Shikanji

On a Delhi roadside in June the shikanji thela is easy to spot: a slab of ice under wet gunny sacking, a wooden mallet lying on top of it, a dented brass jug, and two rows of glasses turned upside down on a wet cloth. He cuts a lemon and squeezes it straight into the glass with his fist, spoons in crushed mishri, adds a pinch of grey-brown masala from a steel dabba, then knocks a shard off the ice block and pours. The glass fogs before he hands it over. The first sip is sour, then salty, then cold enough to make your teeth ache, and only right at the end does it turn sweet.

In a cold drink the sweetener has one job and one problem: cold water dissolves almost nothing. This is exactly why every shikanji stall keeps its mishri crushed and waiting in a jar. Our Organic Dhaga Mishri is grown on cotton thread over eight to ten days; crushed to a fine powder and stirred into the lemon juice first, before any water goes in, it disappears in about forty seconds. Tipped straight into cold water, whole crystals will sit at the bottom of the glass for ten minutes. It also sweetens gently rather than in one flat hit, which matters here, because the lemon and the black salt have to stay in charge.

The masala is what separates real shikanji from lemon water. Roast the cumin, peppercorns and coriander seeds yourself, on a low flame, until the cumin darkens by a shade and the kitchen smells of it — two to three minutes, no more. Cool them completely before grinding or the powder goes clumpy. Shop chaat masala is mostly amchur and salt and it will make the drink taste flat and one-note.

How to make it

1. Heat a small pan on a low flame. Dry roast the cumin, peppercorns and coriander seeds together for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan, until the cumin darkens a shade and smells toasted.
2. Tip them onto a plate and let them cool completely — five minutes. Grind to a fine powder with the black salt and rock salt. You will have more than you need; keep the rest in a small jar.
3. Crush the mishri to a powder. Pull out any cotton thread, put the crystals in a steel katori and press and grind with the base of a second katori until it is as fine as sooji.
4. Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into a jug. Add the powdered mishri and stir for about 40 seconds — the juice will go cloudy and then clear as it dissolves.
5. Add ½ tsp of the roasted masala and stir again. Taste the syrup now; this is where you fix the balance, not later.
6. Tear the mint leaves roughly with your fingers, or press them once against the side of the jug with a spoon, and drop them in.
7. Pour in the chilled water or soda and stir slowly, twice around the jug. If using soda, stir as little as possible.
8. Fill two glasses with ice, pour, hang a lemon wheel on the rim, and dust a tiny pinch more masala on top. Serve immediately.

Tips

• Dissolve the mishri in the juice first. Neat lemon juice is a small volume and slightly acidic, so the powder goes in fast. Straight into cold water it will sit at the bottom.
• Roll the lemons before cutting. Press and roll them hard on the counter for a few seconds. You will get noticeably more juice out of the same lemon.
• Do not squeeze the pith. Over-squeezing pulls bitterness out of the white membrane. Stop when the halves stop giving easily.
• Make a bottle of syrup. Lemon juice, powdered mishri and masala keep for four days in the fridge. Two spoons into a glass of cold water and it is done.
• Soda version. Use soda instead of water and pour it down the side of the glass at the last second so it stays lively.
• For a Jaipur-style glass, add a very small pinch of grated fresh ginger to the lemon juice before the water goes in. It gives a warm edge behind the cold.