(sp)Iced Orange tea

A friend recently bought a LEGO version of the Millennium Falcon. Yes, the awesome version that isn't easily available. :) And the amazing friend that he is, he allowed a motley crew well into their 20s and 30s over to come help him build it. We all brought munchies and drinks to help fuel the madness. I was just recovering from a sore throat, so I figured that I should take my favorite allergy/cold/fever/yucky feeling reliever - masala chai. And since it was 80F outside, and a couple of friends were lactose intolerant, I thought I would take an iced version without milk. I'd never tried this recipe before, so I was pretty kicked that it worked! Ashley B asked for the recipe, so here it is:

What you need:
Two quarts of water - split into 1.5 and 0.5 quarts
Tea - 4 bags or 6 tsp of loose tea leaves
Ginger - 1-1.5 inches raw ginger or 2 - 2.5 tsp of powdered ginger
Cloves - 5
Star anise - 1 star or 4-5 broken pieces
Cinnamon - 1-2 inches broken up into smaller pieces
Cardamom - Use 2-3 whole. I used about 8-10 peels without the seeds. It does the trick!
Orange juice - 2 cups. If you use freshly squeezed orange juice, reserve the rinds.

How to make it:

1. In a pitcher, add the orange juice and half a quart of water. You can also slice one orange and add it to the pitcher if you like. I did. Stick the pitcher in the fridge.

2. Add the spices and ginger to one and a half quarts of water and bring to a boil in a saucepan/pot. Turn the heat off and add the tea leaves/bags and cover the pot.
Note: If you don't have ALL the spices, its okay. Use whatever you have in your pantry.

3. After fifteen minutes, add the rinds of the oranges and sugar if you want sweet iced tea and cover the pot again.

Once the tea cools, strain it into the pitcher with the sliced oranges and orange juice. Make sure to leave room for ice.

That's all, folks!

Tomato thokku

This recipe is super easy. I swear. This is something I make when I have almost nothing in the pantry or if I'm making pongal. You can eat this with chapattis, naan (bread), rice, bread, or even tortillas! This was a life saver during the grad school era.


What you need:
Tomatoes - Approximately 10 big ones or 4 cans
Turmeric - 2tbsp
Sugar/Jaggery/Brown sugar -  2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp


OPTIONAL ingredients
Onion - One large, finely diced
Chillies - Depends on your spice needs. I use  4 Thai chillies
Garlic - Optional. As many as you like. I like a lot of garlic in mine.
Ginger - Optional. About 4 tbsp.
Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Hing/Asofoetida - 1/4 tsp
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cilantro/Coriander - 4 tbsp
Tomato paste - 8 oz can

Notes:
1. Use squishy tomatoes for this recipe. It's not a must, but it works better.
2. There is no wrong way you can make this.

What you need to do:
1. Heat the oil in a sauce pot on medium heat
2. Once the oil has heated, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves
3. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the onion, chillies, garlic, ginger, hing, and methi seeds and saute on high heat till the onions turn translucent
4. Add the diced tomatoes, turmeric, chilli powder (if you still need more of a kick or omitted the green chillies), tomato paste, and sugar and bring the heat back to medium
5. When you have half the amount of what you started with, add the cilantro and you're done!