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Jamun Jaljeera

A traditional Indian summer drink made with cumin and black salt, here with a Java plum or jamun fruity twist! Top it with soda or just water, freeze it and make it a slushy, or just add ice and enjoy it on the rocks, this elegant drink is sure to give you just the cool break you need!
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the concentrate:

  • 1 kg 2-3 quarts fresh jamun fruits
  • 4-5 cups of water, or just enough to cover the fruit
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups of sugar, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Equipment: Heavy pan to boil fruit, and a large strainer

    To serve:

    • Ice
    • 1 lime, halved -- and one half sliced for garnishes
    • 2 jamun fruits per glass, to garnish and serve
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • Few pinches of amchur, dried mango powder--available in Indian groceries (optional, but really nice)
    • Pinch of black salt, kala namak--also available at Indian grocers (also optional, but really nice!)
    • Cold water or Soda or Tonic Water, depending on your taste

    Instructions
     

    • Place as many jamun fruits as you have in a heavy pan, and add water to cover. (Save a handful of fruits to serve, if you wish).
    • Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and allow the fruit to cook. Use a wooden spoon to mash the fruit from time to time.
    • When it seems that the fruit is mashing easily (about 15-20 minutes), turn off the heat and allow to cool.
    • Once the mix is cool enough to handle, strain the liquid out, using as large a strainer as you can find. Much of the juice will remain in the fruit pulp, so use a spoon to mash and press the fruit as much as possible to extract the pulpy juice. Stop when it seems like the fruit is getting dry and the jamun pits are appearing more and more in the left-over pulp.
    • Now measure out the liquid you have, into a pan that can be set on the stove. Add sugar in a 2 cups liquid-to 1 cup sugar proportion, along with the salt.
    • Bring to a gentle boil until the sugar is incorporated.
    • Taste at this point -- and adjust the sugar and salt if necessary. You want a mixture that is slightly on the sweeter side, and just a touch salty.
    • Continue boiling on medium heat for approximately another 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat, allow the liquid to cool, and bottle.
    • Store this concentrate refrigerated, for up to a week.

    To serve:

    • In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds until they're browning just slightly and becoming aromatic. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush roughly.
    • Pour approximately 2 ounces of the jamun concentrate into a tall glass. Using the half lime, squeeze a splash of juice into the glass. Top with ice.
    • If you have jamun fruits saved to garnish, bruise them with the pestle a little and drop them into each glass.
    • Slowly pour cold water or soda or tonic water to fill the glass (quantity is the equivalent of about a half of a can of tonic water, or about 4-6oz). If you're using either soda or tonic water, wait a bit after pouring for the white head to gather, as it seems to take a minute to happen.
    • Then in this order: drop a slice of lime into the drink (or rest it on the glass' rim), sprinkle a tiny pinch each of amchur, black salt (if using) and a generous pinch of your roasted crushed cumin seeds over top.
    • The foamy soda head takes a minute or two to form. Once it appears, serve immediately.