Food

Indian Summer Drinks – To Keep You Cool and Fresh

Lassi is a popular, traditional, yogurt-based drink from the Indian Subcontinent and is popular in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Lassi is a blend of yogurt, water, spices and sometimes, fruit. Traditional lassi (a.k.a., "salted lassi", or simply, "lassi") is a savoury drink, sometimes flavoured with ground and roasted cumin. Sweet lassi, however, contains sugar or fruits, instead of spices. Salted mint lassi is highly favoured in Bangladesh.

While the mercury in on rise and sun plays too hard, play your tricks too. Yes, replenish your body by supplying the nutrients it keeps on losing constantly in summer. Keep your body hydrated this summer with these must have Indian drinks this summer:

 

Butter Milk

Butter milk or chaas tops the list of one of the favorite but cheap Indian summer drinks. Made up of yogurt it is very good for digestion. An addition of black salt, spices and herbs can add more nutritional value to it and help you replenish the lost salt content from body.

Buttermilk refers to a number of dairy drinks. Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. This type of buttermilk is known as traditional buttermilk.
Butter milk.   Source

Lassi

Very famous in north India, lassi is a recipe made up of churned curd which is usually served with white butter on top. The addition of sugar not only keeps the glucose content in the body balanced but also fights dehydration. Lassi plus almonds is a great combination as it can make you go on by sustaining the energy requirement in your body.

Lassi is a popular, traditional, yogurt-based drink from the Indian Subcontinent and is popular in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Lassi. Source

Nimbu Pani

Nimbu pani or lemonade brings to you the goodness of lemon and sugar in summer. Very easy to prepare it is the cheapest thing you can think of as a summer drink which keeps you energized all day.

Nimbu Paani is a type of traditional limeade or lemonade from North India and Pakistan, especially prevalent in (both Indian and Pakistani) Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Sindh
Nimbu Paani. Source

Thandai

A single drink and so many benefits, thandai it is. A cool drink of India made up of milk, gulab jal, almonds, watermelon seeds,saffron, cardamom, this is the power house in summer. The cellulose in milk helps you survive for long without needing heavy food, the sugar keeps your body rich in glucose and the other herbs have a lot of benefits to count. So this a must during summer.

Thandai, also known as "Sardai", is a cold drink prepared with a mixture of almonds, fennel seeds, magaztari seeds (watermelon kernel), rose petals, pepper, vetiver seeds, cardamom, saffron, milk and sugar. This drink common in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan - mostly in Peshawar, Banaras / Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It is thought to be an energy drink
Thandai. Source

Coconut Water

Coconut water is the perfect combination of taste and health. It maintains the moisture level in the body as well as it has beneficial effects on skin and other body parts.

Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young green coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As growth continues, the endosperm matures into its cellular phase and deposits into the rind of the coconut meat
Coconut Water.  Source

Ganne ka Ras

The juice of sugarcane is something you will very easily find in Indian streets during summer. Not only appealing to taste buds, but also refreshing with good sugar content, it helps beat the heat in Indian way.

Sugarcane juice is the juice extracted from pressed sugarcane. It is consumed as a beverage in many places, especially where sugarcane is commercially grown such as Southeast Asia, South Asia, Egypt, Latin America and Brazil. Evaporated cane juice as an ingredient in prepared food and beverages indicates a sweetener (a sugar) derived from sugar cane syrup
Ganne ka ras (sugarcane juice). Source

Aam Panna

A summer drink of India which is made up of raw mangoes giving you the joy of tangy taste, it is in the hit list of summer drinks too.

Aam panna is an Indian drink renowned for its heat-resistant properties. It is made from green mangoes and is light green in color, and is consumed as a tasty and healthy beverage to fight against the intense Indian summer heat. Green mango is a rich source of pectin, which gradually diminishes after the formation of the stone. Unripe mango is sour in taste because of the presence of oxalic, citric and malic acids.Aam panna is an Indian drink renowned for its heat-resistant properties. It is made from green mangoes and is light green in color, and is consumed as a tasty and healthy beverage to fight against the intense Indian summer heat. Green mango is a rich source of pectin, which gradually diminishes after the formation of the stone. Unripe mango is sour in taste because of the presence of oxalic, citric and malic acids.
Aam Panna. Source

Sattu Drink

It claims its origin to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and is very helpful in surviving in the summer. Made from roasted chick peas powder and water, it is a bliss when coupled with salt, chopped onions, coriander leaves. It has high nutritional value with very low fat content. So all you figure conscious people, it is best for you.

Sattu is a flour consisting of a mixture of ground pulses and cereals from India. The dry powder is prepared in various ways as a principal or secondary ingredient of dishes.
Sattu Drink. Source

Mosambi Juice

The larger versions of lemons, these fruits when made into juice also serve as a very good coolant during summer leaving you wanting more of it.

Citrus limetta, alternatively considered to be a cultivar of Citrus limon, C. limon 'Limetta',[1] is a species of citrus, commonly known as sweet lime, sweet lemon, and sweet limetta. It is native to South- and Southeast Asia and cultivated in the Mediterranean Basin.
Mosambi Juice. Source

Jaljeera

Tangy tasting drink, it is a coolant as well as appetizer which is best served chilled. You can make this drink easily with cumin powder, tamarind and some other herbs. It serves you right for digestion

Jal-jeera, or jaljira, is an Indian beverage, or else the powder used to flavor this drink. In Hindi, "jal" means water and "jeera" means cumin. The beverage form is essentially lemonade and jaljira powder, and is a popular summer drink in India. It is sometimes served as an appetizer, as it is intended to "startle" the taste buds.
Jaljeera. Source

So Paisawapas wishes the uneasiness of your scorching summer decreases with these blessed Desi Drinks!!

 

by – Ishita Pandey
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