{Ramadan Special} – Katira Drink by Suhaina of ‘My Singapore Kitchen’
Suhaina of ‘My Singapore Kitchen‘ though has been low in blogging these days, she readily agreed to be part of this ‘Joy From Fasting To Feasting – IX’ and sent us this wonderful ‘Katira Drink’. Drinks play very vital role on iftar table and this one is very new to me. Do try this for Iftar this Ramadan.
Really happy to be a part of Lubna’s ‘Joy From Fasting To Feasting- IX ‘ for the third consecutive year. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is a time when Muslims around the world focus on prayer, fasting, giving to charity, and religious devotion.
Iftar is the evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset. Fresh and refreshing juices are a must during Iftar along with fruits and other snacks. Coming to today’s post is a special and very tasty drink which has several health benefits including cooling the body. It’s called Katira Drink.
Many of you might not have heard this name before. I had the chance of tasting this wonderful drink, after visiting a Ramadan market in Singapore few years back. I got the basic idea of the recipe from the lady vendor and gave it a try. Finding Gond (Katira ) was a bit hard. These days all the ingredients are available in Geylang market and Mustafa Centre, Singapore.
What is Katira?
Katira or GondTragacanth gum comes from a thorny shrub which is native to western Asia, Iraq, Iran and the Middle East. The gum exudes naturally from the roots of the plant and from incisions made in the stem. This is collected and when dried forms crystals of flakes or may be formed into blocks.
To prepare the Katira drink we have to initially soak a very small piece of the gum in a glass of water and it will swell and turn to a jelly-like substance which is transparent. It is then washed thoroughly to remove any impurities and then mixed with soaked basil seeds and few other ingredients.
Katira Drink
INGREDIENTS:
(Makes 5 glasses)
- Gond Katira- 2 tsp (Wash and soak at least 6 hours preferably overnight)
- Basil seeds- 1 tbsp. (washed and soaked till swollen)
- Kembang semangkok (scaphium)- 4 pieces (wash and soaked till swollen, remove the skin and pith) May use chopped dates instead.
- Evaporated milk- 2 cups
- Water- 3cups
- Sugar- 4 tbsp. or more as per taste
- Rose essence- few drops
How to make Katira Drink
PREPARATION:
- In a pitcher add water, sugar and evaporated milk and stir till sugar is dissolved.
- Mix in rest of the ingredients.
- Chill in refrigerator or add in ice cubes and serve immediately.
Thank you Suhaina for being part of this event and introducing to this wonderful drink.
You can find Suhaina @ Facebook
Back in,
2015 – Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VIII – Date Cake by Sadaf
2014 – Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VII – Fish in Ginger Sauce from Lail
2013 – Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VI – Mango Date Green Monster from Asiya
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says
Looks really refreshing, though the ingredients sound new…
Famidha says
very interesting recipe here. So many new things.. now that is what attracts me and wants me to hunt for these ingredients!
grista says
It’s a remarkable blog website for small and sweet dish. I like it or try at my adobe.
Sowmya says
Very interesting recipe. Thanks to Suhaina and to you Lubna for untiringly hosting this series. Though I am a Hindu, I find lot of interesting recipes vegetarian recipes specially from bloggers around the globe. I have bookmarked quite a number of them. Much appreciated and wishing you many more successful years of blogging