Muharram ka Sharbat

Muharram ka Sharbat is also known as Doodh ka Sherbet. This is an unique, aromatic, flavourful and delicious milk based drink. Generally, we make this sharbat on the tenth day of Muharram. Muharram ka Sharbat is my favorite and most treasured heirloom recipe. The unique flavour in sharbat comes from oudh (Agarwood powder).

About This Recipe

The main ingredients in making this sharbat are nuts, sugar, milk, cardamom powder and oudh. Though the ingredient list look simple, the correct use of ingredients is much recommended for making an authentic sharbat.

Sharbat made on the day of Muharram is sweet, nutty and smoky. The smoky aroma and taste comes from oudh. Oudh is agarwood powder and carries many medical benefits.

This sharbat is an old and lost recipe. Pumping oxygen into this age old recipe, I have documented detailed step by step pictorial recipe. Read the post to know more about this sharbat.

Significance of Muharram

Let’s first start by knowing, What Is Muharram? Muharram is one of the four sacred months of Islamic calendar. Muharram is the first month on Hijri (Islamic Calendar). The word Muharram means “Forbidden“. This word Muharram comes from the word Haram, which means “sinful”. Apart from Ramadan, Muslims do fast during Muharram days too.

The tenth day of Muharram is the Day of Ashura, which to Shia Muslims is part of the Mourning of Muharram. Sunni Muslims also fast during Muharram for the first ten days of Muharram. Some people fast on just the tenth day or on both the ninth and tenth days. The exact term depends on the individual. You can read more on this here.

Why We Make Sharbat In Muharram?

There is no particular evidence anywhere about making of this sharbat during Muharram. Some people say, this sharbat signifies the martyrdom of Imam Hussain RAT, his followers and family. But I don’t know the exact reason on why we make this sharbat on the tenth day of Muharram.

I have seen both my grandmoms (nanima and dadima) making this during Muharram. Over the time, this tradition is fading and to keep a record of this heirloom recipe, I thought of posting it on my blog. 

Rediscovering and recreating the magic of that fading childhood memory, I asked my mom to make this for me and you all. So here is a detailed recipe with step-wise pictorial for better understanding. I don’t know how this sharbat came into fashion, but I am sure somewhere people are still making this during Muharram.

Easy & Yummy Muharram Special Recipes

Millet Daleem

Badami Chana Dal ka Halwa

Fattet Makdous

Dum Ke Roat

Zaffrani Gulab Jamun

Chicken Kabsa

Ingredients Needed To Make Muharram Ka Sharbat

The recipe of this sherbet calls for very few ingredients. But each of these ingredient carries its own delicate flavour, taste and texture which makes this drink unique and special.

Milk – You can use full fat or skimmed milk in making this sharbat. If you are vegan choose nut milk or oat milk. Traditional recipe calls for full fat cream milk (whole milk) only.

Almonds – Soak almonds for 1-2 hours and then peel them. Peeled almonds are then ground coarsely and added to milk. The almond paste brings nutty taste, texture and flavour to the sharbat.

Pistachio – Coarsely ground pistachios bring beautiful color, taste and flavour in this sharbat. 

Sugar – Traditionally, this drink calls for white granulated sugar. But, you can use brown sugar, jaggery or any sweetener of your choice.

Cardamom Powder – Brings a delicate aroma in the drink. Use good quality green cardamom or cardamom powder to get that delicate flavour and aroma.

Other Ingredients

Almond Flakes – Used as garnish. You can use slivered pistachio too. Or you can use combination of both almonds and pistachio flakes or powder.

Oudh – Oudd | Oodh | Agarwood Powder – This is the most important and key ingredient in making this sherbet. Agarwood brings smoky taste, aroma and flavor in this drink. Addition of agarwood smoke is what makes this drink unique, flavourful and delicious.

Coal – Oudh (agarwood powder) is sprinkled over a burning red hot charcoal and quickly covered with a a bowl. This bowl will collect all the aroma of the oudh. When we pour sherbet in the bowl, it will absorb all the fragrance of oudh.

Variations In Making Doodh Ka Sharbat

• My grandma use to add sweet basil leaves (sabja leaves) while making this sherbat. Sabja leaves bring refreshing taste in the sherbet.
• Some people add fennel seed powder or raw fennel seeds to boiling milk. Fennel seeds enhance the taste and flavour of the sherbet.
• For color and taste, people add Rooh Afza too. But traditional drink, will not call for rooh afza.
• My dadima (paternal grandma) use to make this sharbat with almond milk only. She use to grind a large batch of soaked almonds in chakki.
• By placing the mixture in a muslin cloth, she use to squeeze all the liquid. After repeating the process for 3-4 times, we get a big pitcher of fresh almond milk.
• The residue of almonds either go in making cookies, khajur or any other sweet or meat dish.

Easy Step By Step Recipe Of Making Muharram Ka Sharbat 

{With Pictures}

Soak almonds in water for 1 hour. Peel the skin of almonds and spread them on a kitchen tissue or towel. Dry for 20-30 minutes.

Add almonds and pistachios to a jar and grind coarsely.

Take a large and heavy bottom cooking vessel. Add milk. Bring it to boil.

When the milk starts to boil, lower the flame and add coarsely ground almond and pistachio paste.

Stir gently for 3-4 minutes. Now add cardamom powder. Let this boil for 2-3 minutes.

To this now add sugar. Stir till sugar dissolves completely.

Allow this to boil on low flame for another 5-6 minutes.

When sugar is completely dissolved,  sharbat will slowly start to thicken.

Turn off the flame and set aside. Once the sharbat has come down to room temperature, leave it in fridge to chill.

How To Temper Doodh Ka Sharbath

Keep a large empty steel bowl with lid, enough size to hold the above made sharbat ready.

Heat coal by placing it on the stove top. Carefully using tongs place burning coal onto a small steel or iron plate or bowl (I used brass mortar -pestle), as you can see in the picture).

Grab the empty bowl in one hand and sprinkle pinch of oudh on the burning coal and quickly invert the bowl on it.

By doing this the aromatic smoke coming from the oudh will be collected in the bowl.

After 30 seconds slowly and carefully flip the bowl and cover it with lid. Now slowly without removing the lid completely, pour in the above made sharbat.

Cover it and leave for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with almond flakes or chopped almonds and pistachio.

Serve chilled. I like this lukewarm. Try both the ways.