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pudina_shikanji

This is one of the most refreshing drinks possible. Its an age old recipe handed down generations. Days when no soda or tang powders were available, these drinks were used to quench thirst and aid digestion alike. I happened to try this as a welcome drink at Made In India-1947. Its a restaurant on ring road (Bangalore) having a nice ambiance and great food. What strikes me about this place is the limited number of options they have in each category. If you want a cold beverage there are only 2-3 options. Same goes for soups, starters, etc; However, whatever they serve is really up to the mark. Another thing thats note worthy is that the place is always on high demand although its completely vegetarian! Yes, very few such pure veg restaurants in Bangalore which are running well. The first one that comes to mind is of course MTR!
Pudina Shikanji is a drink that has been perfected at Made In India-1947 and I have been meaning to try it for a while now. Its really easy to make although you need to carefully follow certain tips mentioned below.  Dont let the cold weather stop you from trying this one out.  You can minus the ice cubes if you like.

Ingredients  :

  • 1 cup Pudina / Mint leaves
  • A Small piece of Ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 Lemon

Procedure :

  1. Boil sugar with double the quantity of water. Ensure you do this over slow flame till the sugar melts completely. Allow the syrup to cool.
  2. Wash pudina leaves well and grind with ginger, black salt and a small quantity of water.
  3. Strain the pudina juice into a bowl. Add sugar syrup as per your taste.
  4. Add ice cubes. Taste the mix and add a small quantity of water if required.

Please note :

  1. Its important to slowly dissolve sugar in water to get a syrup of the right consistency. Its not recommended to directly add sugar in the juice at the end as the taste of cooked sugar is different.
  2. Black salt should preferably be ground with mint leaves and not added as a powder at the end.
  3. The lemon should not be squeezed too much. The juices that are released from the rind make the drink bitter. It helps to use a lemon press.
  4. Its advisable to add ice cubes, wait and then taste the drink before adding water. If you add water initially itself the taste could get diluted.

Ice_cubes

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