Indian Beverages

[rks]

In the midst of the muggy New York summers, I always enjoy a refreshing beverage, whether it's alcoholic or not.

What unique drinks would you serve as an afternoon refreshment, at a party, before dinner, after dinner?

Recipes, new ideas?

Are there beverages that are distinct to certain regions of India?

[tryska]

lassi!

it's a yogurt drink usually either blended with salt or sugar or mango pulp.

[BBhasin]

Here is my pick

Jal jeera ( just use the MDH brand preapre it let it sit in your refrigerator for few hours, stirring once a while. I like to serve from the top sans the spice sediment at the bottom with a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon. It mixes well with Vodka too. Remember Rim Zim from India?)

Kanji if you cannot get the black carrots the reciepe calls for use regular ( organic are better) and add a few slices of beetroot for the purple color.

Panna raw mangoes baked on a low ashy charcoal ( Angeethi) fire untill they are soft. remove and blend pulp with sugar and water serve chilled, I am not too sure of the reciepe, its been a while.

Bhel(wood apple) Sherbet - very refreshing and cooling in summer

Sugar Cane Juicea friend told me that you can get it fresh in NYC

Nimboo Pani/Soda why leave this one out? add a zip to you sweet nimboo pani with a little salt and black pepper.

Rooh Afzareally cooling with chilled water/soda/milk

Rose Milk I remember this from my childhood in the summertime a nice cold rose soda poured into cold milk.

Phycologically coolong sherbets like the green 'KHUS'remember khus khus ki tatti?

and I am sure rksyou know good old lassi and its inumerable variations.

Pitchwhen we boiled rice in India we some times saved the drained out 'rice water' this was used for two things 1. starching clothes and 2 making a cooling drink by adding sugar and your favorite flavouring, usually rose or kewra.

Thats all this Punjabi knows but thank you for starting this thread. What perfect timing. Got to go and get some kucha mangoes now.

[tryska]

i was going to mention nimboo pani actually - also one with gooseberry juice -but i've never seen those gooseberries here.

sugar cane juice is an easy one to find in NYC, as well.

[zimbida]

you mean these right? Cape gooseberries?

My dad alway loved and missed these, he remembered them being called incorrectly raspberries near his delhi home growing up. we were finally able to locate some for him from a nearby farmer's market and eventually plant some in his backyard

My favorite juice drinks to get while I'm there are always mosambi and annardana

[tryska]

nope.....we called them nellikai - looked like little yellow pumpkins....amla i guess is another word for it?

here's an artisitic representation....

http://www.tropilab.com/phyllantus-acidus.html

[BBhasin]

seems to resemble something called ' sadajam ' I came accross in calcutta. Where Jamun the purple one was called Kalajam.

[Schielke]

An Indian friend of mine claims that the best beverage to match with Indian food is Coca-Cola.

[bong]

nope.....we called them nellikai - looked like little yellow pumpkins....amla i guess is another word for it?

here's an artisitic representation....

http://www.tropilab.com/phyllantus-acidus.html

Phyllantus Acidus is what we call "aamloki" in Bengali. Extremely tart. Bengalis usually have them in a dried form (cut into wedges and then dried). The dried form looks black or very dark brown. Helps in digestion, I am told.

I didn't realize they were called "gooseberries"...

[tryska]

Phyllantus Acidus is what we call "aamloki" in Bengali. Extremely tart. Bengalis usually have them in a dried form (cut into wedges and then dried). The dried form looks black or very dark brown. Helps in digestion, I am told.

I didn't realize they were called "gooseberries"...

[zimbida]

Phyllantus Acidus is what we call "aamloki" in Bengali. Extremely tart. Bengalis usually have them in a dried form (cut into wedges and then dried). The dried form looks black or very dark brown. Helps in digestion, I am told.

You can find the dried powdered aamloki in aryuvedic stores for just that purpose - don't care for the stuff myself

[bong]

You can find the dried powdered aamloki in aryuvedic stores for just that purpose - don't care for the stuff myself

I was actually referring to not the powdered stuff, but actual dried wedges. But they (both the dry as well as the fresh ones) are not that bad with a bit of salt -- although you are right they require an acquired taste and are not for everyone.

