Summer is here and so is the need for delicious healthy summer coolers to quench our thirst. Drinking homemade sharbats is one of the natural ways to beat the heat and stay hydrated. Sharbat is usually a syrup made from fruit, flower extracts, and/or herbs. The syrup is then diluted with sugar, water and ice.
I have been a sucker for Badam (Almond) Sharbat all my growing years. I remember my mother used to make badam concentrate in summers. I would open the refrigerator and make myself a glass one after the other and before my siblings could lay a hand on it, the bottle of concentrate would have halved. That’s how much I loved it then and I still do.
It’s fairly simple to make a drink with concentrate. Just add few tablespoons of concentrate in a glass, add water and ice cubes. Mix well and enjoy. No need to add any sugar and stir endlessly. Every child can make it.
Before I share the recipe, here’s an interesting insight on sharbat. Did you know that, in India, sharbat was introduced by the Mughals in the 16th century, which was popularized by Babur in the Indian subcontinent who had sent for frequent loads of ice from the Himalayas to make this chilling beverage.
Almond sharbat also known as sherbet originated from Persia, which was flavoured with cardamom and kewra water. Since then, there have been many different versions of it. We will make one flavored with rose petals and musk melon seeds. Badam Sharbat is valued for its exceptional health benefits.
- Almonds are enriched with vitamin E, fibre, magnesium and omega 3 fatty acids. It is a natural brain tonic for memory enhancement. It’s also cools and calms your body.
- Rose petals on the other hand, are linked with stress reduction and relaxation. They are loaded with antioxidants. It’s a natural summer cooler. It improves digestion by calming your system.
- Muskmelon seeds are not only rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, K, E, niacin, zinc & magnesium but did you know that musk melon seeds are excellent to prevent seasonal flu. Keep the summer cold at bay by eating muskmelon seeds. They get rid of extra mucus in the body and help clear up congestion.
How to make this Concentrate?
Ingredients
- Raw Almonds- 1 cup (250 ml measuring cup)
- Filtered Water- 2 cups
- Raw unprocessed Sugar- 1 1/4 cup (depends how sweet you prefer. I don’t like it overly sweet)
- Black pepper peppercorn- 9-10
- Cardamom- 4 to 5 pods, slightly crushed
- Musk Melon seeds- 3 tbsps
- Rose Petals- 1/2 cup
- Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Instructions
- Rinse almonds and soak overnight or for 6-8 hours.
- In another bowl soak melon seeds, rose petals, peppercorns & fennel seeds for 2-3 hours
- Drain the water. Peel the almonds. Now, grind almonds, melon seeds, rose petals, fennel seeds & peppercorns into a fine paste. Use water to get a smooth thick paste.
- In a pan add water and sugar. Bring it to boil. Add crushed cardamom and simmer the syrup for 4-5 minutes.
- Now add the prepared almond paste and cook for 15 minutes on low flame or till the syrup thickens and reduces to almost half.
- Please remember that the syrup will also thicken on cooling.
- Once cooled, sieve the syrup with a soup strainer to get a smooth concentrate.
- Once it cools down, pour it into clean sterilized glass bottles.
How to prepare the Sharbat?
- To prepare a glass of sharbat, pour 2 tablespoons of concentrate in a glass and top it with cold water. Stir well. Check for taste. If you want you can add more concentrate. Once ok, add ice cubes if you like. Cheers to good health!
- You can also add this concentrate to cold milk and give it to your kids in summers.
Notes:
- Use indigenous variety of pink rose petals and not the ones used by florists. Damask roses are a powerfully fragrant variety and has a distinct flavor. You can use garden rose as well.
- I have used unprocessed raw cane sugar here.
- Store the Badam Rose Sharbat concentrate in the refrigerator for upto a month. Shake well before use.
- If you like to have more of rose flavor in the concentrate then, you can add couple of drops of rose essence or a tbsp of rose water.
