Millet Beverages For Summer: Gluten-Free Cooling Drinks

Ragi Ambali is Karnataka’s ancient morning drink that is rich in calcium, iron, and amino acids. Made by cooking ragi with water. Once you get a porridge-like consistency, thin it further with buttermilk or water. Slightly seasoned with jeera and salt, the millet beverage is impeccable to start a summer day.

Bajra raab is a traditional drink that’s popularly made in Rajasthani and Gujarati homes. With pearl millet flour, water, and buttermilk, the gluten-free beverage helps to cool the body from within. After being out in the sun for long hours, have a glass of bajra raab, and your body will get instant hydration.

Jowar kanji, aka the fermented elixir, is prized for being a gut-healing summer drink. You can soak whole or cracked jowar overnight and let it ferment. After about twelve hours, it develops a pleasant sour flavour that can then be savoured once strained and salted. You can further elevate the taste with a drizzle of sesame oil and a pinch of turmeric.

If you have been waking up to a glass of smoothie before hitting the gym, just add the magic of ragi to your glass. Blend berries, bananas, some oat or almond milk with ragi, and you’ll get a malty flavour, reminiscent of dark chocolate. Mix in some ginger juice for a warming finish and gulp.

The summer season is incomplete without experimenting with coconut water. Even though coconut water is rich in electrolytes, you can enhance its nutritional value by making a cooler with little millet. Soak the millet till soft and then mix it with coconut water, lime juice, cardamom powder, and some pink salt. You’ll then get an electrolyte-rich drink that slowly releases energy to help you survive a hot summer day.