[bong]

Anyway, coming back to the original question of "Indian" drinks - a favorite of mine is the fresh juice of a green cocunut. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and am lucky enough to find green coconuts in Chinese/Vietnamese grocery stores around here.

- buy green coconut.

- cut open the top with a cleaver.

- pour juice. strain if necessary. Voila! ready to drink.

As a bonus, some coconuts also have a thick flesh inside. Which you can scrape off with a spoon and eat. Yum!

[tryska]

fresh coconut juice doesn't leave you thirsty for water either.

[rks]

Among many "blue collar" Indians, tea is the preferred choice over a cold, refreshing beverage. Do they drink tea because it's rooted in their culture or because it's refreshing? I haven't been able to figure it out.

Some of my family who run one of the largest tea distributor and wholesalers in north India try to convince me tea is refreshing. Agree or disagree?

[anil]

Let's see - indian drinks

Banglu - a hooch in WBengal

Mahauva - a local booze made of ripe mahouva pods

Todi - From sap off the date trees

Feni - Cashew fruits based booze

Tharra - Extracted from discarded fruit peels etc...

[BBhasin]

Among many  "blue collar" Indians, tea is the preferred choice over a cold, refreshing beverage. Do they drink tea because it's rooted in their culture or because it's refreshing? I haven't been able to figure it out.

Some of my family who run one of the largest tea distributor and wholesalers in north India try to convince me tea is refreshing. Agree or disagree?

Agree.

And it may be both. Culture & refreshing.

After a while in the US perhaps I am getting weaned towards coffee.

Which reminds me

Cold Coffee. I remember DePauls in the Indian Oil building in CP in Delhi. Sipping chilled creamy coffee and watching the girls go by and visa versa.

Milk Shakes- did anyone mention that

Thandai- that wonderful milk beverage with ground almonds, flavored with saunf ( fennel). In Benares I belive you could ask the vendor for plain or with opium.

[Vikram]

Solkadhi, made from kokam and coconut milk, is the perfect drink to complement most Konkani food, especially when its served ice-cold.

Its creamy-sourness should make it go with most other types of Indian food, except where the coconut milk in it would clash too much - like really rich Mughlai maybe. The colour of the drink, a sort of pinky-violet can be a bit startling, but it does stand out. It can be drunk before, after or during the meal, and even functions as an impromptu curry, used to moisten leftover grains of rice.

Monica mentioned on another thread that you can get kokam abroad quite easily, so perhaps it shouldn't be too hard to try. I don't have a recipe, since I usually drink it in Konkani restaurants and don't make it at home, but this recipe from Ruth Davidar's excellent Indian Food Sense which she calls kokam saar sounds like it would work.

I'd experiment with it - solkadhi varies a lot. Anantshram makes it quite spicy and thin, Gajalee makes it creamy - too creamy I think. Solkadi, the late lamented restaurant of that name in Phoenix Mills, did it just right (its sister in Bandra Soul Fry does NOT do it right), I think I had a good one the other day in Highway Gomantak and also Sindhudurg. The ideal - or my ideal - has the texture of full cream milk and both sour and garlicky.

---------------

Kokum Saar (from Indian Food Sense)

Prep Time: 20 mins

Soaking Time: 30 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

3 cups/750 ml hot water

Half large shell/120 g freshly grated coconut, coarse ground

5 pieces dried kokum

1 cup/250 ml hot water

2 medium green chillies deseeded and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

A few chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Add 1 cup hot water to ground coconut, mix well, squeeze to get first milk, repeat twice more, adding 1 cup hot water each time. Strain and set aside. [NOTE FROM ME: OR JUST CHEAT AND USE COCONUT MILK IN CARTON OR POWDER, LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO KEEP DOING ALL THIS]

Soak kokum pieces in half cup hot water for 30 minutes, Rub vigorously between fingers [RESIGNING YOURSELF TO THEM BEING STAINED PURPLE] and squeeze to extract pulp. Add another half cup hot water to the same kokum. Extract pulp a second time, Strain and set aside.

Mix all ingredients together and place pan over low heat. Gradually raise temperature till kokum drink comes to the boil.

Remove from the fire. Cool to room temperature. Serve at the end of a heavy meal.

