Drink recipes with simple syrup

The simple syrup recipe below is useful for many different drinks. A couple of examples follow. Make syrup in bulk in advance.

Simple syrup with mint infusion
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 bunch mint cleaned
(Increase quantity as required. Typically each glass of mixed drink will use up 1/4 to 1/3 cup of simple syrup.)
Method
Heat the water and mix in the sugar until dissolved. Keep boiling until the mixture is about 3/4 the volume. Add the mint leaves, stir and boil for 5 more minutes. Turn off the flame and let it cool to room temperature. Remove mint leaves and store until ready to use.

Mojito mix
2 cups rum
3/4 cup mint-infused simple syrup
3/4 to 1 cup lime juice (as per taste)
(Increase quantity as required. Typically each glass of mixed drink will use up 3/4 to 1 cup of this mix.)
Method
Pour the rum, sugar syrup and lime juice in a large jar or bottle. Shake well to mix. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Quick Basic Mojito
First put crushed ice (or tiny ice cubes) in a glass, then fill 3/4 of the glass with mojito mix. Make up the remaining volume with soda water. Garnish with a mint leaf and serve with a straw.

Mango mojito
Fill half of a blender with ice, add 2 cups mojito mix, 2 cups mango juice (or, if available, mango pieces), and 1/2 cup lime juice. Blend until the ice is crushed. You can also combine other fruits like strawberries and raspberries or pineapples with the mango, as long as the total is about 2 cups.
To serve, fill 3/4 of the glass with mojito mix. Make up the remaining volume with soda water. Garnish with a mint leaf and serve with a straw.

Hot cocoa with Bailey's Irish Cream
Milk - 4 cups
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1 cup
Sugar syrup with mint infusion - 1/4 to 1/3 cup
In a large bowl, mix the cocoa powder with the sugar syrup with a whisk. Add a few spoons of milk if required to make a smooth paste. Now add the rest of the milk and mix well. Bring to a boil on the stove, then store in a thermos.
When serving, first fill 1/4 of your mug with Bailey's Irish Cream. Make up the remaining volume with the cocoa mix. Drink immediately. I recommend small mugs so your drink doesn't get a chance to cool down.

Curried chicken with rice noodles

Ingredients:
For the marinade:
Amchur (dried mango powder) - 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Yogurt - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
To stir fry:
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Mint - 10 leaves (optional)
Red onion (large), sliced - 1/2
Garlic, minced - 6-8 cloves
Moong bean sprouts - 250 g
Chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces - 500 g
Beet juice (for the colour) - 3/4 can (I used the leftover juice from a can of beets)
Dried rice noodles - 200g
Coriander leaves, chopped - 2 sprigs
Lime juice - 2 tbsp

Cooking time: 30-40 min
Servings: 3-4

Method:
Mix all the ingredients in the marinade with the yogurt. Add the chicken pieces and mix to coat well. Refrigerate for 30 min. In the meantime, prep the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, mint and garlic till the onions are golden brown. Add the moong sprouts and fry for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium low and add the chicken along with the marinade. Stir to fry the chicken pieces evenly, cook for 5 minutes. Add the beet juice and some salt to taste (the beet juice already has some salt, so don't overdo it) and stir well. Cook until the chicken is almost done, then cover the chicken with the dried rice noodles. Cook covered until the noodles are done. Mix well, then garnish with lime juice and coriander leaves.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Simple fish curry with coconut

Ingredients:

Fish (mackerel, salmon, etc.) washed, deboned, cleaned (or use frozen filets) and cut into big pieces - 1 kg
Mustard oil (if using vegetable oil, use mustard seeds to season in the first step) - 2-3 tbsp
Fresh curry leaves - 6-7 strands
Garam masala - 2 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 2-3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Water - about 2 cups
For paste:
Shredded coconut - 2 cups
Fresh red chillies - 3-4
Garlic - 6-8 pods
Fennel seeds - 2-3 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch (optional)

Servings: 4-6
Time (cook+prep): up to 30 min

Method:
Blend the coconut, red chillies, garlic, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds to a coarse paste.

In a wok, heat the mustard oil. Add the curry leaves (if using vegetable oil, first add the mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle). Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the garam masala and stir to combine. After a couple of minutes, add the coconut paste and tamarind paste cook for 5 minutes. Add some water and the fish and cook covered on a medium flame until the fish is done (should be 10-15 minutes). Serve hot with rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan