Come summer and the Chennai market is flooded with water melon and musk melon (kirni pazham, molaam pazham). Cantaloupes are a musk type melon with the characteristic netting on the skin. Cantaloupes and melons are fragrant fruits, related to cucumbers and squashes. Fresh Cantaloupe should be well developed with a full slip at the stem end, well delineated netting, light gold to light gray green background color and a bright orange colored flesh. Cantaloupe is eaten in its natural state wither at the beginning of a meal or at the end as a dessert. It is often pureed and served frozen in desserts such as sorbet.
Cantaloupe Smoothie:
Tasty, refreshing, and fat-free! Try this delicious cantaloupe smoothie recipe!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt
- 1 cup crushed ice
- 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Makes about 4 cups.
As you can see in the pic, I am currently reading a book: A fine Balance.
I recently 'discovered' Rohinton Mistry...dunno how, but I did come across his name somewhere and then searched him up on the net....and I cant believe how I could miss out on such a wonderful writer for this long. Well, I bought his book--A Fine Balance--and have started devouring it eagerly. Crystal clear crisp writings that compel the reader to almost visualise the happenings as if it were happening right under their nose. Most reviews say that his works reminds one of Charles Dickens for its compassionate realism and narrative sweep.
A Fine Balance, is set in the turbulent 70's in an unnamed city by the sea and captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism of India. In the story, four strangers come together--a widow, a student and two tailors who have fled the violence in their native village. Hope this book satiates my thirst for reading a 'good novel' by an Indian writer after a long time.
Wow!Come summer and its time for smoothies.That's a nice recipe,Docs.
ReplyDeleteI should check out "A Fine Balance" too.
Thanks for sharing,Docs.
Doc, the smoothie looks smooth indeed, but even finer is your taste in reading. The Fine Balance is one of those rare books that refuse to leave you long after you've finished reading the last word. I was bowled over by Mistry's eye for detail, his jolting portrayal of poverty and an India most urban Indians are oblivious to. I laughed and cried (the latter mostly) reading the book, and would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in learning about the horror that emergency in India was.
ReplyDeleteSorry I rambled a bit there, but I can say you made a good discovery there :)
I have a strong feeling that A Fine Balance will pass your test.. I read it about a year ago, and some of the scenes he sketches are still clear in my mind... It really is a brilliant book.
ReplyDeleteI am also on the lookout for soe good indian writing. Rushdie is good (midnight's children as well as moor's last sigh) but i somehow think he overdoes it at times..
let me know if you come across any good stuff.
happy reading!!
Hi, may i ask you what the two books are in the background? One is 'From the pages of The Hindu-Mahatma Gandhi: The Last 200 Days'. What's the other one?
ReplyDeleteMan, i feel like a dork!! I'm so sorry i asked you about the book. I noticed just now that it's right there in the post. I kind of got distracted with the recipe,stopped reading, started to admire the pic, stared at the background,figured one of the books to be 'From the....', wondered about the other,commented.....
ReplyDeleteRohinton Mistry is amazing! Glad you are reading him.
ReplyDeleteWhatever happend to my comment :-).The unnamed city is of course Bombay where most of the Parsis live.
ReplyDeletei love melons. you cannot imagine how they help cool me down during the harsh north indian summer! thanks for the smoothie recipe, can i use honey instead of sugar? i'm sure my little daughter will love it!
ReplyDeletei love melons, esp during the harsh north indian summer. thanks for the recipe, can i use honey instead of sugar? i'm sure my little daughter will love it :)
ReplyDeleteOoh..cool recipe..My kid is crazy about this cantaloupes..He'll surely love it..
ReplyDeleteGoes to my "Must try list"..
BTW came here thru Indira's .U've got a cool blog..Gr8 work..
lovely but
ReplyDelete1 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt??
whats that mean?
nwys was devouring on these these days :))
http://flickr.com/photos/anusharaji/105750630/
Rohinton Mistry is Canadian. I agree his novel, A Fine Balance, is a wonderful read, full of the rich, vibrant colourful society found in most third world countries like India where much of life is lived on the streets. A far cry from life over here in Canada where everybody stays inside . Although that might thave to do with our extreme winter weather as much as it does to the difference in culture. Coincidently I have just finished reading another one of his books , Family Matters , It is another wonderful read.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled on your blog site. I too loved the book A fine Balance. I could not put it down.
ReplyDeleteI lost all balance when reading it. For three frantic days, I completely ignored everything else in my life, taking it in. When I fell asleep, I dreamt I was in the market with the two main characters, buying peppers. Considering I'm also from Canada, that's pretty strange! Love your recipes too!
ReplyDelete