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Imli aloo bukhara sharbat
Tamarind and plum cooler
املی آلو بخارا شربت (imli aloo bukhara sharbat): a sweet-sour summer cooler of tamarind and dried plums
Pakistani grandmothers prescribe this deep brown drink for heatstroke, an upset stomach and the sluggish days of Ramadan fasting in June, and it is sold in tall glasses at sehri and iftar stalls in Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore. Tamarind and dried aloo bukhara plums are soaked, simmered, mashed and strained into a concentrate, which is then sweetened, seasoned with black salt and roasted cumin and served poured over ice. The flavour is fruity, tart and slightly smoky from the plums, with the savoury lift of the salt. The concentrate keeps for a week in the fridge, so a big batch lasts through a heatwave. The usual problem is skipping the straining step and serving it thick with fibres and seeds, which makes it more like a chutney than a drink. Chef's tip: let the plums soak in the hot liquid for an hour after simmering, so they give up all their sourness and colour before you strain them.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the concentrate
- 3 ½ oz seedless tamarind blockbroken into pieces
- 2 ½ cups water
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 1 tsp black salt (kala namak)
- 1 /2 tsp roasted ground cumin
To serve
- 3 ¾ cups cold water
- 18 ice cubes
- 6 sprigs fresh mint (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 3 ½ oz seedless tamarind block, 3 ½ oz dried aloo bukhara plums (or prunes) and 2 ½ cups water in a pan, bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat for 12–15 minutes until the fruit is very soft.
15 minStep 2: Take off the heat and leave to soak for 1 hour, or until cool.
Step 3: Mash the fruit well with your hand or a potato masher, then pour through a sieve into a bowl, pressing hard to extract all the pulp; discard the seeds and fibres.
Step 4: Return the liquid to the pan with 5 ½ oz sugar, bring to a simmer and stir for 2–3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved, then cool.
3 minStep 5: Stir 1 tsp black salt (kala namak) and 1 /2 tsp roasted ground cumin into the concentrate. It keeps for up to a week in a clean bottle in the fridge.
Step 6: To serve, mix one part concentrate with about two parts 3 ¾ cups cold water, pour over 18 ice cubes and garnish with 6 sprigs fresh mint.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does imli aloo bukhara sharbat take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of black salt (kala namak)?
- Ordinary salt, same amount (loses the tangy, sulphurous note).
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