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Kulukki sarbath
Shaken lime cooler
കുലുക്കി സർബത്ത്: Kerala's shaken lime cooler with green chilli, basil seeds and sugar syrup, rattled hard with ice
Kulukki means shaken, and the show is half the fun: at roadside stalls in Kozhikode, Kochi and Thrissur, the vendor drops lime, a slit green chilli, basil seeds, syrup and ice into a tall steel tumbler, caps it with another and rattles it furiously before pouring a frothy glass. The drink became a craze across Kerala in the 2010s and is now a beach and festival favourite. It tastes sharp, sweet, salty and then hot as the chilli catches the back of your throat. Some stalls add pineapple or passion fruit. The common mistake is crushing the lime and chilli too hard or leaving them to sit, which makes the drink bitter from the peel and far too fiery; shake briefly and pour at once. Chef's tip: use a jar with a tight lid half filled with ice; the ice does the crushing and makes the foam.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the sarbath
- ½ cup waterfor soaking
- 1 limequartered
- 1 green chillislit lengthways
- 4 tbsp sugar syrupequal parts sugar and water, cooled
- 1 pinch salt
- 12 ice cubes
- 1 ¼ cups chilled water or soda water
Optional
- 1 ¾ oz fresh pineapple (optional)small cubes
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Soak 2 tsp sabja (sweet basil) seeds in ½ cup water for 10 minutes until swollen and jelly-coated.
10 minStep 2: Put 1 lime, 1 green chilli, 4 tbsp sugar syrup, 1 pinch salt, the soaked seeds and 1 ¾ oz fresh pineapple in a large jar with a tight lid. Press the lime pieces gently with a spoon to start the juice.
1 minStep 3: Add 12 ice cubes and half the ¾ cup chilled water or soda water, close tightly and shake hard for 15–20 seconds, until frothy.
1 minStep 4: Pour into two glasses, including the ice, lime and chilli, and top up with the rest of the ¾ cup chilled water or soda water. Serve immediately.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 85 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kulukki sarbath take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 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.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of green chilli?
- A pinch of chilli flakes per chilli.
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Perfect for:Summer coolers