Summers are synonymous with coolants and what can be better than homemade healthy drinks that have natural cooling and soothing properties. These age-old recipes are passed on for generations. We have seen our mothers and grandmothers making summer drinks at home and forcing them down our throats and cribbing how bad aerated drinks are. The best part about these traditional drinks is that all the ingredients are easily available and have nutritious and healing properties with great taste.
Let's have a look at few easy recipes for such drinks that will keep you hydrated and help beat the summer heat.
Aam Panna
A popular and therapeutic summer drink that has its mention in the Ayurveda. Aam Panna in Northern India is a staple homemade drink in summer due to the abundant availability of mangoes in the region. India houses a huge variety of mangoes and every region has its unique name and the recipe for Aam Panna. This summer cooler is known as "Aam Pora" in the East and as "Panha" in Maharastra.
INGREDIENTS
4 raw mango (Amiya)
2 green chili
Sugar (as per taste)
Black pepper
Hing (Asafoetida)
Pudina (mint leaves)
Roasted cumin (bhuna jeera)
Black salt
Green Chili (optional)
PROCESS
Boil whole raw mango
Let it cool down
Remove the peel and take out the pulp
Add pulp with sugar to a mixer and grind to form a consistent paste
Strain the mango paste with a strainer in a bowl
Add mint leaves and green chili (optional) and blend them
Add the above paste to the strained mango pulp
Take a jar and add the following spices - black pepper, hing, roasted jeera, black salt
Now add the pulp paste to the jar along with cold water and ice cubes
Refrigerate for a while and consume chilled
Garnish with some pudina leaves while serving
Mango Shake
The arrival of the Mango season in India, especially Nothern India, is no less than a season of celebrations. People eagerly wait for this king of fruits and welcome it with great joy and enthusiasm. India has a huge variety of mangoes famous ones being Langda, Dashehari, Chausa, Safeda, Alphonso, etc.
Mango shake is a much-loved drink during summers and is a healthy and delicious way to beat the heat and get refreshed. Kids love mangoes and mango shakes, mango lassi, mango pudding, and mango ice creams are commonly made household recipes to enjoy the flavourful mango season.
INGREDIENTS
Ripe Mangoes (soft and sweet)
Milk
Sugar/Jaggery
Paan Cherry (for topping)
PROCESS
Peel the mangoes and extract the pulp
Take a blender and add the pulp, sugar with 1/4th of milk
Blend this mixture to form a thick consistent paste
Now add the rest of the milk and ice cubes to the mixer
Blend again to form a frothy thick slush
Pour in elongated glasses and top with some paan cherries or crushed dry fruits
Refrigerate for a while and enjoy chilled
Chaach/Matha
Indian Buttermilk or famously known as chaach/matha is a curd-based drink that is great for your gut and digestion. Loaded with probiotics and refreshing qualities this summer drink has been a traditional welcome drink of Northern India. Matha is one such age-old drink that has passed generations and is consumed widely throughout the Indian Subcontinent.
Earlier Matha was made at home with a traditional mathani (wooden hand blender) in a clay pot with freshly made yogurt. Nowadays it is made in a blender or is easily available in the market in tetra packs by Amul.
[In Rajasthani it is called Ghol, in Odia, it is called Ghol/Chaash, Moru in Tamil and Malayalam, Taak in Marathi, Majjiga in Telugu, Majjige in Kannada, Ale (pronounced a-lay) in Tulu and laban in Bengali. In Indian English, it is often referred to as buttermilk.]
INGREDIENTS
Hung Curd
Water
Black Salt
Black pepper (crushed)
Roasted Cumin
Mint Leaves
PROCESS
Blend curd and water in a mixer
Add ice cubes, black salt, black pepper, and roasted cumin powder and blend again
Refrigerate and serve cold
Garnish with some mint leaves while serving
Roohafza Lassi
Lassi is a sweet yogurt-based refreshing dish that is quite versatile and has a lot of variations. Lassi is a very popular drink in Nothern Indian states like Punjab, U.P, Haryana, and Rajasthan. We have the most common ones being the plain sweetened lassi and more flavored ones like Roojafza lassi, mango lassi, thandai, namkeen lassi, or bhang.
INGREDIENTS
Hung curd
Sugar/jaggery
Grated almond
Rose petals
Roohafza or rose syru
PROCESS
Blend curd and sugar/jaggery in a mixer
Add Roohafza and ice cubes and blend again
You can add some milk if you want it to be thinner
Top it with some rose petals and serve chilled
Shikanji
This therapeutic drink is not just a refreshment but a natural homemade ORS solution that treats dehydration, intestinal disorders, and indigestion. An indispensable first aid to beat the heat stroke and loo. Shikanji is a hassle-free and instant energy-giving drink. Making Shikanji is a child's play and requires the most easily available ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
Lemon Juice
Sugar Syrup
Mint Leaves
Black Salt
Roasted Cumin
PROCESS
Mix all the ingredients in chilled water, and add ice cubes and pudina leaves.
Enjoy an instant one-step drink.
Plum Juice
Plum is a highly nutritious fruit that has a tangy sour taste. It is a rich source of fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Plum is usually consumed raw or used in desserts or to make wine, smoothies, or shakes. Plum juice is great for your skin and relieves your stomach of intestinal disorders and also keeps the blood pressure in check.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 kg soft plum
Black Salt
100 gm Sugar
PROCESS
Squash the plum and remove the seed
Blend the pulp with peel in a mixer
Strain the pulp of any excess residue
Refrigerate the pulp in a freezer
Defrost and add black salt, water, and ice cubes in a mixer
Blend the mix and your juice is ready
The frozen pulp can be used later by repeating the above step whenever you want to consume it.
Jaljeera
A tangy, salty, chilly aromatic summer drink consumed directly or as a golgappa filing. The drink is made with a powerful blend of spices and raw mangoes but is often available in powder form to make an instant zesty drink. This summer beater is a popular street drink and has digestive benefits.
INGREDIENTS
Raw mango
Boondi
Mint Leaves
Corriander leaves
Sugar (half tsp)
Green Chili
Roasted cumin (bhuna jeera)
Black salt
Black pepper
Hing (Asafoetida)
PROCESS
Boil whole raw mango
Let it cool down
Remove the peel and take out the pulp
Add pulp with sugar to a mixer and grind to form a consistent paste
Strain the mango paste with a strainer in a bowl
Add mint leaves, coriander leaves, and green chili and blend them
Add the above paste to the strained mango pulp
Take a jar and add the following spices - black pepper, hing, roasted jeera, black salt
Now add the pulp paste to the jar along with cold water and ice cubes
Refrigerate for a while and consume chilled
Garnish with some pudina leaves and boondi while serving
This drink can be used as golgappa water by increasing the chili and pepper quantity.
Try these out and ditch the harmful aerated drinks or sugar-loaded packed juices and switch to homemade recipes. While you sip on these traditional drinks, explore our snack box housing artisanal snacks with local and authentic tastes to munch on. Our snack box has snacks from across the nation with a unique theme every month.