If you have never come across Gur or Gud ka sharbat, you have missed the most energetic and refreshing natural energy drink. Jaggery juice tastes very rustic and earthen. It is healthy and helps cool the body's heat.
As a child, I never came across it and Roof afza, Tang or jasmine (chambeli) sherbat were usual Ramadan drinks at home. But my hubby loves it and he grew making it for everyone at his home during Ramadan.
He would strain it 21 times and say durood Shareef each time. That's how my MIL had taught him. The ritual still continues not missing a moment of prayer in Ramadan, the holy month of Allah.
What is Gud ka Sharbat?
'Gur ka pani', gol pani, jaggery water or jaggery juice is nothing but jaggery dissolved in lots of water. When you chill this drink, it is amazingly cooling and a must for Ramadan Iftar. Gud ka sharbat is an unbeatable summer drink especially when a heatwave hits the country.
Benefit of Jaggery
I'm enumerating a few benefits of jaggery juice or gud ka sharbat consumption. For most results use fresh and pure jaggery without soda available usually in winters.
- Having jaggery after lunch and dinner prevents constipation by activating digestive enzymes.
- It heals flu-like symptoms, prevents respiratory disease.
- It detoxifies the liver and cleanses the body.
- Being high in iron jaggery also prevents anemia.
- It also boosts immunity.
- It’s also high in potassium and helps weight loss by reducing water retention and building muscles.
- It is a natural sweetener.
- The color of your jaggery drink depends on the type of jaggery used. Darker the better.
- Find more info about jaggery here.
Tips and Variations
- Whenever any recipe calls for jaggery and some water, you can use whole jaggery blocks and soak them 2 hours before in water. And this saves you from grating jaggery. Small pieces will be dissolved in 20 minutes, large pieces may take 2 hours.
- Jaggery Mollases: Heating jaggery with little water until jaggery dissolves make a molasses-like liquid. The strain that syrup and store it in a glass jar in the fridge for up to four months. This liquid can be used to make jaggery drink and as a sweetener. This liquid saves a lot of time. (Use ¾ cup water for every cup of jaggery.)
- Soak basil seed right before making sherbet, ( 5-10 min ahead). Soaking them for a long time makes them sticky and gelatinous which is not good in appearance.
- Jaggery lemon water or lemonade: Jaggery has a slight tinge of sourness naturally. You can add just a little lemon to let the drink shine with flavor. This lemon jaggery combo is often called jaggery lemonade or jaggery lemon water.
- Jaggery Cashew Drink: This combo is a next-level delight. I highly recommend it. Cashew, mint, cumin, black salt add striking flavor to jaggery water. Add fist full or about 50 grams cashew and other ingredients to the jaggery while soaking. Then blend the drink until smooth. Strain and follow the steps as it is to make a deliciously creamy white gud ka sharbat that tastes amazing. If you wish you can add a tiny green chili and a tiny piece of ginger too. Skip the basil.
How to make Gud ka sharbat?
- To make gud ka sharbat or jaggery juice, take water in a jug.
- Soak jaggery and mix well.
- When jaggery is dissolved strain it through a strainer. Strain twice.
- Soak basil seed for 5 minutes. Basil seed puff up. ( Basil seed will not puff if added directly)
- Mix soaked and puffed up basil seeds. Add lemon juice. Adjust the juice as per taste if required. Serve gud ka sharbat chilled with mint leaves.
Storage: This drink can be stored in fridge for 2 days.
Thirsty for drink? Check these!
- Strawberry Mint Lemonade
- Ginger Lemonade
- Mint Lemonade
- Aam Panna, Raw mango drink
📖 Recipe
Gud ka sharbat, Jaggery Juice
Ingredients
- 1 cup jaggery, tightly packed ,use good quality (desi gur)
- 4 cups water, (1 liter)
- 1 teaspoon basil seeds, (tukh malanga, sabja), optional
- 2-3 tablespoon lemon juice
- few mint leaves, and lemon slices for garnishing.
Instructions
- Soak jaggery in water. Soaking time will vary from 20 minutes to 2 hours. (Depending on size and hardness of jaggery pieces).
- When jaggery is dissolved strain liquid in a fine strainer to remove impurities.
- Now, soak basil in ½ cup water for 5 minutes.
- In a jug, mix jaggery water, basil seeds and lemon juice. Adjust the water and lemon quantity if required.
- Serve it chilled and garnish with mint leaves and lemon slices.
Notes
- You can always make it without basil seeds and lemon juice. Keep it simple jaggery water!
- Another variation is adding 1 tablespoon ginger powder and ½ teaspoon black salt.
- Jaggery Cashew Drink: Cashew, mint, cumin, black salt add striking flavor to jaggery water. Add fist full or about 50 grams cashew and other ingredients to the jaggery while soaking. Then blend the drink until smooth. Strain and follow the steps as it is to make a deliciously creamy white gud ka sharbat. If you wish you can add a tiny green chili and a tiny piece of ginger too. Skip the basil.
Marry says
What about adding honey? I make 1.5 glass with 1 normal piece of gurr and 1 tablespoon honey. And then cool it down. Hope honey is a good combo right? Still have cool effect?
Recipe 52 says
Just like jaggery, honey has amazing qualities. You can make Honey Drink by dissolving honey in water and have it warm or cold. Since, jaggery and honey both are natural sweeteners, I don’t find a reason to mix both. I recommend having both separately since they both have different herbal uses. By the way, taking honey with 7 black seeds (kaaloonji) is ultimate remedy to prevent many disease. Have a nice day.