Would you like a refresher?
After we've already shared with you some facts about India and one of its classic recipes - Spicy Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan Bread - it's now time to stay refreshed and hydrated with the perfect Indian drink for summer - Ginger Tamarind Refresher.
This non-alcoholic drink is prepared using ginger, the famous root from India and China, and tamarind, which despite being from Africa, is mainly cultivated in India. It is this root and this fruit that, respectively, give the spicy and bittersweet flavor to this delicious refresher.
Without further information, we share the recipe with you:
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 600 ml water
- 70 g sour tamarind pulp or paste
- 225 g fresh ginger, preferably young
- 200 g sugar
- 1 L chilled club soda or 960 ml chilled water
Preparation:
- Bring 360 ml of water to a boil. Put the tamarind pulp in a heat-proof nonreactive bowl, and cover with the boiling water. Cover and let sit for about 1 hour, until the pulp has become soft and mushy.
- With clean hands, massage and squeeze the block to soften the pulp.
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl, pressing the pulp through the strainer with a large spoon. Discard the seeds and other solids left behind.
- Refrigerate the tamarind extract in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use, for up to 4 days.
- Rinse the ginger and gently scrub to remove any dirt. If the ginger is young, with thin skin, leave the skin on. Otherwise, peel. Cut into thin slices.
- In a medium pan, combine the ginger, sugar, and 240 ml water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and immediately remove the saucepan from the heat. Cover and steep for 10 minutes.
- Strain the ginger simple syrup through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the ginger.
- In a large pitcher, mix the tamarind extract and the ginger simple syrup together. Fill eight tall glasses with ice. Pour 120 ml of the tamarind-ginger syrup into each glass, top with 120 ml of the club soda or chilled water, and stir. Store any remaining tamarind-ginger syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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