Cool drinks are a great way to chill on a hot summer day. Get back from a sweaty workout or simply from some shopping or just from work and sip on a cooler to get completely refreshed. Fresh fruit coolers are the best since they are not only refreshing but healthy too.
I came across some really fresh Jamun while shopping for my weekly groceries last weekend. I love the fruit simply for their lovely purple color. Also known a Jambul, Java Plum, Portuguese Plum and a lot more other names, it is native to some of the South Asian countries. Since it's not a very popular fruit and isn't very commercially sold, it's available fresh only during seasons only for about a month or two during summer and monsoon. It is also known for it's medicinal properties and it's seeds are used in Ayurvedic medicines for controlling blood sugar. I make sure to catch up on this fruit every year, especially since I've learnt to make an interesting sweet and salty concoction out of it.
Kokum is another fruit that's quite unique to the Asian continent and more so to the Western and Southern regions of India. It is commercially ultivated only to a very small extent and is available in markets in it's dried form. It is especially known to improve digestion and cool the body during summers. It is mainly used to flavor curries and to make a drink called Kokum Sherbet. I like my Kokum Sherbet sweet, salty and spicy and it is a permanent find in my refrigerator for all of summer.
Here are the recipes for the two drinks. They are quite simple and once made, can be stored in the refrigerator for upto a week.
Jamun Cooler
Ingredients
Jamun - 2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Sugar - 6 teaspoons
Fresh mint leaves - A few sprigs
Salt - 2 teaspoons (Skip if you like it sweet)
Powdered White Pepper -2 teaspoons (Skip if you like it sweet)
Instructions
In and pan, boil the jamun, water and sugar on low heat for around 20 to 30 minutes and then allow to cool.
Add the salt and powdered white pepper and mix.
Strain and pour it into a bottle.
Dip a sprig of mint leaves into the mix. Lid it and allow to refrigerate.
To serve, remove the mint leaves and pour into glasses with chilled water in the proportion of 2:1. Mix.
Serve with ice cubes and garnish with a few jamuns chopped thinly.
Kokum Sherbet
Ingredients
Kokum - 1/2 cup
Hot Water - 1 cup
Salt - 2 teaspoons
Powdered Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Powdered White Pepper - 2 teaspoons
Green Chili - 1
Sugar - 6 teaspoons
Fresh Mint for garnishing
Instructions
Soak the kokum in the hot water for 10 minutes.
Next, add the salt, powdered cumin and pepper and the sugar and blend it in the mixer or processor to make a paste.
Strain it and pour into a bottle.
Slit the green chili and dip it in the bottle.
Lid on the top and refrigerate.
To serve, remove the chili, pour in the cordial along with cold water in the proportion of 1:1 and mix. Add a few cubes of ice and garnish with mint leaves.
I came across some really fresh Jamun while shopping for my weekly groceries last weekend. I love the fruit simply for their lovely purple color. Also known a Jambul, Java Plum, Portuguese Plum and a lot more other names, it is native to some of the South Asian countries. Since it's not a very popular fruit and isn't very commercially sold, it's available fresh only during seasons only for about a month or two during summer and monsoon. It is also known for it's medicinal properties and it's seeds are used in Ayurvedic medicines for controlling blood sugar. I make sure to catch up on this fruit every year, especially since I've learnt to make an interesting sweet and salty concoction out of it.
Kokum is another fruit that's quite unique to the Asian continent and more so to the Western and Southern regions of India. It is commercially ultivated only to a very small extent and is available in markets in it's dried form. It is especially known to improve digestion and cool the body during summers. It is mainly used to flavor curries and to make a drink called Kokum Sherbet. I like my Kokum Sherbet sweet, salty and spicy and it is a permanent find in my refrigerator for all of summer.
Here are the recipes for the two drinks. They are quite simple and once made, can be stored in the refrigerator for upto a week.
Jamun Cooler
Ingredients
Jamun - 2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Sugar - 6 teaspoons
Fresh mint leaves - A few sprigs
Salt - 2 teaspoons (Skip if you like it sweet)
Powdered White Pepper -2 teaspoons (Skip if you like it sweet)
Instructions
In and pan, boil the jamun, water and sugar on low heat for around 20 to 30 minutes and then allow to cool.
Add the salt and powdered white pepper and mix.
Strain and pour it into a bottle.
Dip a sprig of mint leaves into the mix. Lid it and allow to refrigerate.
To serve, remove the mint leaves and pour into glasses with chilled water in the proportion of 2:1. Mix.
Serve with ice cubes and garnish with a few jamuns chopped thinly.
Kokum Sherbet
Ingredients
Kokum - 1/2 cup
Hot Water - 1 cup
Salt - 2 teaspoons
Powdered Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Powdered White Pepper - 2 teaspoons
Green Chili - 1
Sugar - 6 teaspoons
Fresh Mint for garnishing
Instructions
Soak the kokum in the hot water for 10 minutes.
Next, add the salt, powdered cumin and pepper and the sugar and blend it in the mixer or processor to make a paste.
Strain it and pour into a bottle.
Slit the green chili and dip it in the bottle.
Lid on the top and refrigerate.
To serve, remove the chili, pour in the cordial along with cold water in the proportion of 1:1 and mix. Add a few cubes of ice and garnish with mint leaves.
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