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Nimbu Pani (Lemonade)

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It is a hot summer’s day. I hear Rosy, our cook, fixing lemonade for our son and his friends in the kitchen. The loud spoon clinking against the glass as she vigorously stirs the sugar into the lemon and water mixture reminds me of when we were kids.

Mom homeschooled us elder ones for a short while before we started schooling in a new town. Nanny was left in charge to make sure we did not goof off. Hearing our cook Daniel fixing lemonade the same way for our ‘elevenses’ signaled that a break was coming, which we were ever ready for!

Our lemon tree at home here gives us plenty of lemons. I fix a bunch of lemonade concentrate in 8 oz glass jars and freeze them. These are time savers when needed.

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Nimbu Pani (Lemonade)

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings 8
A refreshing homemade lemonade to beat the summer heat!

Ingredients

For the Lemonade Concentrate

  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup lemon juice (Remove the seeds, but keep a bit of the pulp)

To Make Lemonade

  • ¼ cup lemonade concentrate
  • ¾ cup water
  • ice cubes (to your preference)

Instructions 

  • In a nonreactive 3-4 quart saucepan, dissolve the sugar and water on medium heat.
  • Remove from the heat and set aside until cool. Approximately 30 minutes.
  • When cool, add the lemon juice, and stir together.
  • Store in an airtight glass bottle in the refrigerator. Suitable for about 10  days.

To Make Lemonade

  • Mix together the lemonade concentrate, water, and ice cubes. Do a taste test! And adjust by adding more lemonade concentrate or iced water.
  • Serve with a wedge of lemon or a few mint leaves.
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Indian
Keyword: juice, lemon
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In Drinks

Jal-jeera (Jeera Pani) (Sweet and Spicy Cumin Water)

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Jal-jeera or Jeera Pani is a drink made with spicy, sweet, and tangy ingredients. Chilled, it is a refreshing drink in hot summers and has many health benefits. I got this recipe from one of the many parties we attended when my husband served in the Indian Air Force. Recipe exchanges were never precise, and you would get, “Just put a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” It was up to one to create their exotic version and adjust it to one’s taste. So, while we may have served the same drink, it always tasted a little different.

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Jal-jeera (Jeera Pani) (Sweet and Spicy Cumin Water)

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 10
Jal-jeera or Jeera Pani is a chilled, refreshing Summer drink made with spicy, sweet, and tangy ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups water
  • 2 tsp dried ginger powder ("Sonth" in Hindi)
  • 2 tbsp rock salt (kala namak, black salt, so called due to its darker hue—you can buy this at any Indian or health food grocery store)
  • 1 tsp tamarind paste (heaped )
  • 1 tsp mint paste (about 20 fresh mint leaves)
  • ⅛ tsp chili powder (or to your taste)
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery (or gur, found in Indian grocery stores)
  • 1 tbsp white sugar
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp chaat masala (optional—found in Indian grocery stores)
  • Dash of black pepper, roasted cumin, and garam masala

Instructions 

  • Add all the ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil on medium heat while stirring often to dissolve the sugars.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Continue to stir occasionally.
  • Do a taste test. (FYI - Indians don't use the same spoon to taste and cook. It is considered 'jutha,' a word that conveys food contaminated by double dipping).
  • Adjust ingredients to your taste.
  • Strain the mixture into a glass jug (pitcher). Add the lemon juice. Stir and chill.
  • When chilled, pour in glasses, and serve garnished with mint.      
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: jal-jeera, jeera, pani
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