BENGALURU:My early days in the industry were filled with joy and curiosity as I was learning the nuances of trade. In the later years, the exposure I’ve had working across multiple properties and interacting with guests and colleagues alike opened a window of opportunities to experiment in the kitchen, as people are more than willing to encourage and experience new recipes.
I was born and brought up in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Having been exposed to acute soaring temperature most parts of the year; we have had to find simple yet innovative ways to beat the summer heat. During my childhood, my mother used to get Cucumber Fruit, commonly known as Vellari pazham or Puttu pazham. These fruits are one of the seasonal fruits that you get to see in every nook and corner of the streets in Tamil Nadu.
She used to get this fruit, peel the skin, de-seed them and sprinkle some sugar over the fruit and keep it aside for about 30 minutes before we used to get to eat them. The taste is heavenly. It is also healthy and the best coolant for summer. This memory has stayed with me until today and as I grew up to become a chef, it made me realise that that there are so many natural and healthier options available, which are often easy to find and make recipes with.
In our profession, it is imperative to find new recipes and improvise on the existing ones to make it acceptable for today’s generation or giving it a contemporary outlook, which I did with cucumber fruit. During one of the summer vacations, I gave this fruit to my kids. They were not very comfortable to eat it with sugar. This is when it occurred to me to give it a twist and I made a Sharbat out of it, which they loved.
Now, the sharbat happens to be one of the most sought after thirst quenchers during summers. Check the recipe on how to make Cucumber fruit Sharbat.
Ingredients:
* Cucumber Fruit de skinned and de seeded – 4 cup
* Rose Syrup – 4 tbsp
* Salt
* Sugar as required
Method:
* Mix all ingredients together and grind them in a mixer for two minutes.
Serve it with crushed ice cubes.
- Prakash Kumar, executive chef, The Woodrose
