Recipe: Give the summer heat a tropical tangy twist with Kokum Cooler
A refreshing summer drink made from coarsely pounded red chillies and jaggery? We are already drooling!
Mindful eating and developing a sustainable lifestyle that anyone can follow independently is the secret to a balanced health and fitness-oriented approach to life where one works with the foods they are familiar with and eat every day, removing the need to make drastic changes to the way they eat or live in order to make them happier yet healthier and stronger. In lieu of the same, we decided to check into the pantry and whip up a tropical tangy summer drink, Kokum Cooler, made from the spices and ingredients that can easily be found in our kitchens.
A refreshing summer drink made from coarsely pounded red chillies and jaggery? We are already drooling! Check out the recipe of Kokum Cooler below to beat the summer heat and thank us later:
Ingredients:
12-15 pieces of kokum
Salt to taste
Pinch of black salt
1/2 tsp coarsely pounded red chillies
1-1 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder (optional)
1/2 cup jaggery
Method:
Soak kokum in warm water overnight. Remove kokum pieces and put the liquid in a pan. Add the salt, black salt, cumin powder ,coriander powder, red chilli powder, ginger powder and jaggery and cook all together.
When the jaggery melts cook for few minutes and then remove from flame. Let it cool down Then store in a bottle. Add about 120ml in a glass, add ice cubes then pour soda or water ,stir once twice. Note: can adjust spices like sweet, sour and chillies according to taste.
(Recipe: Deep Health Coach and Nutritionist Simrun Chopra)
Benefits:
Kokum is a tropical fruit that is popular for its cooling properties and is also used as a medicine for burns and rashes, apart from being a great accompaniment in pickles and chutneys. It's juice helps fight allergies as well as acidity and kokum can also be helpful for weight loss, elevate mood and improve digestion.
Flu season, step aside as jaggery (or gud as it is popularly known in India) is here to the rescue! Jaggery in tea helps one to overcome the common cold and cough and is an easy ingredient found in Indian kitchens. It is rich in many vital vitamins and minerals, boosts immunity, keeps the body warm, helps treat cold and cough and controls the temperature of the body.
The molasses content in jaggery makes it more nutrient since this nutritious by-product of the sugar making process is removed while making refined sugar. Jaggery is rich in vitamins and minerals, makes for a great immunity booster, builds a shield against health ailments like cough and cold and leads to improved digestive health, anemia prevention, liver detoxification and improved immune function.