So I experimented with making a dried black lime beverage.

After a few trials, I have settled on a mint-infused dried black lime cooler recipe that I’m about to share with you. This drink pairs wonderfully with Indian meals – its tart-sweet-earthy flavor balances the spices in the food, and the fresh mint adds a cooling contrast.

For readers who have never heard of dried black limes before, let me talk about this mystery ingredient first.

What are dried black limes?

I was introduced to dried black limes through Afghani food channels, around the time I discovered borani recipes. Its culinary use in stews (pierce; cook along with broth; exclude when eating) and appearance (brittle; black; hollow) had my curiosity piqued.

I found a small pack of dried limes on Amazon and ordered it to make a vegetarian version of ghormeh sabzi. [The debut attempt didn’t turn out well enough to document – hopefully a refined version will make it to the blog one day.]

Dried black limes proved to be as interesting in reality as they were online. This ingredient comes from fresh limes traditionally sun-dried over days – the loss of moisture gives them their long shelf life and dark hue. When simmered in hot liquid, they rehydrate and release their intense “smoky citrussy” flavors, redolent in a way of nimbu ka achaar.

This summer drink is one of the simplest ways of enjoying the signature pungency of dried black limes.

Ingredients:

Some links below are amazon.com affiliate links. The Steaming Pot will earn a small commission if you buy via the links, at no additional cost to you.

[For 6 glasses]

• Dried black limes – 4 [buy here]
• Water – 1.5 liters
• Sugar – 6 tablespoons (*adjust to taste)

For serving:

• Fresh mint leaves
• Ice cubes

Equipment: mortar / molcajete and pestle, saucepan

*I normally add lower sugar than what’s considered usual – not in this recipe though. Dried black lime cooler needs a generous amount of sweetness to balance its acidity. I tried reducing the quantity of sugar in the early recipe trials and felt the drink was too sour. A tablespoon of sugar per 250ml of water it is, then.

How To Make Dried Black Lime Cooler:

Place four dried black limes in a large mortar or molcajete.

With a few firm hits with the pestle, crack the limes open. You can stop pounding when each lime has opened up – need not grind to powder.

Transfer the cracked dried limes into a pan, and add 1.5 liters of water.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. The bubbling water would turn dark as the dried limes release their juices and flavor.

Switch off the heat, and stir in the sugar till it dissolves.

Let the pan cool naturally to room temperature. Strain the drink into a clean bottle or jug with a tight-fitting lid, and discard the cooked black lime bits. Transfer the drink to the refrigerator to chill.

Dried black lime cold drink is ready to serve.

To Serve:

Place ice cubes into each glass. Drop in fresh mint leaves. Pour over the dried black lime drink. Enjoy!

Pairing Suggestions:

Dried black lime cold drink gives great company to Middle Eastern/Persian-adjacent Indian meals, such as vegetable pulao, gobhi musallam with flatbreads, kaddu borani and parathas.

FAQ:

Q. Can dried lime cold drink be stored for later use?

Yes. You make this drink in a large batch, strain and refrigerate it, and have it over 3-4 days. Note: for best taste, add fresh mint leaves only when serving.

Q. Can I reduce the quantity of sugar in this recipe?

I tried that and felt it left the drink too sour. Adapt the sweetness to your taste though. My own preference, if I want to consume less sugar, is using smaller serving glasses and/or adding more mint and ice.

Q. Can I use fresh limes instead of dried limes in this recipe?

No! If you have on hand fresh limes not dried, then go for other beverage recipes such as this lemon and strawberry cooler.

Q. I found a pack of dried limes but they are not black – they are brown (or yellow). Are they the same?

I have not done a taste test so cannot say whether the lighter-color dried limes taste any different from black limes. Online sources mention that the black ones are more strongly pungent. Maybe try substituting them in this recipe and share how that worked out?

Q. Some recipes call for removing the seeds from dried black limes before cooking, as the seeds make the dish bitter. Should that be done in this recipe?

I let the seeds remain and only strain the drink before serving. Skip the deseeding – the drink is delicious without the extra step!

Related Recipes:

Interested in other recipes with unusual-for-Indian-cooking ingredients? Explore:

Looking for more summer drink ideas? Try out our aam panna, sattu jaljeera, banana peanut smoothie.

