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Jaljeera

South Asian · 10 min · Easy · 4 glasses

Jaljeera

A dark, herby, aggressively savory spiced water — mint, cilantro, tamarind and roasted cumin. Drunk as an appetiser, and it genuinely works as one.

~30 cal per serving — Calories are approximate, per serving — a guide only.

gluten-freenut-freesoy-freeoil-freegrain-freelow-calorie
Plan it:

Method

  1. 1

    Blend the green paste

    ⏱ 1 min

    Blend the mint, the cilantro, the roasted cumin seeds and the tamarind paste with a splash of water into a dark green paste. Keep going until there is no leaf texture left.

  2. 2

    Dilute and season

    Scrape the paste into a jug and whisk in the cold water, the black salt, the lemon juice and the sugar. It should look cloudy and murky-brown — that is correct.

  3. 3

    Rest, strain and serve

    Leave it for 20 minutes so the flavors settle together, then strain if you want it clean or leave it rough. Serve very cold, ideally with a little boondi floated on top.

Notes

Jaljeera is supposed to be startling — sour, salty and herbal well before it is sweet. If it tastes pleasant and mild, add more black salt and lemon. Roasting the cumin seeds first is the single biggest improvement available.

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