Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Anjeer (Dry Fig) Milkshake



Whenever we go to the foodstore we have to stop at Whole Foods section. Hubby being a great fan of pumpkin and sunflower seeds ,it is neccessary to top up the supply of seeds in the pantry every 2 weeks at least. I am not much of a seed eater (read: I can't stand them) but I do occassionally like to eat dried berries and nuts in a combo. So while buying those a few weeks back I don't know why I picked up a packet of organic dry figs. I really don't know why I bought them because I never ever liked the stuff . I enjoy fresh figs but dried figs are a completely different story. It is as if it's a totally different fruit. But they were beautifully packed and the word "Organic" probably lured me into buying them.

Well after that they just lay in the pantry cupboard being moved this way and that way whenever I wanted to get something else from the cupboard. I put some in my son's lunch box but they came back half nibbled. I guess he takes after me where dry figs are concerned. Every few days I would just open the pack to see whether they were still in good condition or ready to be thrown away but surprisingly nothing happened to them. I kept saying to myself "You bought them , now do something with them." Than I remembered my mom saying that fig icecream and fig milkshake had to be made from dry figs as the fresh ones tasted bitter when blended.
So I soaked the figs in cold milk for 3 to 4 hrs. They absorbed a little of the milk and got quite plump and soft. I knew I was on the right track now and the milkshake turned out really well. A bit thick but really yum. And I was happy that I had put the figs to good use.

Here's what all I used:

6/7 figs soaked in 1 glass of cold milk for 4 hrs,
2 glasses whole milk,
2/3 tspns sugar (can be omitted)
some crushed ice or simply 3 to 4 icecubes.

Method:
Just blend the figs, milk, sugar and ice till creamy and frothy. Pour out into glasses and enjoy .

Next time I am going to try out making fig icecream. If it turns out well You know you will see it here on Food-n-More .

14 comments:

Deepa Kuber said...

Anjeer has been my fav.. ur drink looks so refreshing...

Arundathi said...

Lovely photo!

Vanamala Hebbar said...

Never tasted b4 this new to me..will try

Alpa said...

I just made this the other nite, but i didn't soak them... oops!! it was horrible, big pieces of anjeer refused to blend! Of course, next time i won't be so lazy :) lovely recipe!

KayKat said...

I'm a fig freak, but never tried this. It is so happening tomorrow :)

Anupama said...

Thanks Anjali.

Thanks Arundathi.

Do try it Vanamala.

Your comment really made me laugh Alpa. Actually I too was a bit worried whether the figs would blend but they did beautifully.

If you love dry figs you will love this creation Kaykat

Dhivya said...

wow!lovely and refreshing one:)if u wish u can send this to EC's event..

http://simpleindianfood.blogspot.com/2008/03/fun-n-sun-event-announcement.html

Mansi said...

always a favorite! that looks great Anupama:)

Rupa said...

Great refreshing drink..Looks cool..Love to eat figs in any form

Cham said...

Lovely refreshing drink!

Namratha said...

There is something about Anjeer that has u craving for more, I bet this milkshake is lipsmacking good! :)

Swati Raman Garg said...

i too make this.. but with a few dry fruits... had posted it for balanced breakfast but urs looks too good

Unknown said...

ur recipies are really good...i loooove fig ice cream..so i will try this...

Satya said...

Laughed as I read your description of moving the figs around in the pantry :) I had some dry figs that werent too old but had become slightly hard and looked like they might get the upperhand over the blender, and I was too impatient to soak them for hours (wanted the milkshake NOW! :), so I nuked the figs in milk for about 2 mins, with several interruptions to prevent it from boiling over. Figs nicely soft and plump after that, cooled it off and made the shake. Delish :))