Quick-reference recipe card:

Print

Dried Black Lime Cooler with Fresh Mint

Dried black lime cooler - a chilled summer drink with the signature pungency of dried black limes and the freshness of mint.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Fusion

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cooler

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Cooling and Refrigeration Time 4 hours hours

Servings 6

Author The Steaming Pot

Equipment

• mortar / molcajete and pestle
• saucepan

Ingredients

• 4 Dried black limes (loomi)
• 1.5 liter Water
• 6 tbsp Sugar (adjust to taste)

For serving:

• Fresh mint leaves
• Ice cubes

Instructions

• Place four dried black limes in a large mortar or molcajete.
• With a few firm hits with the pestle, crack the limes open. You can stop pounding when each lime has opened up - need not grind to powder.
• Transfer the cracked dried limes into a pan, and add 1.5 liters of water.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. The bubbling water would turn black as the dried limes release their juices and flavor.
• Switch off the heat, and stir in the sugar till it dissolves.
• Let the pan cool naturally to room temperature. Strain the drink into a clean bottle or jug with a tight-fitting lid, and discard the cooked black lime bits. Transfer the drink to the refrigerator to chill.
• Dried black lime cold drink is ready to serve.

To Serve:

• Place ice cubes into each glass. Drop in fresh mint leaves. Pour over the dried black lime drink. Enjoy!

The post Dried Black Lime Cooler with Fresh Mint appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

It wouldn’t be far off to say that when goji berries and Chinese dates come together in tea, they are like Doctor Strange and Iron Man joining forces. One’s got healing properties revered in Chinese medicine, wrapped in a dry mild tartness; the other’s spunky and sweet and loaded with – what else – iron. Both take a while of slow simmering to release their flavors and goodness, and complement each other’s tastes.

Though media claims of their superpowers occasionally go into the realm of fantasy, there is no denying that goji berry tea with Chinese dates is an immensely soothing concoction.

On to the recipe. This may not be the traditional way of making goji berry tea as the recipe has been received via word of mouth – there may have been loss in transmission (Chinese whispers, if you will) and some adaptation for personal taste. I have experimented with boiling for different duration, changing the quantities of the ingredients, and eventually settled for the recipe as I lay out below.

You Need:

[for 1 cup of goji berry tea]

• Dried goji berries/wolfberries – 1/2 tablespoon (buy on Amazon)
• Dried Chinese dates/red dates/jujube – 2 or 3 (buy on Amazon)
• Water – 1.5 cups

The links above are amazon.com affiliate links. The Steaming Pot will earn a small commission if you buy via the links, at no additional cost to you.

How To Make Goji Berry Tea with Chinese Dates:

Slit a cross at the ends of each date. Soak the dates in half a cup of water for 6-8 hours.

Transfer the soaked dates, along with the water they were soaked in, into a thick-surfaced saucepan. Add goji berries, and then water – remember to add some extra per cup to allow for reduction during boiling.

Bring to a bubbling boil.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

You will find the water now colored a beautiful amber, and the goji berries swollen and bursting.

Cover and let the tea steep for at least another 15 minutes. [I sometimes let it stand for several hours for an even richer flavor, and reheat just before drinking.]

Goji berry tea / wolfberry with Chinese dates is ready.

Enjoy the tea hot, with a spoon for eating the dates and goji berries floating in the tea.

Notes:

The post Goji Berry Tea with Chinese Dates appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Before the recipes, let’s talk first about the hurdles you may have to cross if you aren’t juicing as much as you’d like to.

How To Get Yourself To Do More Juicing

Do you think a juicer is a waste? Do you identify with this chain of events?

Buying a juicer super-enthusiastically, 
Juicing 3 days in a row, enthusiasm waning with every use,
Letting the juicer languish on the kitchen counter till the appliance begins to gather dust,
Placing the juicer in a far corner of the store room out of everyday reach,
Forgetting the juicer for eternity.

Many I know went through that cycle.

Giving up on juicing: Why does this happen?

It’s usually one of these reasons:

Bash The Bottlenecks!

You can take easy action to make juicing interesting and easy to you.

And now for the juicing plan for 7 days (Monday to Sunday).

7-Day Juicing Plan

The plan gives you two or three key ingredients to put in each juice – you can embellish it with other ingredients. A dash of kala namak (black salt) or a squeeze of lime can do wonders as flavor enhancers.

