Bael Ka Sharbet / Wood Apple Drink Recipe

Bael ka sharbet is a refreshing and delicious Indian summer cooling drink made with the bael ( wood apple) fruit. A juice is made by extracting the pulp of semi-ripe to ripe wood apple fruit. Jaggery acts as a sweetener while lemon juice and mint leaves flavor the drink and make it refreshing. A dash of freshly ground black pepper and black salt do rest of the job and you are ready with a perfect thirst quencher loaded with nutrition. Try out this no-cook cooling drink and keep the heat at bay this Summer.

With the ongoing sizzling temperatures, to keep oneself hydrated and cool is not at all an easy task. While most people feel sipping soft drinks and soda keep them hydrated, little do they know that consuming aerated drinks and soda yields many disadvantages, including dehydration, high- sugar intake, weight gain, and calcium depletion. 

Fortunately, when it comes to traditional Indian Summer drinks, there is a long list of delicious refreshing coolants which can actually keep us hydrated and has a cooling effect on our body without adding in loads of calories. Nimbu pani (lemonade) , Mattha(spiced buttermilk) and Kairi Panha ( raw mango drink), Lassi(sweetened yogurt drink) , Sol Kadhi / Kokkum Curry ,  Thandai, Jal Jeera , Chabeel, Rose Sharbet, Sattu Ka Ghol are among popular summer coolants. Today i am sharing yet another summer drink - Bael ka sharbet which is not very popular but has many health benefits. 

Bael fruit is considered sacred by Hindus and is known for its therapeutic value since ages. We have 3 large bael trees in our society. Bael leaves are offered to Lord Shiva, especially during the holy Hindu month of Shravan. The ripe fruit is fragrant, astringent, coolant and laxative. The unripe or even half-ripe fruit is digestive and enhances the urge for food. The health benefits of Bael fruit include relief from constipation, indigestion, peptic ulcer, piles, respiratory problems, diarrhea, and dysentery. It also boosts the immune system, fights off bacterial and viral infections, reduces inflammation, increases milk production for nursing mothers, cures diabetes, increases ocular health and helps prevent various sexual dysfunctions. Source. My papa is diabetic, recently he has started taking the juice of bael leaves, the first thing in the morning and his sugar levels have come down considerably.  

 Preparation Time:  40 minutes

 Cooking Time: 0 Minutes

 Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 Wood Apple approx 750 grams
• 4 cups of water
• 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup Jaggery powder( adjust as per the sweetness of the fruit)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder 
• Few fresh mint leaves 
• Black salt to taste

Method:

1. Select unblemished fruit which is light green to yellow in color with an intact shell. The shell of the fruit is very hard and requires to be cracked using a hammer. Cut open the cracked fruit.

  2. Scoop out the pulp and the seeds into a bowl using a large spoon.

  3. Add 3 cups cold water so that the pulp is completely immersed under the water. Cover the bowl with a cling film and refrigerate for at least 20-30 minutes.

  4. Mash the softened pulp using hands and then strain it through a wire mesh. Use the back of the spatula to press the pulp through the strainer.

 5. Discard the threads and seeds of the fruit. Add remaining 1 cup water to the strained juice.

 6. Add jaggery powder and stir well until it dissolves completely. 

  7. Add black salt to taste and freshly crushed black pepper. Give a quick stir.

  8. Lastly, squeeze out the juice of 2 lemons into the wood apple drink. Pour the wood apple summer cooler drink into individual glasses and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately.

 Notes:

• Sugar can be added instead of jaggery powder as a sweetener. Amount of sweetener depends on the sweetness of the fruit, so adjust accordingly.
• Roasted cumin powder or crushed green cardamom can be added to the juice as a variation.

I am sharing this post with a Facebook group, Foodies_RedoingOldPost which i have recently joined. This group is an initiative my friend and fellow blogger Renu who blogs at Cookwithrenu. In this group, bloggers update their old posts with new pics or contents every 2 weeks. I loved this concept, as bloggers we grow each day, our photography gets better and when we revisit our old post, we feel the photography could be better. Also many a time we make changes in our recipe which needs to be updated. I have many such posts which need to be updated and hope this group gives me the needed motivation for it. This is my second entry in this event (28th June 2019). 

                              

If you ever try this recipe, do share your feedback with us in the comment section below.

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For more Indian Summer cooler recipes, do check my posts on

• Sattu Ka Ghol

                                  

• Sol Kadhi / Kokum Curry

                                  

• Maharashtrian Mathha / Spiced Buttermilk

                                 

• Chabeel

                                 

• Thandai

                                 

• Jal Jeera

                                 

• Gulab Ka Sharbet

                                 

• Kairi Panha