After a long winter, Delhi has finally been blessed with sunny days; but exactly how hot summers in Delhi can get is anybody’s guess. At the moment, the temperature is hovering around 15-20 degrees Celsius but before it skyrockets to 35-40, we suggest you take down the recipes for some quick summer chillers.
Thankfully, our Indian non-alcoholic beverage traditions offer us a vast array of drinks. Being a tropical country, nature has also endowed us with tonnes of juicy and tasty fruits which again make for awesome drinks. Let’s find out how to go about making them…
Chatpata nimbu paani: Let’s start with the basic. Nimbu paani is the simplest of Indian summer chillers to make, and yet, it’s one of the most potent drinks for this season. It’s packed with the goodness of Vitamin C (from lemon), essential minerals (from the salt and sugar) and instantly energises the body. Just mix the three with water and enjoy. You can add soda too to make your own soda-lemonade.
Jaljeera: Now who can forget the blissful glasses of jaljeera available at every roadside in summers in Delhi. The lemonade infused with cumin, ginger, black pepper, mint and black salt is nothing short of a saviour in this season.
Mango lassi: Make the most of mangoes while they are available. Don’t just slice and swallow them. Leave some to be blended in with yoghurt, honey, crushed ice and top with ice cream if you wish. It’s a feeling of heaven.
Kayree Panna (raw mango drink): Yes, not just the ripe mangoes. Make use of the raw ones too. In fact, raw mangoes are a great source of pectin, oxalic, citric and malic acids which increases the body’s resistance to infections. Just peel and boil raw mangoes in a pressure cooker till soft. Mix and mash them with sugar, rock salt, ground pepper, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and mint. Store in a bottle.
Pina Colada Lassi: Time for some innovation! Blend pineapple juice, coconut milk, yoghurt and crushed ice in a blender till smooth. Pour into tall, chilled glasses garnished with finely chopped pineapple and a maraschino cherry. Slurp!
Connaught Place Cold Coffee: Connaught Place Cold Coffee, where it is said to have originated, takes all of two minutes to make. What you need is just chilled full cream milk, some instant coffee powder, sugar and crushed ice. You know how to proceed.
Badam Milk: And, we come to the good old soul-satisfying drink of India. The reason we call it soul-satisfying is that it cools the body, provides nutty nutrition and is also a fragrant sensation. Just grind some almonds and pistachios with milk. Blend the mix with a litre of full-cream milk with two tablespoons of cardamom powder, rose water and kewra essence. Now, we got to rush for our drink!