This plan follows the "eat the rainbow" approach – it tries to balance the reds and greens and yellows and purples through the week, so that you get a wide spectrum of nutritive value with juices.

Click on the title or picture to take you to the recipe details.

DAY 1: Monday Mint
Apple Cucumber Mint Juice

A fresh beginning – just so right to start with mint, which also means ‘new’. With apple and cucumber juice as the base.

DAY 2: Ruby Tuesday
Watermelon Pomegranate Beetroot Juice

An onslaught of red, and a megadose of vitamins and minerals – watermelon pomegranate beetroot juice.

DAY 3: Tropical Wednesday
Pineapple Grapefruit Juice

Tropical gorgeousness. Pineapple grapefruit juice, with fresh herbs and roasted cumin.

DAY 4: Herby Thursday
Cucumber Coriander Mint Juice

Green juice loaded with the goodness of coriander, mint and cucumber. A squeeze of lime, a dash of honey. Easy on the waist – as well as on the wallet.

DAY 5: Black Friday
Grape Beetroot Basil Juice

Grape, beetroot, basil – each a treasure trove of nutrients – together produce a deep-hued, health-boosting juice with healing properties.

DAY 6: Saturday Ap-pear-ance
Pear Mint Ginger Juice

The weekend makes an appearance – welcome it with a sweet, aromatic pears in juice. Fortified with fresh mint and ginger.

Day 7: Sunday Sunshine
Melon Orange Ginger Juice

In yellow-amber hues of happy sunshine, melon orange juice is as much a delight to the eye as it is to your health.

Notes:

A few things to keep in mind while you follow this 7-day juicing plan.

The juicing recipes under this 7-day plan use more fruit than vegetables. If you are juicing to lose weight, you might want to shift from ingredients with high natural sugar (e.g. pomegranate, beetroot) to those with low natural sugar (e.g. cucumber, spinach). Check with your nutritionist for your specific dietary needs.

Juicing removes much of the fibre from fruits and vegetables, and it’s said that that makes it less healthy than raw fruit. I see some things in favor of juice over raw fruit, though.

(i) You can consume more of something juiced than raw. You might not eat 3 carrots at a time, but you can drink the juice of 3 carrots in one go.

(ii) You can add small quantities of an ingredient to your juice that you wouldn’t touch raw. You might not like raw broccoli but you wouldn’t know it if you mixed a little into fruit juice.

Enjoy juicing! And share your juicing recipes too.

The post Juicing Recipes: 7-Day Plan appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

This pear mint ginger juice dresses the goodness of raw ginger and mint in a pear base. Ginger and mint have digestive/medicinal properties; combined with pears, this juice works wonderfully as a palate cleanser.

Use a hard, crunchy variety of pear for juicing. I have used golden pear in this recipe.

You Need:

[per glass]

• Golden pears – 1 large/2 medium
• Mint leaves – 1 small bunch
• Ginger – 1/2 inch knob

How To Make Pear Mint Ginger Juice:

Wash the mint leaves, ginger and pears very well. Lightly scrape the ginger. Let the skin remain on the pears.

Stack the ingredients in the juicer funnel: ginger first, then mint leaves and the pears on top. If the pears are too big for the juicer funnel, halve or quarter them before putting them through the funnel.

Activate the juicer and collect the juice in a mug.

To serve pear mint ginger juice:

Add a sprig of mint leaves into the glass. Add a few ice cubes. Pour in freshly extracted juice. Float a few more mint leaves on the surface.

Serve pear mint ginger juice immediately.

Variation:

Add more greens to the juice: spinach, coriander, kale work well with pears.

Notes:

Try these Indian beverage recipes using mint: salted lassi, green mango panna, sattu jaljeera.

The post Pear Mint Ginger Juice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Is there a delight greater than discovering that tasty comfort food is also extremely healthy, and that extremely healthy is also extremely affordable?

This sattu jaljeera drink combines sattu with jaljeera (cumin-based spice). It is really quick to put together and needs no cooking or fancy processing equipment. A great choice for “shortcut” breakfast or post-workout drink.

Sattu can be made at home, though I generally get a good-quality store-bought one from Bihar. You can also find sattu online (Amazon affiliate link). The taste may vary by brand; when buying, do ensure that it is roasted flour and needs no cooking.

