Monday, April 25, 2016

Jambul - Black Plum Juice.


"Chilled Jambul / Black Plum (also known as Jamun) Juice" ... A delicious pulpy purple color fruit that is known for its cooling properties .... Available in plenty during summer time ... So try out this simple juice and stay chilled through summer ... Yumz .....


Come Summer time and it's the season of Mangoes and Jambul. Both have their own delicious taste and both are famous for their own unique tastes. While Mangoes are very sweet and delicious to taste, it does create heat in the body. Jambul though juicy and pulpy is not so sweet in taste and gives the tongue a purplish color on relishing that does not go away. It is however said to be a coolant, when consumed in limits, having loads of medicinal properties. The seeds within the Jamul are said to dried and powdered and consumed by diabetic patients too. It is said that, it is always a good practice to eat mangoes followed by some jambul to balance the heat in the body. No one wonder God created these fruits both together for summer season to balance out the effects of both simultaneously. Such is the ways of nature that it leaves you spellbound at time. Do Enjoy this simple summer fruit juice which is full of vitamins, minerals and is very beneficial to health.


Jambul is a fruit that brings many sweet memories in my mind and makes me nostalgic. We loved to eat this pulpy dark purple colored fruit and show off our blue-coated tongue by acting like Kaali …. One of Maa Durga’s Avataar and frighten small children. Lol those days children did get scared, I wonder if they will now ?? Today's generation is much smarter and will catch you red handed in no time. But still those day's we did enjoy these silly games. After all during our childhood we did not have, TV, Network or Malls to enjoy. We simply grouped up with our neighbors during holiday and played all through the day in sunlight etc. But I must say we really did enjoy, unlike now when children resist going out in sunlight to play. We never bothered if we got tanned or our hairs became messy. Sigh, I really miss childhood and all those activities we had during summer time.



** Coming to the fruit, Jambul is a seasonal fruit, available during summer in three sizes. Small, medium and large. Southern parts of India have many of these trees and they drop down as they begin to ripe. We, children used to run around in my friend’s house picking up the fallen fruits. During school days, we used to run to the houses where these trees were grown. Fruit vendors used to sit outside our school gate with baskets full of Jambul and sell them for 10 paisa. The jambuls were sold in cones prepared out of papers and we relished them a lot as it is. However, now 10 paise is something unheard off. Now the price of Jambul has gone up in bounds and has become a rich man’s fruit. Unless one has a tree or access to the same, it really cannot be enjoyed now by the poor for the price it is sold. Due to its medicinal benefits the cost has gone up and now, it costs about Rs. 300/- to Rs. 400/- a Kg. for large sized ones. 


Coming to the preparation of the Juice …….
Wash and put about 1/2 Kg of Jambul in a flat bowl with 2 cups of water. Squeeze out the pulp and remove the seeds. See to it that you remove all the fleshy parts of the jambul from the seeds. Discard the seeds.

** Note : Though the inner seeds are dried, powdered and consumed by diabetic patients, I really do not know the procedure, nor if it is really recommended by medical world. Yes, Ayurveda does acknowledge it and promotes it, but it may have its own procedure and may not be possible for us to prepare at home. If at all I come across the same in future, I will definitely include it by editing the same here. 


Now put the removed flesh part along with the water into mixer grinder jar and grind to a smooth paste. Add another 2 cups of water and mix well. Sieve it through a fine mesh. 


Add about 2 cups of sugar, Freshly squeezed juice of one large lemon, ¼ tsp of rock salt / black salt, ¼ tsp of white pepper powder and mix well. Keep the prepared juice in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Remove and serve chilled topped with Ice Cubes.


** Note: You can bring the juice to a boil after sieving along with the sugar for 5 minutes. Cool and then add in the salt and pepper pd. I have not done as some of the medicinal properties gets lost in the process. You may choose any method you prefer.

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