Dawn Images

It’s the month of Ramazan once more, and so, it’s time to prepare nourishing and delicious drinks for iftar. These fusion recipes bring together tradition and flavour, offering a perfect balance of energy, sweetness, and comfort for your fasting routine.

Fresh ginger lemonade

Ingredients

1 large piece of fresh ginger (about 3-4 inches)

4-5 lemons (freshly juiced)

2-3 tbsp honey or sweetener of choice (adjust to taste)

Ice cubes (optional)

Method

Peel the fresh ginger root and cut it into small pieces. Grate the ginger with a little bit of water to create a smooth paste. Place the grated ginger in a fine sieve or cheesecloth, and press or squeeze it to extract the juice. You should have around 2-3 tablespoons of fresh ginger juice. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and strain it to remove seeds or pulp.

In a large pitcher, combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice, ginger juice, and cold water. Stir well to mix. Add honey (or your preferred sweetener) to taste. Stir until it’s dissolved completely. If you want a tangy flavour, feel free to adjust the amount of sweetener.

Pour the ginger lemonade into glasses filled with ice cubes (optional).

Carrot and ginger juice

Ingredients

4 carrots

1 ginger thumb

1 orange

1 cup water

½ tbsp honey

Method

Peel and cut the carrots into bite-sized cubes. Peel the ginger and cut the pieces into thin batons. Slice the oranges and deseed them; drop the ginger slices into one cup of water and set it to boil. Do not add the ginger to boiling water but let the temperature rise after it has been added into the water. Once the water is heated, allow the ginger to boil for a couple of minutes and then turn off the flame.

Let it cool and infuse with the water for another ten minutes and strain away the ginger slices after that.

Add the ginger liquid to your mixer along with the prepared carrots. Add honey, squeeze an orange, and mix it all together.

Fresh lime pomegranate juice

Ingredients

2 large limes (freshly juiced)

1–1½ cups of fresh pomegranate seeds

2-3 tbsp of honey or sweetener of your choice

Ice cubes

Method

Cut the pomegranate in half and gently tap the back with a wooden spoon to release the seeds. Once you have the seeds, whisk them in a blender for 15-20 seconds. Strain the juice through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl to remove the pulp. You should get about 1 to 1½ cups of fresh pomegranate juice.

Roll the limes on the counter to make juicing easier, then cut them in half and squeeze out the juice using a juicer or by hand.

In a large pitcher, combine the fresh pomegranate juice, lime juice, and cold water. Add 2-3 tablespoons of honey or your choice of sweetener and stir until it’s fully dissolved. Adjust the sweetness to your preference.

Beetroot and carrot smoothie

Ingredients

1 red beet

1 large carrot

½ cup milk

2/3 cup water

Method

Peel and chop both the carrot and beet root into cubes. Pour in the milk and then add in the cubed vegetables. Blend this on high speed until a paste is formed. Then, pour in the water and mix again. You can adjust the amount of water you add based on the consistency you desire. Stop adding water and mixing once your smoothie is as smooth as you require it to be and enjoy!

Citrus mocktail

Ingredients

1 pomelo

2 oranges

1 lime

A sprig of mint leaves

Method

Squeeze out the juices from the pomelo, oranges, and lime. Mix everything. You can add a little bit of water if you find the taste too citrusy or want to dilute the mixture a little. Throw in a sprig of fresh mint leaves to add some freshness. You can have this daily for your required intake of vitamin C.

Sweet tamarind drink

Ingredients

150g sweet tamarind

4 cups water

Sugar to taste

½ a lemon’s juice (optional)

1 tsp rose water (optional)

Method

Soak tamarind in 4 cups of water for 2 hours. Squeeze out the pulp and discard the seeds and fibre. Strain the pulp through a fine sieve. Blend the water with sugar in a blender.

If you like you can add lemon juice or rose water.

Add more sugar as per your taste. Keep it in the fridge for at least 45 minutes. Serve chilled.

Cover photo by Collected / Tai’s Captures / Unsplash

This story was originally published in The Daily Star, an ANN partner of Dawn.