You Need:

[per serving]

• Chilled water – 300 ml
• Sattu (roasted gram powder) – 2 heaped tablespoons
• Jaljeera powder* – 1 heaped teaspoon
• Roasted cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Freshly crushed black pepper – a pinch
• Lime juice – 1 teaspoon
• Fresh coriander/mint leaves – a few sprigs

*I use Everest jaljeera powder, which can be substituted with a blend of these spices: dried mango powder (amchoor), rock salt, mint, cumin, black salt (kala namak), chili, black pepper, dry ginger, asafoetida.

In the pic above: jaljeera powder, sattu powder.

In the pic above: freshly crushed black pepper, roasted cumin powder.

How To Make Sattu Jaljeera:

Take two tablespoons of sattu and a teaspoon of jaljeera powder.

Adjust the quantity of sattu to your liking: more than two tablespoons if you want a denser sattu jaljeera drink, less than two tablespoons if you want a lighter drink.

Add 300ml of water and whisk really well. Make sure no dry powdery lumps remain in the drink. Stir in roasted cumin powder, freshly crushed black pepper and lime juice.

Add finely chopped or crushed fresh herbs (coriander/mint).

Sattu jaljeera is ready to drink. Serve immediately.

Tip: Sattu tends to settle. Remember to serve with a straw or a stirrer.

Notes:

Bihari homes use sattu in forms other than drinks, too. Try sattu paratha, sattu chokha or littis.

The post Sattu Jaljeera: Traditional, Low-Cost Indian Superfood Drink appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

Is there an alternative? You are in luck – I have a solution for you.

Now, when you want to make a peanut butter smoothie – you do not have to have peanut butter on hand. Use whole peanuts! Let me show you how, in this banana peanut smoothie.

[ Jump to Recipe ↓ ]

Banana peanut smoothie is packed with energy and nutrients – great for you if you are working out to build strength.

Ingredients:

[serves 2]

• Banana – 1 ripe
• Peanuts (shelled) – 1/3 cup
• Milk – 2 glasses, chilled
• Honey (or a sweetener of your choice) – to taste (optional)

Some links below are amazon.com affiliate links. The Steaming Pot will earn a small commission if you buy via the links, at no additional cost to you.

Equipment: blender, tava (or similar roasting pan)

How To Make Banana Peanut Smoothie Using Whole Peanuts:

Freeze the banana:

Place the banana in the freezer for two hours before you plan to make the smoothie.

Freezing the banana before blending gives the smoothie a thicker, creamier texture.

The usual technique of freezing bananas is peeling, slicing and then freezing. This is useful when you want to use the bananas much later. But if you plan to make this smoothie in a couple of hours, it is far more convenient to pop a fresh banana skin-on into the freezer. After two hours, take the banana out and peel it. If too hard to peel by hand, use a knife. This method eliminates the need for pans/freezer-safe bags and, since the banana isn’t frozen too hard, it is easier on the blender blades.

Grind the peanuts:

Dry roast the peanuts on low flame in a thick-bottomed pan, till they turn a shade darker and give off a pleasant roasted aroma. This should take 4-5 minutes.

Let the peanuts cool. You can remove the skin if you want a lighter-colored / milder-tasting smoothie: rub the peanuts gently between your dry palms – this will make the skin fall off.

Place the peanuts in the blender first, and pulse for a minute. Open the lid and check if there is ground peanut sticking to the sides of the blender jar (this happens with mine!) – if so, scrape it back in. Pulse for another minute.

Blend it all together!

Peel the banana and transfer it into the blender jar. Add half a glass of chilled milk and honey/sweetener (if using). Pulse everything together till the banana has blended.

Now add the rest of the milk and pulse for another minute, or till smooth.

Pour banana peanut smoothie into tall glasses. Drink immediately!

Tips:

Adding a little milk at first, instead of all of it in one go, helps to blend the bananas better. If you add all the milk together, you would likely need to blend longer – this has a warming effect, not something you want happening to the smoothie.

Do you know that it is super-easy to make peanut butter at home? You can skip the spices to make basic peanut butter and store it, then use that directly for peanut butter smoothies.

I like about half a banana per glass of smoothie, but go ahead and put a whole banana if you prefer it that way. Adjust the amount of milk/sweetener in that case.

FAQ:

Q. Can I skip the honey or sweetener altogether?

Ans: Yes of course! Adjust the sweetness of the smoothie depending on the sweetness of the banana and your own preferences.

