What is coffee ? You might think it is just another drink which is a replacement for tea. But that isn’t true.Coffee is a stimulating drink due to its caffeine content.Coffee is made from roasted coffee beans of the coffee plant.Coffee beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees in over 70 countries, cultivated primarily in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.’Green Unroasted’ coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world.It is one of the most-consumed beverages in the world.

Coffee berries, which contain the coffee seed, or “bean”, are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown are the highly regarded Coffea arabica, and the ‘robusta’ form of the hardier Coffea canephora. The latter is resistant to the devastating coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix). Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways.

Coffee Berries

PhotoSource – John Pavelka

Types of Coffee Beans :-

Kona
Compared to Robusta and Arabica in the commercial world, Kona is much smaller yet very expensive. This type of coffee bean normally grows in the country of Hawaii. Though Kona is not being patronized as much by most common people in the market, it still has a very high demand worldwide due to its powerful aroma. Having a very powerful aroma and desirability, Kona is rarely blended with other kinds of drink flavorings.

Kona Coffee Beans

PhotoSource – jphilig

Robusta

Robusta or the Canephora type of coffee beans covers 40% of the coffee production in the whole world. It is easier to grow compared to Arabica as it has a very high resistance to weather and disease. Also, it is a lot cheaper compared to Arabica and Kona. Robusta can be blended with other coffee blends because of its strong flavor giving every coffee a “kick”. It also does not vary in flavors compared to Arabica. Originally, Robusta was discovered while growing naturally in an area now called as the “Democratic Republic of Congo”. Robusta coffee beans are lower grades of coffee that is commonly known at the lower elevations because of its feature of having an astringent flavorings and containing higher caffeine amounts.

Robusta

PhotoSource – FreeWine

Arabica

Unlike Robusta, the Arabica type of coffee beans covers 60% of the coffee production in the whole world because of the large bush that Arabica plants have. Also Arabica plants are very vulnerable to pests, disease and frost. With this reason, the coffee beans of Arabica plants are extremely expensive. Arabica coffee beans can be used on its wholesome form as well as it can be used as a base with Robusta for coffee blends. However, Arabica has a very delicate flavor that can be used as add-ons on the flavorings of coffee blends.

Arabica

PhotoSource – Nate Steiner

Golden Rules for Handling Coffee :-

Golden Rule #1

Ground coffee expires at a faster rate than whole coffee beans.

Golden Rule #2

Air is the enemy of coffee.

Golden Rule #3

Coffee is mostly water.

Golden Rule #4

Heat is the enemy of brewed coffee.

Golden Rule #5

Clean everything that comes in the coffee’s path.

Golden Rule #6

Plan for when you make coffee.

The 5 Best Coffee Brands in India

Coffee is today’s world has become a reason to meet friends,relatives and others.There are so many coffee joints in Mumbai and owning Coffee Shops has become a famous trend.The Best 5 Coffee Brands in India are:-

1.Nescafé (Nestle)

2. Bru (Hindustan Uniliver Ltd)

3.Barista Lavazza

4.Coorg or/and Tata Cafe (Tata Coffee Lt)

5. Cafe Coffee Day (CCD)

1.Table Decoration Ideas for Mother’s Day :- Have a very appealing table cloth of any vibrant color with a floral or abstract design with matching colored glassware to serve the food and drinks. The center piece could either be a floral bouquet of your mom’s favorite colored flowers or a cookie or cupcake bouquet with special dedication to your mom or a card . Keep the table simple but elegant that’s the key to success this Mother’s Day!

Photo By - Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

Photosource: Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

2.Meal for Mom:-Why not let the kids have fun in the kitchen!  And for Mom, there’s something very special ,a dish of any kind that’s prepared by her own kids! A  four course meal is the best idea for this Mother’s Day which will include a drink, an appetizer, a main dish and a dessert.. Here are the recipes for a four course meal which are of various different cuisines that will spice up the Mother’s Day Celebration !!!

Drink : Orange Basil Lemonade

Click Here to view the recipe for the drink !

Appetizer : Batata Harra

Click Here to view the recipe for the appetizer !

Main Dish : Burmese Khowsuey

Click Here to view the recipe for the Main Dish !

Dessert : Dark Chocolate Panna Cota

Click Here to view the recipe for the Dessert !

Recipemobile hopes every viewer enjoys and relishes the recipes and have a fun-filled Mother’s Day Celebration !!!

]]> http://www.recipemobile.com/make-a-course-meal-for-mom-yourself-1581.htm/feed 0 http://www.recipemobile.com/the-5-best-pasta-brands-available-in-mumbai-984.htm http://www.recipemobile.com/the-5-best-pasta-brands-available-in-mumbai-984.htm#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:18:06 +0000 DeepaJ http://www.recipemobile.com/?p=984 Pasta, the essence of Italy, is the most famous food around the world and a favorite amongst people of all ages. Pasta is fun to eat because it comes in many different shapes and can be made with various sauces. There are various kinds of short pastas like Penne, Farfalle, Fusilli, Rigatoni, Conchiglie. Long pastas include Spaghetti, Linguini, and Fettuccine and stuffed pasta’s include Ravioli and Tortellini. Pastas are also available in sheets to make Cannelloni and Lasagna. Gnocchi is another variety of pasta made form potato. For beginners any pasta is shaped in a particular manner to go well with the sauce it is cooked in for instance Penne is shaped like a pipe so that the a thick sauce like Arrabiatta goes through it and Linguini can be eaten with dry sauces like Pesto. Until recently only a few pastas were available in India. Now since the food knowledge has spread around the world people know more about different kinds and brands of pasta. Still at times I see people buying not that great brand of pasta and trying to cook with it which does mostly end up into a disaster. So here’ s a little help, here are top 5 brands of Pasta available in Mumbai to help you shop better next time!

