best summer cooler. One can select any seasonal fruits but avoid using citric fruits like orange, sweet lime while preparing fruit salad, but I avoid using them as they fall under Sanyoga Virudh Catogery means food combinations which are contradicting under Ayurveda. Citric juices of these fruits will tear the milk.Other delicious items prepared for Holi will follow in the other posts.


This is my Entry for the Colourful Event 'Holi Hai'

This post also goes for Magnificent Click Contest hosted by Gayathri

Ingredients:
1 Litre Milk
4 Tablespoons of Custard Powder
3/4 Cup Sugar
6 Finely Chopped Bananas
2 Big Finely Chopped Apples
5 Finely Chopped Chickoos
1 Cup of Pomegranate 1/2 Cup of Chopped Green Grapes
1/2 Cup of Chopped Black Grapes
1/2 Cup of Tutti Fruity (Optional)
1/2 Cup of Chopped Almonds (Optional)

Method:
1. Boil the milk on a very low flame. Boil it for almost 20 minutes.
2. Melt the Custard powder by adding 2 tablespoon of boiling milk.
3. Add the melted Custard in the boiling milk along with the sugar and keep stirring the boiling milk.
4. Once the custard and sugar is dissolved properly and the milk is thick i consistency, remove the milk from the gas and allow it to cool. Once the milk is cool, refrigerate the custard milk for almost 3 to 4 hours.
5. Add apple, banana, chickoos, tutti fruity and almonds in the custard milk and again chill the milk by refrigerating it.
6. Just before serving add citric fruits like grapes and serve the delicious Fruit Salad.

Its time to acknowledge long awaited awards

Trupti of Ruchira has passed this lovely Super Chef Award, Thank you for considering me worthy for this award.

Jaishree and Gita has passed me these bundle of awards, I am really lucky to have such dear friends like you.


I would like to share these bundle of joy to Smitha, Prema, Priyanka, Soma, Vicky, Lakshmi Venkatesh, Lubna, Cham, Trupti, Varsha, Priya and Chandani.