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Pushpesh Pant
Move away colas and artificially flavoured squashes. Homemade traditional sherbets are here to rejuvenate a drained and dehydrated you this summer
It was in England — cold and damp in depressing winter — where the Bard could think of comparing his beloved to a summer day. Here in our beloved motherland in most parts of the subcontinent, summer is like living in a furnace. The sun is scorching, the body temperature rises, at times dangerously, and one is haunted by visions of tall glasses of cool drinks. They say nothing quenches thirst like plain water but believe us, it is only homemade sherbets with time-tested traditional ingredients that can really beat the heat and rejuvenate a drained dehydrated body and soothe delirious mind. There was a time not long ago when a cold drink meant a sherbet, not a boring cola or squash full of artificial colours, flavours, fragrances and sundry preservatives — a veritable chemical cocktail.
Our wise ancestors made a distinction between the temperature of the body (taap) and a sensation of burning (daah) that one feels but cannot be measured. Sherbets were designed to combat both kinds of torments. In ayurveda, recipes for sherbet/paniya are nothing less than prescriptions for oral rehydration to ward off sunstroke. The ingredients sought to blend thirst retardants (trishna nigraha) and aperitifs (uddipak, kshudha vardhak) and digestive (pachak) to stoke a sluggish appetite. The cold drink was meant to be a tasty tonic (paushtik) and coolant (jvarhar), in one word an effective restorative. For us, the seduction of swadesi cold drink has been irresistible due to the colourful spell they cast. Thandai (almonds, melon seeds in milk, at times laced naughtily with ‘grass’) is pure white, while gul gudhhal (hibiscus) and buraansh (rhododendron) are scarlet, bael (wood apple) tempts with delicate yellow and faalsa teases with a tint of violet. Aam panna is refreshing green, a balm for sore eyes. Some sherbets are prepared ritually like saunf ka sherbet at Ganga Dasehra, others are exotic regional specialties like sarsaparilla syrup in Kerala. We have recently discovered the joys of kokum sherbet that is popular all along the western coast of India.
Our talented chef friend Sneha Saikia wowed everyone a few months back with her mangostein drink — a close cousin of kokum. And this list is far from complete. There are fruit-based sherbets and those that use a flower as the foundation. Some work with herbs known to have therapeutic properties while other cold drinks are fortified with dried fruits and nuts. “Melting sugar with application of indirect (solar) heat is considered essential in some recipes. But don’t let the legend and lore deter you. You can use blenders and mixers to save time and drudgery. Anything is better than the mass-produced bottled ‘soft’ drink, packed with hazardous synthetic stuff labelled deceptively!
We gratefully acknowledge our debt to late Hakim Safdar Nabab sahib of Lucknow and Sahitya Akademi award-winning novelist Aka Sarawagi for guiding us through the bewildering maze of Indian sherbets, patiently explaining that a sherbet can be many things — a shikanji is a sherbet, a lemonade is not. Ditto for nimbu paani. Our advice is don’t fall for the fizz or evanescent bubbles. Preparing a sherbet at home requires some patience and skill but it is worth the trouble. Treat yourself to the real taste of fruits and fragrance of flowers. Let all colours in the glass of happiness about to overflow be natural.
Bael ka sherbet
Ingredients
Method
Break open the hard shell of the fruit. Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the pulp. Put it in a bowl and mash well with a ladle to blend. Add one cup of water. Mix and sieve through fine muslin cloth or soup mill several times to ensure no fibres remain. Add two cups of water and sugar. Bring to boil. Keep boiling on low flame for about seven minutes. Add cardamom powder and rock salt. Boil for 30 seconds more. When cool, add lemon juice. Dilute with cold water to preferred consistency.
Kokum ka sherbet
Ingredients
Method
Soak kokum overnight or for two to three hours in lukewarm water. Filter two to three times through fine muslin cloth to remove dried coarse skin and fibre. Put in a pan, along with sugar and two cups of water. Boil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
When cool, squeeze the juice of two lemons and stir in powdered cumin and rock salt. Dilute with chilled water before serving.
Thandai
Ingredients
Method
Boil milk in a thick-bottomed pan till it reduces to almost half its volume. Cool. Soak the nuts, except pistachio and whole spices over night. Remove skin from the almonds. Grind all ingredients to a smooth paste. Mix in milk to blend well. Add cardamom seeds and peppercorns. Blend in a mixer in a short burst. Pour thandai into glasses after sieving through fine muslin to remove coarse residue. Garnish with pistachio slivers and rose petals. In winters, you could use a few strands of saffron. Dilute only if you prefer a watery drink.
Let the ice cubes melt slowly and lighten the thandai.
Faalse ka sherbet
Ingredients
Method
Wash the faalsa berries well. Put in a pan with three cups of water and sugar. Bring to boil. Reduce flame and keep boiling for five minutes. When cool sieve the water and reserve for later use. Rub the boiled berries to remove skin and stones. Discard stones and mix the skin and pulp well with reserved water. Blend, check sugar to taste and boil for two more minutes to obtain a thick syrup. Pour in glasses and dilute with cold water to desired density. Sprinkle a little powdered cumin seeds and black rock salt just before serving.
Aam panna
Ingredients
Method
Boil the mango, or better still scorch it well over open flame till the skin is blistered. Remove the pulp. Mash well. Mix with two cups of water and sugar. Add powdered cumin seeds and black rock salt. Bring to boil. Reduce flame to medium low. Remove scum periodically. Cook for about five to seven minutes. Cool and serve with a garnish of mint leaves.
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