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Rooh Afza sherbet
Lal sharbat for iftar: chilled rose syrup drink with lemon, basil seeds and ice
During Ramadan almost every household in Pakistan breaks the fast at sunset with a jug of this bright red sherbet on the table, from Karachi apartments to village courtyards in Punjab. It is made with the herbal rose syrup sold as Rooh Afza (any rose sherbet syrup works), stirred into ice-cold water with a squeeze of lemon and a spoonful of swollen basil seeds (tukh malanga) that are said to cool the body after a long, hot day without water. Some families make it with cold milk instead, which turns it pink and creamy. The mistake people make is adding the basil seeds dry; they clump into hard lumps, so soak them first. Chef's tip: chill the water and syrup well before mixing so you need less ice and the sherbet does not taste watered down.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Stir 2 tsp basil seeds (tukh malanga) into ¼ cup water and leave for 5 minutes, stirring once, until each seed is swollen with a grey, jelly-like coat.
5 minStep 2: In a jug, stir ½ cup rose sherbet syrup (such as Rooh Afza) into 3 ¾ cups ice-cold water until evenly red, then add 1 lemon. Taste: add a splash more syrup if you like it sweeter. For the creamy version, swap 300 ml of the water for 1 ¼ cups cold milk.
Step 3: Stir in the soaked seeds, add 12 ice cubes and serve at once in tall glasses, giving each glass a stir so everyone gets some seeds.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rooh Afza sherbet take?
- About 5 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 lemon?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
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