---------------

Davidar's book is a nutritionists approach to Indian cooking and not as dire as that sounds. It does mean though that each recipe comes with a whole bunch of info on calories and composition, which I'll spare everyone. Also, I like her recipes, but she can go to maddening detail or make things just sound too complicated. She is forever saying things like "line a colander with a cloth and pass the liquid through" when it should just be "take a sieve and strain". Still, its a good book,

Vikram

[Sonzy]

nope.....we called them nellikai - looked like little yellow pumpkins....amla i guess is another word for it?

here's an artisitic representation....

http://www.tropilab.com/phyllantus-acidus.html

Well Amla's latin name is Emblica Officinalis.

The picture that you see in this thread is of a "Ras-bhari" as Indians call it.

Amla is also called the Indian Gooseberry. Besides being the richest source of Vitamin C, it is best for boosting your immunity.

Ya, Ya, this is an Indian Cuisine Forum - but I thought since you talk about berries, they are more used for their medicinal values rather than as a food or in dishes.

Sonzy

www.sonzyskitchen.com

[Sonzy]

Which reminds me

Cold Coffee. I remember DePauls in the Indian  Oil building  in CP in Delhi. Sipping chilled creamy coffee and watching the girls go by and visa versa.

Balli (pyar se),

DePauls ki Coffee was excellent till recent times when we have the Baristas, the Qwiky's and the Cafe Nescafe(s) around the corner. Ab woh CP wali coffee has no DUM in it. Neither do the girls frequent that place. I wonder if you had Anjlika's Cold Coffee in Karol Bagh which still maintains its flavor.

Sonzy.

[BBhasin]

Which reminds me

Cold Coffee. I remember DePauls in the Indian  Oil building  in CP in Delhi. Sipping chilled creamy coffee and watching the girls go by and visa versa.

Balli (pyar se),

DePauls ki Coffee was excellent till recent times when we have the Baristas, the Qwiky's and the Cafe Nescafe(s) around the corner. Ab woh CP wali coffee has no DUM in it. Neither do the girls frequent that place. I wonder if you had Anjlika's Cold Coffee in Karol Bagh which still maintains its flavor.

Sonzy.

You are right brother, the last visit to Depauls was a disaster, in both respects. Also too crowded now.

Never tried the cold coffee at Anjlika in KB but will take your advise the next time I visit. Know the place since it started as a pastry shop years ago and then expanded upstairs and the street level takeout windows. I know the guy by his nickname. Was his last name aggarwal? Tried his chilli chicken ( the wet version) the last time I was there it was a No No, they serve it with Nothing, no rice or noodles. I had forgotten that in India you have to buy that seperately. Generally Anjlika's offerings are very good.

Now that we are in Karol Bagh. How about a glass of thanda jal jeera at the origional MDH store. Or perhaps this does not qualfy as a drink, the Faluda Rabri at the corner of Arya Samaj & Gurdwara ? road. A tall glass filled three forth with shaved ice, topped with faluda, rabri and rose syrup.

you seem from my neck of the woods

bhasin

[Sonzy]

Here is my pick

Jal jeera ( just use the MDH brand preapre it let it sit in your refrigerator for few hours, stirring once a while. I like to serve from the top sans the spice sediment at the bottom with a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon. It mixes well with Vodka too. Remember Rim Zim from India?)

Kanji if you cannot get the black carrots the reciepe calls for use regular ( organic are better) and add a few slices of beetroot for the purple color.

Panna raw mangoes baked on a low ashy charcoal ( Angeethi) fire untill they are soft. remove and blend pulp with sugar and water serve chilled, I am not too sure of the reciepe, its been a while.

Bhel(wood apple) Sherbet - very refreshing and cooling in summer

Sugar Cane Juicea friend told me that you can get it fresh in NYC

Nimboo Pani/Soda why leave this one out? add a zip to you sweet nimboo pani with a little salt and black pepper.

Rooh Afzareally cooling with chilled water/soda/milk

Rose Milk I remember this from my childhood in the summertime a nice cold rose soda poured into cold milk.

Phycologically coolong sherbets like the green 'KHUS'remember khus khus ki tatti?

and I am sure rksyou know good old lassi and its inumerable variations.

