Dried Black Lime Cooler with Fresh Mint

Name: Dried Black Lime Cooler with Fresh Mint
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 Dried black limes (loomi); 1.5 liter Water; 6 tbsp Sugar ((adjust to taste)); Fresh mint leaves; Ice cubes

17 Jul

I bought a pack of dried black limes a few months back. After one use, the rest of the pack sat dormant in the pantry. Recently I wondered if the limes were still fit for consumption – and learned to my pleasant surprise that dried limes store extremely well and should be usable for over a year.

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.

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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 it 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 into the liquid, redolent in a way of nimbu ka achaar.

When looking to buy, remember black dried limes may go by other names such as loomi / limoo Omani / limu Amani / Noomi Basra / Omani lime.

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

Ingredients:

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[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. I normally 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 that 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 for this drink 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 try making 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). What’s going on?

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. You could try substituting them in this recipe and share how it worked out.

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

I let the seeds remain and only strain the drink before serving. Found no problems. 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.

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