1. Barilla
2. De Cecco
3. Sunfeast Benne Vita
4. Blue Bird
5. Bambino

Barilla and De Cecco are foreign brands that are now available in Mumbai in most of the stores that keep high end and imported products like Natures Basket, Big Bazar etc. A lot of small grocery stores have also started keeping these pastas. If you plan a trip to any wholesale market like Crawford Market make sure you pick up your stock for the month as they are slightly cheaper than in the stores. Barilla is available more easily than De Cecco. These products range from Rs 155 – 400 for 250 – 500 grams.
Sunfeast had started their range of pasta’s with ready to cook pastas. After bring successful with it they have launched their new rage of wheat pastas. These are available easily in all grocery stores and inspite of being made from wheat they taste great! These are sold for about Rs 95 for 380 grams.
Blue Bird and Bambino have been the oldest brands that have been available in Mumbai for years. Initially they were of very low quality and had limited variety but through the years they have made changes in their products and got in more variety to compete with the other brands. These range from Rs 18 – 35 for 120 – 250 grams.

Since we are talking about pastas, here are quick tips for beginners to cook pasta perfectly:

- When buying pasta check the pack, if it says drum wheat or semolina, go for it! they will retain their shape even after they are cooked!

- The best way to guesstimate pasta is 1 cup of dry pasta makes 2 to 2 1/2 cups of cooked pasta

-To cook pasta take a bigger pot to cook all the pasta properly, add water and bring the water to boil.

- Once the water is boiled add salt, unsalted water boils faster than salted water. Do not add oil as it will coat the pasta which wont let the sauce coat the pasta.

- Add your pasta and keep a watch you want your pasta “al dente” which means to the tooth or slightly chewy as it will be cooked again with your sauce.

- Drain your pasta and add it to immediately your sauce, i assure you, your pasta will not de shape!

Hope these tips help solve your kitchen disasters and help you cook your pasta like a chef!

Photos by Creative tools and Jacobms used under Creative Commons License.

Preparation time 1 minute

Cooking time 2 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 1 banana
2. 1 and 1/2 glasses milk
3. 2 tsp instant coffee
4. 2-3 tsp sugar (as per taste)
5. ice cubes

Directions:

In a blender add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Photosource

Preparation time 2 minutes

Cooking time 2 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups milk
2. 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
3. 10 Oreo cookies
4. 2 cups fresh cream (sweetened)
5. 2 tsp sugar
6. 2 tbsp chocolate syrup

Directions:

In a blender add 2 scoops ice cream, milk, sugar and 8 Oreo cookies and chocolate syrup. Blend until smooth. Transfer in a glass and add the remaining scoop of ice cream in both the glasses. Garnish with fresh cream and crumbled Oreo cookies. Serve immediately.

Photosource

Preparation time 2 minutes

Cooking time 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup milk
2. 1 cup water
3. 2 tsp tea or 2 tea bags
4. 1 cardamom
5. 1 tbsp chopped lemongrass
6. 1 tsp minced ginger
7. 2 tsp sugar

Directions:

In a saucepan heat water and add tea, sugar, lemongrass, ginger and cardamom. Let boil for a minute or two. Next add milk and boil again for two to three minutes.  Once boiled strain and serve hot with biscuits or a warm appetizer of your choice.

Preparation time 2 minutes

Cooking time 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 1  cup fresh lemongrass
2. 4 cups water
3. 8 tsp sugar
4. 1 lemon
5. ice cubes
6. lemon slices for garnish

In a blender blend 2 cups of water with lemongrass. Blend until the leaves are completely ground and a greensih water is seen in the blender. Strain this mixture. Take the remaining 2 cups of water and add the sugar in it. Heat this water until suagr disolves. Make sure you dont heat the water too much or you will have to wait for it to cool down. Mix the sugar syrup with the strained liquid. Add juice of a lemon and stir well. Add ice cubes and lemon slices for garnish. Serve chilled!

Preparation time 5 minutes

Cooking time 2 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
2. 1 lemon, cut into wegdes
3. 4-6 fresh strawberries
4. 1 tsp sugar
5. 4 cups sprite
6. ice cubes

Directions:

In a bowl add strwberries, sugar, mint leaves, lemon slices  and crush with a pestle.  Add ice cubes in a tall glass, add the mixture and top it up with sprite. Stir and serve immediately.

Preparation time 5 minutes

Cooking time 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups watermelon pieces
2. 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves
3. 1 small lemon (whole lemon, cut into half)
4. 1 tsp rock salt
5. 4-5 ice cubes
6. lemon slice and some mint leaves for garnish

Directions:

In a blender add all the ingredients, watermelon pieces, fresh mint leaves, the lemon halves with the peel, rock salt and ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Next transfer to the serving glass, garnish with lemon slice and mint leaves. Serve chilled!

Preparation time 5 minutes

Cooking time 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups orange juice
2. 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
3. 2 cups soda
4. lemon slices for garnish
5. mint leaves for garnish

Directions:

In a tall glass add the orange juice, next add the ice cream and top it up with soda. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon slice. Serve immediately.