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Guddaim (Sudanese grewia berry drink)
Guddaim: a ruby-brown, tangy-sweet drink of soaked dried grewia berries from Kordofan
Small, round guddaim berries, the fruit of a wild grewia shrub that grows across Kordofan and Darfur, are dried and sold by the cupful in Sudanese markets. Soaked in water and rubbed off their stones, they give a cloudy reddish-brown drink that tastes a little like dates and sour cherries, with a pleasantly sharp finish. It is drunk ice-cold in the heat of the day, at iftar and to welcome guests. Look for dried guddaim in Sudanese or East African shops. If you cannot find it, a mix of 150 g pitted dates and 50 g tamarind pulp soaked the same way gives a similar sweet-sour drink, though not the same. Rubbing too hard and breaking the stones is the usual mistake, as it clouds the drink with grit; rub gently. Chef's tip: soak the berries in cool water overnight in the fridge for the fullest flavour.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 9 oz dried guddaim berriesgrewia berries; see the intro for a substitute
- 6 ¼ cups cold waterboiled and cooled, or filtered
- 2 ⅞ oz sugarto taste
- 12 ice cubes (optional)
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What you'll need
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Rinse the 9 oz dried guddaim berries in a sieve, then put them in a bowl with 1 litre of the 6 ¼ cups cold water. Cover and soak in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight. (Soaking time is not counted in the total.)
Step 2: Rub the berries gently between your fingers in the water for 5 minutes, until the soft flesh comes away and the water turns thick and reddish.
5 minStep 3: Strain through a fine sieve, pressing gently. Pour the rest of the water over the stones, rub briefly and strain again. Discard the stones.
Step 4: Stir in the 2 ⅞ oz sugar until dissolved, chill well and serve over 12 ice cubes. Keeps 2 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does guddaim (Sudanese grewia berry drink) take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- 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.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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