Pitchwhen we boiled rice in India we some times saved the drained out 'rice water' this was used for two things 1. starching clothes and 2 making a cooling drink by adding sugar and your favorite flavouring, usually rose or kewra.

Thats all this Punjabi knows but thank you for starting this thread. What perfect timing. Got to go and get some kucha mangoes now.

I am still stuck with Bhasin's post on beverages. He lists them all. Just my 2 cents on some of them.

Panna - my mom makes this best. Normally Panna available in all the sweet-meat shops is a hybrid between Jal Jeera and Panna.

Rimjhim - Bhasin, if you have ever been to Roshanara Club, they have this Raspberry Drink WIMTO.

When you mix some kala namak and shikanji masala in WIMTO, it leaves Jal jeera far behind.

Nimbu Soda - Modinagar has this vendor - Jain Shikanjvi Wala. Have you been there.

Kanji - let me give a $100 tip to everybody here. If anybody knows someone who has a stone in his kidney, give him Kanji regularly for 1 month whenever its the season of black carrots and the stone would dissolve in 1 month.

You didn't mention "Sattu Ka Sherbet" - typically people in North India have this. Sattu is a roasted flour powder which is mixed with black pepper and ice cold water and gives a feeling of fullness to the stomach. Very good for expelling the "agni" or gastric heat.

Sonzy :)

[tryska]

Well Amla's latin name is Emblica Officinalis.

The picture that you see in this thread is of a "Ras-bhari" as Indians call it.

Amla is also called the Indian Gooseberry. Besides being the richest source of Vitamin C, it is best for boosting your immunity.

Ya, Ya, this is an Indian Cuisine Forum - but I thought since you talk about berries, they are more used for their medicinal values rather than as a food or in dishes.

Sonzy

www.sonzyskitchen.com

yeah i've never heard rasbhari, but then again i'm south indian, so perhaps it is a difference in langugage. it was always either nellikai or gooseberry, and we typicaly used it to make juice from - or eat raw. also made into pickles if memory serves. so perhaps it's a regional difference, or familial for that matter.

[Sonzy]

I couldn't resist posting a simple Aam Ka Panna recipe for you guys ...

6 medium green mangoes

3 3/4th cups water

1 tsp cumin seeds (Dry-roasted and ground)

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1tsp salt

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp chopped mint leaves

12 ice-cubes (crushed)

Preparation:

Place the mangoes with water to cover in a sauce-pan and bring to boil.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain off the water and then peel, stone and pulp the mango with a spoon.

Place the pulp in a deep bowl. Add water, sugar, salt, chili and cumin. Whisk thoroughly.

Stir in the mint and whisk again.

Transfer it to a jug.

Serve chilled with crushed ice.

It has a good shelf life if you just keep the pulp with sugar , salt, cumin, chili, mint etc added to it and store it. You can add water whenever you want to serve. Sugar and salt act as preservatives.

Regards, Sonzy

[Sonzy]

Now that we are in Karol Bagh. How about a glass of thanda jal jeera at the origional MDH store. Or perhaps this does not qualfy as a drink, the Faluda Rabri at the corner of Arya Samaj & Gurdwara ? road. A tall glass filled three forth with shaved ice, topped with faluda, rabri and rose syrup.

you seem from my neck of the woods

bhasin

Right , now we are indeed in Karol Bagh.

The Rabri Faluda guy is still there at that corner. But if you want Rabri Faluda, Kamla Nagar or Chandni Chowk's Fatehpuri is the place. MDH (Roopak Stores) has now revamped itself and offers slush more than its "jeera"eted beverages.

Not to forget, Punjab Sweet Corner's Poori Chhole on Sundays (I don't know if you have been to Amritsar but PThe poori chhole at PSC are very similar to the all time famous Kanha's Poori Chhole). Just near KB, we have Paharganj with its famous Sitaram Halwai's shop who has been serving Paneer Wale Chhole Bhature for over 50 years now. Any given day, a person can just stand there and feed me as much as he wants :)

Back to beverages - do you have "Phalse" there in USA. I doubt. Phalse ka sherbet is so refreshing.

Sonzy.