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Hope you all have made plans for welcoming the New Year, and not to forget a whole new decade. Our journey at Cook Like a Bong started 3 years back. We like to thank all our readers for their wonderful support through out. We hope that we’ll receive more readers and more Bong food lovers and foodies in the years to come. To end with a post for this year, here’s a guest post from Joy Paley.

Joy Paley is a science, technology, and health writer from Berkeley, California. When she’s not reading about the latest medical research, you can find her doing yoga, cooking, or working on a crafty project. She is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and writes on online degrees for Guide to Online Schools.

Best of Bengali Beverages

The Bengal region of India offers some seriously delicious smoothies, iced, and hot drinks. These can be a great pick-me-up between meals, or an interesting and sophisticated offering at your next party. The best part? These treats are chock full of nutrients that make them both healthful and tasty.

Papaya Shakes

These are great because their ingredients are so simple: they’re usually just a blend of papaya, mint, and water, with some lemon and honey for flavor. In some places you can find them with a little spice, courtesy of black pepper powder. And, papayas are rich in antioxidants that help fight free radicals, which can cause cancer and make you age faster. Papayas are also full of potassium, fiber, and folate.

Photo Courtesy – Nithya of 4th Sense Cooking

Watermelon Juice

It’s hard to find a good version of this juice in the store, but it’s easy to prepare at home. All you need is a ripe watermelon and a juicer. Make your watermelon juice, add a little mint juice, lemon juice, sugar, and mint leaves for garnish. Wait until it’s ice cold to drink. Watermelon is high in vitamin C and vitamin A, and low in calories.

Jaljeera

This spiced drink is probably something you haven’t tried before, unless you’re familiar with Bengali beverages. It’s made by adding cumin powder, sugar, salt, chat masala, and lemon juice to water, and chilling in the refrigerator. Cumin is a cancer-preventing antioxidant that also helps detoxify the liver.

Photo Courtesy – Sabah in Action

Hot Cocoa

The ingredients here are similar to hot cocoa you may have encountered before, but the preparation is different. Cocoa powder and salt are combined to form a paste, diluted with cold water, and boiled. Then milk and sugar are added. The result is a delicious way to stay warm. Plus, cocoa contains a wide array of polyphenols, a type of antioxidant compound that fights signs of aging in your skin and other organs.

Ginger Tea

You’ve probably got the essential ingredients to make this yummy tea already in your kitchen. It’s made by combining a crushed piece of ginger, aniseed, and tea leaves in boiling water. After boiling for a few minutes, you strain out the spices, and add sugar and milk to taste. Ginger is a great home remedy for joint and muscle pain, nausea, and rheumatoid arthritis.