Jal Jeera is a cooling summer drink from North India and usually a must in any decent Indian restaurant menu. Cumin is the star spice owing it the name Jal Jeera, “Cumin water”.
By Radhika Penagonda
Cumin Spiced Blood Orange and Citrus Cooler
Jal Jeera is a cooling summer drink from North India and usually a must in any decent Indian restaurant menu. Cumin is the star spice owing it the name Jal Jeera, “Cumin water”.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 blood oranges
- 2 sweet navel oranges
- 5 clementines
- 1 lime or lemon
For every 1/2 cup of juice:
- 1 tbsp cumin for dry roasting
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1/2 tsp black salt
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp dried mint powder
- 1 tsp crushed jaggery /brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups cool water or room temperature
- fresh mint for garnish
Instructions
- Extract juice from all the citrus fruits including the blood oranges in a citrus juicer or squeeze by hand. Makes about 1-1/2 cups juice. For the Jal jeera, I have used 1-1/2 cups water for every 1/2 cup juice.
- Roast the cumin seeds in a skillet until fragrant and crackling without burning. Grind to a powder in a mortar and pestle and keep aside.
- Mix 1-1/2 cups cold water to 1/2 cup juice. Sprinkle roasted and freshly ground cumin, freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, black salt, jaggery and dried mint crushed between your fingers and thumb.
- Taste and adjust spices, salt and jaggery as needed or add more juice or water to suit your taste. Jaggery neutralizes salty, sour and hot tastes, so adjust accordingly.
- Serve cold garnished with a sprig of fresh mint
Notes
I have used the citrus fruits I had at hand. Any combination of citrus fruits should work excepting grapefruit which might need more jaggery to be added.
Other spices like dry mango powder or a touch of red chilli powder can also be added.
Cilantro can also be used as garnish.
Brown sugar can be used as a substitute for Jaggery.
Is it possible to replace with cumin powder? Of course it wont be as good I assume. Regards
Ann,
It is. Just toast it in a skillet before adding, will bring out more flavors.
Hope you do try..