5 easy gut-friendly drinks you can make at home

Summer’s fiery grip tightens across India, turning kitchens into battlegrounds against the heat. While we whip up cooling raitas and drape ourselves in light cotton, our poor gut can often get sidelined. The scorching temperatures can wreak havoc on our gut microbiome, the delicate ecosystem of good and bad bacteria that silently keeps our digestion, immunity, and overall health in check. A quick fix to this problem is to incorporate gut-friendly drinks into your diet.

This hidden weapon lies dormant in the heart of most Indian households – a treasure trove of gut-friendly drinks passed down through generations. These refreshing concoctions, bursting with traditional wisdom and natural ingredients, offer a delicious way to combat the summer blues. Forget complicated recipes and expensive store-bought beverages. Let’s delve into the world of easy-to-make, gut-soothing drinks you can whip up in your own kitchen, keeping your insides cool and your gut happy all summer long!

5 gut-friendly drinks to combat Indian summers

Kanji

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg black carrots
• 2.5 tbsp black salt
• 3 tbsp red mustard or rai
• 1.5 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp roasted and ground cumin powder
• 2 litres water

Directions:

1. Wash the black carrots, drain the water, and peel.
2. Cut the carrots into slices.
3. In a large container, add water, coarsely ground red mustard, and the sliced pieces of black carrot.
4. Add Black Salt, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Stir with a ladle and cover with a lid.
5. Let it rest in the sun for three days. This helps with fermentation.
6. Shake the jar to stir the mixture at least once a day. Don’t open the lid.
7. Post fermentation, open the lid. The taste should become pungent and the liquid will develop a wine-like colour. In case, the mixture does not taste sour enough, leave it in the sun for another day.
8. Once ready, pass the liquid through a sieve, and discard the carrots.
9. The Kanji is now ready to consume and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

Source: Thesecretingredient.in

Sol Kadhi

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded fresh coconut
• 1 green chili, slit
• Finely chopped coriander leaves, as per taste
• Crushed garlic, as per taste
• 10 to 12 pieces of kokum
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp black salt
• Regular salt, as per taste
• 1 cup hot water

Directions:

1. Add hot water to the coconut, and  keep aside for 10 minutes.
2. Heat a pan on medium heat, add kokum, and a little water.
3. Cook the kokum on medium heat for about seven to eight minutes. Mash the kokum while cooking, and set aside to cool.
4. Blend the coconut and hot water. Once blended, strain using a cheese cloth, and set the coconut milk aside in a bowl.
5. Take the coconut from the cheese cloth, add some hot water to it, and blend again. Strain the milk, and repeat the process two to three times.
6. Take all the coconut milk and add four teaspoons of the strained kokum mixture to it.
7. Add garlic, green chilli, black salt and regular salt.
8. Mix everything, and strain.
9. The sol kadhi is ready to serve.

Source: Slurrp.com

Fennel tea

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp crushed fennel seeds
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 inch lightly crushed ginger
• 3 mint leaves

Directions:

1. In a pot, add one and a half cups of water. Let it come to a boil.
2. Add fennel seeds, and ginger. Let the water simmer on medium flame until it reduces to one cup.
3. Strain the tea into a cup. Add honey and mix well.
4. Garnish the tea with mint leaves and serve.

Mint Chaas

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain yogurt, chilled
• 1 1/2 cups water, chilled
• 2 tbsp mint leaves
• 1/2 green chili, seeds removed
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp black salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper powder
• Salt as per taste

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour into the serving glass and enjoy.

Cumin water

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 1/4 cups water

Directions:

1. Bring water to a gentle boil in a non-reactive pot or pan.
2. Crush cumin seeds coarsely, add to the water and  bring to a boil.
3. Simmer for five minutes, and then bring to a boil again.
4. Set aside to cool until warm.
5. Filter the water and serve warm or at room temperature.