Valentine’s Day can either be the bane of your existence or a super romantic day with your boo. Regardless if you celebrate with your friends or your significant other, here are drinks for the occasion everyone can enjoy.
There are two different recipes below, one alcoholic and an alternative non-alcoholic option. They’re both Rooh Afza based and are so refreshing!
Rooh Afza is a staple of Muslim and South Asian cuisine. It can bring back amazing memories from childhood and hot summers back in the motherland. You can find a bottle of Rooh Afza at your local desi supermarket or online. It’s recommended that you store it in a refrigerator to keep ants away and preserve it for a long time. A bottle of Rooh Afza properly stored in the fridge will last months, but it tastes best when fresh.
The first recipe is for a Rooh Afza citrus spritzer. You can replace the plain club soda with regular water, lemon or orange sparkling water.
I created the other cocktail a few weeks ago. I named it the “Pink Fort,” after the Ahsan Manzil. The drink has a light pink color matching the palace’s pink exterior and harkens to our desi roots. To be honest, this recipe is just a fancier, alcoholic version of the Rooh Afza milkshake.
The “Pink Fort” uses basil seeds (or tukmaria) as a garnish. You can find it at local grocery stores, health food stores or the desi supermarket. Of course, you can always order it online. The cocktail calls for whole milk, but you can use any milk you like. Add fat-free milk to keep things light, or go all out with half-n-half or heavy cream for a creamier drink. It helps to use a martini shaker with a cocktail strainer to mix it. If you don’t have one, then a clean, strong jar with a good lid and a regular thin mesh strainer will work just fine.
[Photo Source: TheSpiceAdventuress.com] Feel free to try out both recipes and tag Brown Girl Magazine in any pictures you post about them on social media! Whether you’re indulging in self-love or giving love to someone you care about, try one of these Rooh Afza based drink this Valentine’s Day!
Rooh Afza Citrus Spritzer
Ingredients:
8 cups plain club soda
8 tbsp Rooh Afza
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
Sugar as needed
Instructions:
Microwave the Rooh Afza in a saucer for 10 seconds if it’s cold or too viscous. Add to pitcher of club soda, and stir until evenly dissolved
Stir in lemon and orange juice.
Add sugar to achieve desired sweetness.
Pour contents over ice when serving in a cup.
Sip and enjoy. Served 6-8 people.
“Pink Fort”
Ingredients:
1 tsp basil seeds
2 tbsp Rooh Afza
1.5 shots Ciroc (or any plain vodka you like)
1 shot whole milk
½ shot simple syrup
2-3 ice cubes
Instructions:
30 minutes before making the drink, soak basil seeds in water.
Vigorously shake alcohol, milk, syrup, Rooh Afza and ice cubes until evenly mixed. Add more Rooh Afza if you want a darker pink color, and take out simple syrup if drink is too sweet.
Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass (or any chilled cup of your choice). Make sure there are no large chunks of ice or curdled milk in your cup by straining well.
By now, the basil seeds should have puffed up. Spoon them out, and use as a garnish.
January 3, 2023January 10, 2023 3min readBy Subrina Singh
Curried Chicken with Roti Parata or Roti, popular Middle Eastern/Indian cuisine
It is officially that time of year—the holiday season. There’s nothing like Christmas and New Year’s in the West Indies. Between the pepperpot in Guyana and the palm trees decorated in lights in Trinidad, the home food, warm weather and laid-back ambiance makes us wish we could escape the cold and head back to the Caribbean. Most of us, however, cannot “take holiday” and find ourselves hungry for fresh dhal puri and doubles. But, thanks to these Indo-Caribbean food bloggers, we can bring the motherland to our kitchens.
From Diwali mithai specialties to curry chicken, Matthew is creating a name for himself as a young Guyanese food blogger. He makes a great effort to incorporate Hindu holidays and traditions on his Instagram account, in conjunction with the customary foods and sweets associated with these religious events. However, his expertise does not end there, with new and alternative recipes for classic dishes such as curry chicken and bhara, Matthew takes center stage sharing both traditional Guyanese dishes as well as specific religious dishes made for festivals. His most popular YouTube video, with 1.4 million views, features his grandmother and focuses on the best tips to make the softest Guyanese paratha roti. In addition, his YouTube account is home to many videos offering guidance to Indo Caribbean cooking. Find recipes at @mattews.guyanese.cooking
Natasha Laggan of Trini Cooking with Natasha is wildly popular throughout the Caribbean and the U.S. With humble beginnings, Natasha credits her love of food to her family’s business. She speaks of the nostalgia home food provides her as she reminisces memories of her grandmother’s cooking and helping her mother make sandwiches early in the morning. Featured by Forbes, Natasha grew her Facebook following quickly throughout the pandemic by posting old YouTube videos. Today, she has more than 1 million followers on Facebook and over 200K followers on YouTube. She uses her passion for cooking and Trinidadian culture to bring easy-to-follow recipes to viewers. Her following has now reached the West Indian diaspora globally as she has also become a brand ambassador to two well-known food companies. Follow the food expert @trinicookingwithnatasha.
With over 100K followers on YouTube, Ria is quite the expert when it comes to making roti. Her dhal puri, sada roti and paratha roti tutorials have over 1M views! However, her expertise does not stop there. Of the 180 YouTube tutorials, her recipes vary from curry to other Trinidadian favorites like macaroni pie and pigtail soup. Just scrolling through her YouTube page makes your mouth water. From doubles to classic Trinidad bakes like pound cake and sweet bread, she provides precision and anecdotal commentary while guiding you through the familiarity of home food. Check out Ria’s page at @cookingwithria.
Known as Chef Devan, Devan Rajkumar embraces his Guyanese Canadian heritage by creating recipes combining flavors of both the East and West Indies. His love of food has allowed him to expand his role to judge in a popular Canadian cooking show: Food Network Canada’s Fire Masters. His cooking often blends the flavors of multiple cultures but also creates the classic recipes of his motherland. With a multitude of interests, Chef Dev uses his social media platform to connect with followers by sharing various aspects of his life that go beyond cooking. His most recent YouTube video provides a trailer for an upcoming video “Tastes Guyana” which shows him exploring Guyana from the inside, specifically deep parts of the inner country. To learn more about Chef Devan follow @chefdevan.
Reshmi is the chef behind the growing blog, Taste of Trinbago. A Trinidadian native who now resides in Texas, she uses her love of food and Trinidadian culture to share hacks, tips and easy recipes with West Indians throughout the globe. She finds a way to simplify traditional West Indian meals, that we once watched our elders make with curiosity. From holiday specialties like black cake to Diwali delicacies, Reshmi has brought vegetarian and non-veg recipes to followers in an extremely accessible way. She even posts recipe cards on her IG highlights for followers who may need written instructions. Her IG profile is a mix of various West Indian foods while also sharing bits of her life and even her secrets to baby food. Follow her @tasteoftrinbago.
These are just five Indo Caribbean food bloggers sharing their secrets to easy cooking. The once very daunting recipes and food instructions our parents gave have been simplified by most of these bloggers through video, voice over and modernized recipes. We no longer have to estimate a “dash, pinch or tuk” of any masala. We are just days away from Christmas and this is the perfect time to find the best-suited recipe to make that paratha for Santa.
