Jal Jeera
A sharp, thirst-quenching Indian cooler made with tamarind, lemon juice, and roasted cumin. It has a tangy, savoury profile with distinctive spiced notes from black salt and chilli.
Ground spices
14 gWhisked into the drink mixture (step 1)Everything else
Method
- In a large bowl, combine 527 g tamarind extract, 30.6 g lemon juice, 2.6 g ground black salt, 1 g ground seasoning, 1 tablespoon garnish ingredient, salt to taste, the ground spices, and 1 litre of water. Whisk thoroughly until fully blended, then refrigerate until well chilled.
- Scatter a layer of salt onto a shallow plate. Moisten the rims of 6 glasses with water, then dip the rims into the salt to create an even crust around the edges.
- Carefully divide the chilled cumin water among the prepared glasses, add ice cubes, and finish each glass with a slice to garnish.
Don't have something?
TamarindUse 180% of the weight of compressed tamarind; soak in three times its weight of boiling water for 15 minutes, knead, and strain out the thick pulp.
Dried mango powderUse 35% of the weight dissolved in two tablespoons of warm water. Provides sharp tang, though the resulting sauce will be lighter in colour.
Lemon juiceUse equal weight, added right at the end of cooking. Adds sharp acidity without the deep brown hue or pulpy thickness.
Dried mintUse about 30% of the weight of fresh mint. Rub between your palms to crush before stirring in; the flavour will be more intensely herbal and less bright.
Coriander leafUse equal weight, finely chopped. Adds fresh citrusy green notes, but lacks the cooling menthol lift.
Red chilli powderUse 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.
Kashmiri chilli powderUse 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.
Cayenne pepperUse 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.
Lime juiceUse equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.
- Dried mango powder
Use 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.
White vinegarUse 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.
Caster sugarUse the same weight and grind to a fine powder in a dry blender. Add 3% cornflour by weight if you need it to stay powdery.
Granulated sugarUse the same weight and grind in small batches until fine. It is coarser and may feel gritty in uncooked icings.
Sugar candyUse the same weight and grind to a powder. It is harder to grind and gives a slightly crunchier result.
Ground cuminUse 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.
Black cumin seedsUse equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.
Fennel seedUse 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.
LimeUse the same weight or juice amount; sharper, so taste before adding all the juice.
- Lemon juice
Use about 45–50 ml for 1 lemon; add off the heat to keep the freshness.
Dried mango powderUse 1 tsp for the juice of 1 lemon; add early. Sourness is flatter and less fresh.
Similar dishes
- Same: Imli ka Soda-Paani is also a chilled drink built on a base of tamarind extract and seasoned with salt.
- Different: It adds granulated sugar, fresh ginger, and ground cinnamon, but omits the cumin seeds, chilli powder, black salt, and lemon juice used in this dish.
- Same: Tamarind Chutney shares tamarind, cumin, chilli and salt with this dish.
- Different: Tamarind Chutney uses 45 g tamarind paste and 90 g light brown sugar with ground ginger, while this dish uses 527 g tamarind extract, 300 g lemon, mint, black salt and icing sugar and is a drink rather than a condiment.
- Same: Both recipes use tamarind as a primary souring base along with chilli powder and salt.
- Different: Lal Imli ka Achar is a cooked preserve using vinegar, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and heavy garlic, whereas this dish is an uncooked beverage made with lemon juice, cumin seeds, and black salt.
- Same: Pappu Charu shares a tart tamarind base, salt, and cumin seeds with this dish.
- Different: Unlike this cold beverage, Pappu Charu is a hot soup made with tomatoes, fresh herbs, and spices tempered in vegetable oil, omitting lemon juice and black salt.