Shikanji

About the advantages of fruit juices

A refreshing summer drink, Shikanji is the Hindi name for lemonade (ie. lemon juice) spiced with a dash of crushed ginger. But Shikanji is welcome at any time of the year, except perhaps when winter is at its shivering best.

I wish other fruit juices had such interesting names too. I have heard people referring to cider, but is that a term used for a fermented apple juice? Not sure, must ask Jeeves.

During Ramanavami in Karnataka belada hannu panaka is served with kosambari. Panaka is a special juice made with the fruit called belada hannu (that’s wood apple or bel fruit) mixed with jaggery and tamarind pulp and water. Since making panaka from belada hannu is tedious, nimbe-panaka or lemon juice flavoured with kesari and ginger is the more favoured option. Kosambari is a spicy salad made from soaked moong dal. Come to think of it, kosambari which has dal, coconut, raw cucumber and spices when served with lemon panaka makes a complete balanced diet.

Pardon me, I wander. I want to talk about fruit juices. To remove the toxins which I received as parting gift from Chikan Guniya I was advised to have a lot of fruit juice. My dear husband went a little overboard. I now have 4 tall glasses of juice a day, one glass of fresh juice with every meal.

• Light shikanji with breakfast
• Watermelon juice, sometimes spiked with mint during lunch
• A bottled pink guava drink from Natural or Safal instead of tea with biscuits
• Orange juice freshly squeezed or freshly poured from a carton during supper

Pomogranate, Sweetlime and Musk melon add more variety. Of these the pink guava drink and the watermelon juice are my favourites. I have seriously decided to invest in a food processor and continue the drinking habit!

 The juice diet has

• Reduced my craving for chocolates
• Regulated my system
• Made me feel more positive and happy
• Removed much of the tiredness

 I strongly recommend two glasses of fresh fruit juice as a daily habit……. Chikan Guniya or not.

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Meal Time Companion...........

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