Preparation time : 10 minutes + soaking of basil seeds for one hour
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Serves : more than ten helpings
Description
Summer is back with the sun shining bright with us getting dehydrated often. So I made up my mind to make a mock tail. I check my refrigerator and find nothing at all. Take a walk into my pantry and find basil seeds.. I dig further to see a packet of Kokum. The bulb moment happened when I saw the Kokum which reminded me of having a rasam sort of a drink in goa made with Kokum and coconut milk. Not wanting a heavy drink, I omitted the coconut milk and went ahead with what I thought would pair well with Kokum. I was expecting a pale pink colour drink but it was a pitch dark brown colour instead. The final result was a pungent, flavourful drink that was tangy, sour, sweet and salty in one shot. I took it as a surprise treat to my fellow Zumba class mates. Every one enjoyed their glass of this cooler going on to say they feel so energetic and cool. I made sure to google and see the health benefits of Kokum and that’s when I got to know it’s a cooling agent and has so many other healing benefits too. A new recipe tried and learnt with awesome results and a bonus of knowing more about an ingredient. Now isn’t that a wow factor for a day well spent.
Ingredients to boil and grind
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Kokum | 1/4 cup |
| Green chillies | 2 chopped |
| Water | 1 litter |
| Salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Cumin powder | 1 teaspoon |
| Black salt | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Asafoetida | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Mint stem | 5 |
| Sugar | to taste |
Method
- Mix all the above ingredients together and boil for ten minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Strain and grind the Kokomo and other ingredients together adding little of the strained water to a smooth paste.
- Mix the paste to the reserved boiled water and mix well.
- pour this mix into clean bottles and store in the refrigerator for further use as a crush when needed. Keeps well for two weeks.
Other ingredients
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Mint leaves | 2 tablespoons chopped |
| Coriander leaves | 2 tablespoons chopped |
| Sugar powder | 1 cup |
| Whole coriander crushed | 2 tablespoons coarsely |
| Red chilli flakes | 2 tablespoons |
| Chat masala powder | 1 teaspoon |
| Basil seeds ( sabja seeds ) | 3 tablespoons soaked in water for one hour. |
How to proceed
- Place two tall clean glasses in the refrigerator.
- Mix chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, powdered sugar, coarsely crushed whole coriander seeds and red chilli flakes together in a flat tray.
- Fill a flat shallow tray with 1 1/2 cups of water and keep aside.
- Remove the tall glass from the refrigerator. Dip the top mouth of the glass into the flat shallow tray with water, wetting the rim of the glass all around.
- Remove the glass in a inverted way and press over the sugar mix tray, making sure the sugar mix forms a border on the rim of the glass. Do the same with the other tall glass as well.
- Add chilled water, sugar, chat masala powder, the remaining mint – coriander – sugar mix used to rim the glasses and salt to taste to 1 cup of Kokum juice. Taste and adjust sweetness.
- Care fully pour in equal amounts of the Kokum juice into the two tall glasses making sure the sugar border does not get disturbed using a funnel 3/4 way full.
- Top with 2 tablespoons of soaked basil seeds and serve chilled.