Q. Can I make the smoothie ahead and store it for later consumption?

Ans: I’d recommend not to store it after blending, as the taste of the banana deteriorates after it is blended. You can, as an alternative, do steps 1 and 2 ahead of time: freeze the banana and roast / grind the peanuts. When the time comes to serve the peanut banana smoothie, that’s when you blend things.

Q. Can I skip the roasting and use raw peanuts?

Ans: Don’t. Raw peanuts will not taste as good as roasted in this smoothie, and they are also tougher to digest than roasted. If you really want to skip the process of roasting, buy yourself a pack of pre-roasted unsalted peanuts.

Related Recipes:

Explore other fruity milkshake recipes:

For more ways to include bananas in your breakfast, check out our fruit and nut dalia or banana cranberry chia pudding.

Print

Banana Peanut Smoothie Using Whole Peanuts

Course Drinks

Cuisine Fusion

Diet Vegetarian

Keyword milkshake

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Blend & Serve 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author The Steaming Pot

Equipment

• blender, tava (or similar roasting pan)

Ingredients

• 1 Banana (ripe)
• 1/3 cup Peanuts (shelled)
• 2 glasses Milk chilled
• Honey (or a sweetener of your choice - to taste (optional))

Instructions

• Place the banana in the freezer for two hours before you plan to make the smoothie.
• Freezing the banana before blending gives the smoothie a thicker, creamier texture.
• The usual technique of freezing bananas is peeling, slicing and then freezing. This is useful when you want to use the bananas much later. But if you plan to make this smoothie in a couple of hours, it is far more convenient to pop a fresh banana skin-on into the freezer. After two hours, take the banana out and peel it. If too hard to peel by hand, use a knife. This method eliminates the need of pans/freezer-safe bags and, since the banana isn't frozen too hard, it is easier on the blender blades.

Grind the peanuts:

• Dry roast the peanuts on low flame in a thick-bottomed pan, till they turn a shade darker and give off a pleasant roasted aroma. This should take 4-5 minutes.
• Let the peanuts cool. You can remove the skin if you want a lighter-colored / milder-tasting smoothie: rub the peanuts gently between your dry palms - this will make the skin fall off.
• Place the peanuts in the blender first, and pulse for a minute. Open the lid and check if there is ground peanut sticking to the sides of the blender jar (this happens with mine!) - if so, scrape it back in. Pulse for another minute.

Blend it all together!

• Peel the banana and transfer it into the blender jar. Add half a glass of chilled milk and honey/sweetener (if using). Pulse everything together till the banana has blended.
• Now add the rest of the milk and pulse for another minute, or till smooth.
• Pour banana peanut smoothie into tall glasses. Drink immediately!

The post Banana Peanut Smoothie Using Whole Peanuts appeared first on The Steaming Pot.

The remarkable thing about this juice, at least for me, is that it makes basil juice palatable. Basil’s flavor is so strong and I can’t get myself to take in more than a leaf or two at a time. When blended with grape and beetroot though, the herb’s flavor is diffused and it becomes possible to consume a lot more of its goodness.

You Need:

[per glass]

• Basil leaves* – small bunch
• Beetroot – 1
• Dark grape** – 100 grams
• Black pepper – a pinch (optional)

*Any variety of basil will do. I have used Thai basil this time though I often use the Indian basil in juice.

** I have used Red Globe grapes, as that’s what I find most easily. Can be replaced with any type of red/purple/black grape – the color and sweetness of the juice can vary somewhat with the substitution.

How To Make Grape Beetroot Basil Juice:

Wash basil, beetroot and grapes very well.

[I peel the beetroot if I can’t get hold of organic, else let the skin remain.]

Stack the ingredients in the juicer funnel: basil first, then beetroot and grape.

Activate the juicer and collect the juice in a mug. Stir in a pinch of pepper.

To serve grape beetroot basil juice:

Add ice cubes to the glass, and pour in freshly extracted juice. Float a few basil leaves and grape slices on the surface.

Serve grape beetroot basil juice immediately.

Tip:

If this juice is excessively dense/sweet for your taste (happens to me with certain varieties of grapes), add a portion of chilled water and a squeeze of lime to the juice.

Notes:

Looking for creative ways to include beetroot in your meals? Try red beetroot rice, chukandar ka raita, beet parathas.

The post Grape Beetroot Basil Juice appeared first on The Steaming Pot.