Aug 21, 2007

Bonda Sharabat - A Coconut Cocktail from Mangalore

Bonda Sharbat
Bonda Sharbat - A coconut juice cocktail made with bonda (i.e. tender coconut in tulu, a local language in Mangalore), lime and basil seeds popular as Bonda Sharbat
Summer brings a lot of memories from my childhood. The hot humid weather paired often with power cuts during the day.
But those were the days when we never complained about the weather. Air conditions and uninterrupted power supply is taken for granted here in US and I see people always complaining about the weather. Its either too hot or too cold. Very few times I hear people actually saying the weather is pleasant!

My schedule during the summer holidays were a little different from my friends. I would be busy helping out my father to run his business as summer was his peak season and an extra hand was always welcome. My mom would also be busy making papad and fritters. She too welcomed any kind of help I would be of. But all those hard work was often rewarded with some ice candies and fresh tender coconut.

"Ice candy" is a Manglorean name for Popsicles. 3 flavors were popular - the ice candy, bella candy ie. the jaggery candy and doodh candy. My favorite was bella candy. They had little coconut shavings hidden in them. And then there was tender coconut. The juice of tender coconut with some extremely tender coconut meat is a perfect treat for the summer on its own. The small wooden shops called Goodangadi i.e. Goodu for box or a nest and Angadi means shops are very common in Konkan coast. These shops often sell a coconut juice cocktail made with bonda i.e. tender coconut, lime and basil seeds popular as Bonda Sharbat

Here it is the popluar Bonda Sharbat from the Konkan coast.

Bonda Sharbat

You need
few cups of coconut water preferrably tender coconut along with some tender coconut meat
juice of lime
1 tsp basil seeds or tukmaria, called kamakasturi beeja in kannada, also popular as falooda seeds
few sprigs of mint, optional
sugar , if needed

Soak basil seeds in little water for about 2 hrs, until it absorbs water and becomes gelatinous. See more information below. Tear the mint roughly. Mix all the ingredients. Add sugar only of needed. Coconut water is usually sweet. Stir well. Serve Chilled.

I seldom find good fresh tender coconut here. So I made it with the coconut water. If you are using tender coconut, add some of the tender coocnut meat too..the white portion. You can mash it lightly.

Some information on Basil Seeds
Basil seeds as sold as tukmaria in the Indian Stores. They are black and often look like black sesame seeds. You may need to pick out any sand or soil particles from the seeds before using. Soak them in little water and check if there are any sand residue in the water. Change the water till the seed s run clean. Now soak the basil seeds for 2 hrs or until it becomes gelatinous.

Basil seeds are considered to have a cool effect on the body and is very popular in the tropical hot and humid weather. More info on Basil seeds onWikipedia and Asia Food

25 comments:

Suganya said...

Coconut water is a luxury when you are not in India. I got small but pricey tetra packs of 'em from a far away store. Will try this next time I buy.

Sharmi said...

what is basil seed? never heard of it. the sharabat sound cool to beat the heat. Miss India for the fresh tender coconut water.

Manjula said...

Suganya,
Canned or packaged coconut juices often have some preservatives in them and never taste fresh. You can try this with water from the coconuts.

Sharmi,
Basil seed is the one which is used in falooda. You may have seen those silky black seeds with a white transparent layer. They are sold as tukmaria seeds in Indian Stores in US. In Mlore they are popular as "kus kus"

Coffee said...

Just the right drink for summers here!

Anonymous said...

Hi Manjula, That was a cool refreshing cokctail for summer. As Suganya says coconut water is a luxury when we reside outside india. Will be going to india soon, so will try this there.

Raaga said...

Lovely drink for the summers :-)

Suganya said...

I would never buy canned ones if I had the choice Manjula. Thats why I said its a luxury when you are not in India. But luckily the ones I buy are as good as fresh ones with no preservatives.

musical said...

Ah! this is a wonderful cooler for summers! oh, and thanks for the Tukmaria tip :).

Sia said...

now this is a real torture manjula. i was thrilled to see canned tender coconut juice few months back in indian grocery shop. one sip and i cried... and no, it was not a tears of joy!!!

Sia said...

send this to meeta's monthly mingle...

Aruna said...

Manjula, I'm thirsty for that beautiful coc-cocktail.... Its looks georgeous...

themistressofspices.wordpress.com

Sabitha said...

They seeds are also called as "kaam kasturi" or "Tampina Beeja". Khus Khus seeds are poppy seed(gasagase)
-Sabitha Shenoy

FH said...

Manjula, great to see you back!:))
I remember Ice candy(milk candy my fave) and Bonda!! Elaneeru looks great,yum:)

Manjula said...

Sia,
I have no clue about the ongoing events. Will send it. Thanks

Sabitha,
Thanka for reminding. I totally forgot to mention its kamakasturi seeds.

Unknown said...

I dalitoy , I have nominated your blog for the bloggers choice awards:) will send u the link once it appearson the site.

TBC said...

The name "Bonda Sharbat" intrigued me. Bonda, to us is a deep-fried snack :-)
That's a nice pic with the beads of condensation running down the glass. Perfect drink on a hot day!

Anonymous said...

awesome..i shall look out for basil seeds next time I am at the indian store... kudos to ur foodblog. I always learn something - smitha

Rachna said...

wow tender coconut = india...we dont get them here in africa :(

Ashwini said...

Manjula so glad to see you posting again. For a second I thought the drink had deep fried bondas!!!
I will try to make this when I get my hands on the good stuff

Sabitha said...

Dear Manjula,

This week's "Taranga" magazine gives a nice article about "bonda" and other drinks of Bonda. Very nice article.

For TBC, Bonda is tender coconut & BOOOOOOOOnda is fried item.
-Sabitha

Sabitha said...

Dear Manjula,

This week's "Taranga" magazine gives a nice article about "bonda" and other drinks of Bonda. Very nice article.

For TBC, Bonda is tender coconut & BOOOOOOOOnda is fried item.
-Sabitha

Chef Jeena said...

Your coconut cocktail looks wonderful Manjula nice pic! :)

Pelicano said...

This looks so refreshingly good, Manjula. The Thai grocers here sell holy basil/tulsi seeds and young coconut with juice/water, so I will be able to try this. Thanks for sharing.

Sia said...

love ur blog header girl. its simply gorgeous:)

musical said...

The new blog header is BEAUTIFUL!