Temperatures are soaring here.
With all the sugary drinks we have consumed of late (blame the weather) ..Wanted to have something sweet but healthy and satisfying .
So made this tangy sweet and healthy virgin mojito … ekdum chatpata . This mojito will surely remind you of golgappas .
Generally virgin mojitos are made from sugar, lemon juice , sparkling water or club soda for the fizzy taste and muddled mint leaves and lemon slices.
I have given an Indian touch to this one which makes it so appealing and desirable to our taste buds. It was a good change from the traditional mojito.
My desi take on virgin mojito. You have to try it to believe how amazing it is. And takes only minutes to prepare.
If you love golgappas/ pani puri .. You will love this .
So what is it that i have done differently.
Well I have added jaggery and fennel instead of sugar . I have even added tamarind mint and coriander.
They all come with loads of health benefits.
Fennel , mint and coriander are considered to be excellent natural coolants.
Now lets talk about these ingredients in brief .
Jaggery/gud
Jaggery is unrefined sugar obtained from sugarcane juice concentrate and is a rich source of iron . Jaggery aids digestion , builds immunity, and a great detox
jaggery is widely used in Indian cooking as well and I make it a point to include it in our diet. It replaces sugar beautifully in lot of preparations.
Fennel/sauf
Fennel which is widely loved by everyone as mouth freshener . Very few people know that it is not only sweet and refreshing in taste but also comes in with loads of great benefits .
Don’t underestimate the power of fennel /sauf – its rich in calcium, iron , phosphorous , fiber , magnesium , zinc , vitamins and so much more
Now you can imagine how benefiting it is
I will name a few
Excellent coolant
Helps digestion
Controls acid reflux
Increases immunity
Aids metabolism
Lowers cholestrol
Helps keep up good bone health and many more.
Tamarind/imli
Tamarind is widely used in Asian cooking and for medicinal purposes . It is rich in potassium , iron, zinc , anti oxidant ,copper , magnesium to name a few
and comes with amazing health benefits too
It has great anti inflammatory properties
aids digestion
natural mild laxative
blood purifier etc
Mint
A herb widely used all over the world – magical on its own .. It is packed with so much flavor and benefits too
I had read in an article that it’s the best anti oxidant .
I am a huge mint fan and if you follow my blog you will spot my love for herbs and spices especially mint and basil. I can add them to practically anything i make. My day begins with mint and ginger infused morning tea.
mint has amazing cooling and soothing properties
Fights allergies
Aids digestion
improves overall skin health and more.
Coriander
Yet another wonderful herb which I can’t live without.
It’s widely used in Asian cooking . Sadly I have seen coriander mostly being used as garnish and not in the actual meal which is such a waste . Coriander is rich in ascorbic acid, vitamins, iron , essential oils and minerals and should be incorporated in cooking as well.
Like mint , coriander too has amazing cooling properties .
benefits :
Aids digestion
controls diarrhea
Improves skin health – anti inflammatory properties
maintains bone health
Reduces blood pressure
Fights allergies
Lowers cholesterol and much more
Now how I know all this.. well as i have mentioned before I am more of an ingredient person than a recipe one. So I read a lot about their nature and possible benefits so that I can make most out of them .
I can go gaga on these all day long.
Nevertheless .. I suggest you include these magical ingredients in your daily cooking .
Coming back to the chatpata virgin mojito- there isn’t any reason not to try it. With plethora of heath benefits and flavor to die for you will want to make this again and again.
Highlights :
Quick and easy
healthy
fizzy
tangy
sweet
refreshing.
Do give it a try and send me your clicks on so that I can feature it on my facebook page – carveyourcraving .
Chatpata Healthy Virgin Mojito
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp grated or chopped jaggery chunks
- 5-6 tbsp lemon juice or Juice of 2 small limes or lemons or around
- 1 tbsp sauf /fennel powder
- 2 ”chunk of tamarind /imli optional I have used
- Added sugar if required
- 1 tsp jaljira masala / chaat masala or add salt to taste
- 5-6 fresh mint leaves
- 5-6 coriander sprigs
- Loads of ice
- Club soda or sparkling water
- 1.5 cups of very warm water
Instructions
- Combine imli and jaggery, sauf powder to 1.5 cups of very warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes until jaggery is melted .. in the meantime pulse the mint and coriander with some salt and 1 tbsp water to form a coarse mixture.
- After 5 minutes just rub mash the tamarind piece between your fingers to get the pulp and then strain the jaggery water . Add lemon juice, jaljira, mint coriander mixture, salt and sugar if needed . Taste test.
- Now prepare desired glasses
- Fill the glasses with 3-4 ice cubes . Now pour in the mixture ¾ full . Just before serving slowly add in the sparkling water and top it with more ice if desired . Stir well before drinking. Enjoy!!
Notes
You can rim your glass with salt before adding the mixture .
You can muddle mint leaves and lemon slices if desired.
comments and suggestions are welcome