Refreshing Panakam: Traditional Indian CoolerVeg

1

Pour 4 cups (1 litre) of water into a large mixing bowl.

2

Take 4–5 green cardamom pods, lightly crush them to extract the seeds, and combine them with 12 strands of saffron in a mortar and pestle. Grind them into a fine powder.

3

Juice 2 small limes to obtain about 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice.

4

Grate fresh ginger and use a lemon press to extract 2 teaspoons of ginger juice.

5

Add the lime juice, the powdered cardamom-saffron mixture, and the ginger juice to the water. Optionally, add a pinch of nutmeg if desired.

6

Stir in 10 tablespoons of jaggery powder.

7

Whisk or stir the mixture thoroughly until all the jaggery has completely dissolved. Chill the drink before serving, or enjoy it at room temperature.