The mercury is soaring like never before.
That aerated or packaged cold drink or even that marketed as a so-called ‘ healthy drink’ just won’t cool you down.
Go local and go desi with these DIY time tested options which kept our ancestors healthy and cool as they will keep you too.
So read on and add to your cool quotient!!
AAM PANNA
The Ultimate Lip Smacking Heat Buster & Thirst Quencher
This native Indian drink is made from raw mangoes aka Keri or Ambi in Hindi.
This lip smacking tangy drink with the right amount of sweet and sour flavour is just what the doctor ordered to tackle the rising mercury.
It is remedial in nature and can beat heat and come even calm or prevent a heat stroke.
Aam Panna has many health benefits and the delightful, yummy taste is just an added bonus.
If I were to put this in filmy terms :
Aam Panna is to summers what Raj is to Simran and Anjali is to Raj.
Benefits
- Keeps you hydrated and your electrolytes in check
- A great immunity booster rich in vitamin A & C
- It’s great for your gut health
- Keeps the body cool hence keep heat strokes at bay
- A natural detoxifying agent
DIY RECIPE
Tempted to have your own Aam Panna drink or even a small gathering to keep your friends cool too?
Here’s a Quick and easy method:
Ingredients
1 raw mango , 2 cups water, 4 tablespoons sugar, 10-12 mint leaves for garnishing,
1⁄2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder,
1⁄2 teaspoon salt, 1⁄4 teaspoon black salt
Ice cubes while serving
Method:
- Take the raw mango and cook it for 10-15 minutes in one cup of hot water till it’s extremely soft.
- After the mango cools down, peel off the skin.
- Put the inner mango pulp into a blender along with all the other ingredients.
- Blend till it’s smooth now add the rest of the water.
- Serve the aam panna in a nice glass on the rocks and enjoy yourself.
- Add some mint leaves as garnishing
Be even cooler, Wear a T-Shirt that says:
Keep Cool and Drink Aam Panna:)
GOND KATIRA
Double Divine Crystal Magic
Sounds like this one is from another planet??
There was a time it was a staple summer drink and it is making a royal comeback with many online reels and videos.
Divine Double Role
Gond Katira has a twin personality.
It acts as a cooling agent in summer and gives warmth to the body in winters.
This is a magical natural edible gum.
It looks like small crystals and when soaked in water it becomes like a gel which then can be added to anything you desire. Right from a beverage to a salad or dessert.
Especially now with the soaring temperature Gond Katira aka Tragacanth Gum based drink should be your go to option.
Not to be confused with Gond laddu which is of course great for winters.
Like I said, Magical both ways.
DIY Recipe
Gond Katira Sherbet or Lemonade
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Gond Katira soaked overnight in water.
1 glass of water
Sugar/Honey to taste
Rose Water (optional)
Method:
The soaked crystals would have turned into a gel form. Add this into water with sugar or honey. Rose water or anything else that you fancy can be added.
Get creative, get cool too the Desi way.
Tip:
You can add this gel to your regular lemonade too and give it a nice twist and more cooling and hydrating benefits.
It’s the perfect partner to any summer beverage. The added texture to your drink will want you to stick like gel to the magical Gond Katira.
Benefits:
- Maintains hydration and regulates body temperature
- Improving digestion
- Enhances immunity
- A natural coolant
- Prevents heat strokes
- Nourishes skin giving it a natural glow
CUCUMBER JUICE
The ultimate thirst quencher!
Sounds too bland and dull that it certainly isn’t. Rather it’s the coolest one and the most economical and easy to make of the lot.
Sometimes basic is brilliant and the cucumber juice is testimony to the fact that most things great for humans don’t look or pretend to be fancy.
Simply put, the phrase “As cool as a cucumber” isn’t without reason.
It should be your daily drink for the whole family. Just don’t tell them what they are having till they are hooked to the Cool Cucumber juice.
DIY Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Cucumber slightly
1 Lemon juice
5g Mint w/o Roots5 g
1 cup water
½ teaspoon flaxseeds
Rock salt to taste
Method:
Wash and slice the cucumber without peeling the skin.
In a blender jar, add all the ingredients along with the cucumber.Blend all of it together.
Pour the juice into a glass and serve cold.
Benefits:
- The ultimate hydrating drink
- A natural detoxifying agent
- Helps in healing inflammations
- High in electrolytes keeps blood pressure regulated
- Boost immunity with its antioxidant properties
- High in fibre, it’s great for gut health
SATTU SHERBET
Refreshingly power packed!
Remember that ’90s item song ‘Main aayi hoon UP, Bihar lootne’ which made Shilpa the ‘it girl’ of Desi item numbers.
Well the cool and healthy Sattu Sharbat from MP and Bihar does just that.
It’s been the best organic and desi solution to steal away the summer heat for generations.
Shilpa Shetty popularised it amongst the newer generations in more recent times by promoting it on social media. She even promoted it on an online cooking show.
Ayushmann Khurana too is a fan of this simple, power packed energy cooling drink, that will surely steal away all the heat from your body.
DIY RECIPE
Ingredients:
1 glass water
2 spoonfuls of Sattu powder
Rock Salt to taste
For the Sattu Powder
Powdered Bengal gram (Chana) or
Dry roasted grains of Barley or Bengal gram ground to a fine flour.
You can decide upon the quantity as per your convenience.
You can make it and store it for further use.
Optional ingredients
Honey to taste
1 Lime Juice
Crushed Mint and Coriander leaves
¼ spoon roasted Cumin (Jeera) powder
Method:
Take a glass.
Add 2 spoons of Sattu Powder and Rock Salt to taste.
Fill the glass with water and mix well.
Your basic energy cooling Sattu Drink is ready.
If you wish to give it something extra, take your pick from any of the optional ingredients and give it your very own twist.
BENEFITS:
- Good source of nutrients and energy
- Rich in protein
- Good for weight loss
- It’s high on fibre
- Great for gut health
- A natural coolant
- Beats the ‘loo’ and can prevent fatal incidents caused by extreme heat
- Beneficial for Diabetics
That’s a cool wrap from us for you to sip over and make this summer a chilled out affair!!
Do tell us in the comments which of these recipes did you enjoy the most. Do you have any of your own Desi Cool options? Then do share with us.
Stay connected to this space for more such cool content.
