When the sun is blazing and your energy is melting faster than your ice cubes, it’s time to turn to a traditional yet underrated summer hero – gond katira. Also known as Tragacanth gum, gond katira is a natural cooling agent that’s been used for centuries in Indian households to beat the heat. What makes it a summer superstar? It swells up when soaked in water, turning into a jelly-like substance that’s not only cooling but also great for digestion and skin.

The best part? Gond katira incredibly easy to use and can be blended into all sorts of refreshing drinks. If you’re looking for something beyond your usual lemonades and iced teas, these gond katira recipes will take your summer sipping game up a notch. So, soak some tonight and try these gond katira drink recipes.

Related: This Ingredient Has Many Health Benefits And Is The Star Of Every Indian Kitchen In The Summer

1. Rose sharbat recipe

Ingredients:

1 tbsp overnight-soaked gond katira

1 glass chilled water or milk

2 tbsp rose syrup

Ice cubes (optional)

Method:

Add rose syrup to chilled water or milk. Mix in the soaked gond katira and stir well. Top with ice cubes for extra chill.

2. Lemon fizz recipe

Ingredients:

1 tbsp soaked gond katira

1 glass of soda water or Sprite (any cold drink of your choice)

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tbsp basil seeds (sabja), soaked

Honey or sugar to taste (skip sugar if you’re opting for a cold drink)

Mint leaves for garnish

Method:

In a tall glass, mix lemon juice, soda water, basil seeds, and sweetener. Add gond katira in the end and give it a gentle stir. Garnish with mint. Gulp down the tangy and fizzy drink

3. Mango lassi with gond katira recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup mango pulp

1 cup yoghurt (make sure the yoghurt isn’t sour)

¼ cup cold milk

1 tbsp soaked gond katira

Sugar or honey to taste

Method:

Blend mango, yoghurt, milk, and sweetener until smooth. Stir in gond katira and serve.

4. Coconut water delight recipe

Ingredients:

1 glass tender coconut water

1 tbsp soaked gond katira

5 tbsp chopped tender coconut flesh

Pinch of black salt

Pinch of roasted cumin powder

Method:

In a blender, add gond katira, chopped coconut flesh and coconut water. Blend the mixture until smooth. Pour it into a glass and add lime, black salt and cumin powder.

5. Kesar badam shake recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup chilled almond milk

1 tbsp soaked gond katira

A few strands of saffron

Sugar to taste

Method:

Heat a small portion of the milk and soak saffron in it. In a glass, take the rest of the milk, add gond katira and sugar, and then add the saffron milk. It’s ready to serve.

6. Watermelon shikanji with gond katira recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup watermelon (chopped into cubes)

1 tbsp soaked gond katira

A splash of lime juice

Mint leaves

Crushed ice

Method:

In a blender, add watermelon pieces and gond katira, and blend into a smooth paste. Pour the mixture into a glass and add lime juice, mint, and crushed ice for that cool garden-party vibe.

Whether you’re lounging indoors with a book or trying to survive the afternoon heat at work, these gond katira drinks are a deliciously traditional way to stay cool, hydrated, and healthy.

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