Jigarthanda is a famous summer cooler served with ice cream. Very popular in Madurai. This recipe is originally made with 4 basic Ingredients Badam Gum/ pisin, Nannari Syrup, Chilled thick milk/ condensed milk and Ice cream. Badam Gum is not available in all places you can replace it with china grass or Gelatin gel to get same consistency. Milk you can boil and reduce at home or can use ready made condensed milk and if you want mix some milk for volume with this by chilling it and using. Vanilla ice cream is generally used or you can use flavoured ones also to get different taste.

       This dessert is mainly sweetened and flavoured with Nannari syrup. The jelly also absorbs the colour, flavour and taste of the sharbath. If you do not get this at your place you can replace this with Rose syrup.We all love this drink. So tasty and yummy. Feels like to drink more and more and more. Like a dessert & drink. You can add chopped nuts or cherries if you like for garnishing.

Jigarthanda



INGREDIENTS: (For 1 tall glass shown in photograph. Enough for 2 normal glass servings)

China grass/ Agar agar/ Seaweed- 2 inch piece (or) 1/2 teaspoon if it is in powder form (or) Gelatin -1/2 teaspoon (or) Badam gum/ pisin- 1 tablespoon
Water- 1 cup
Nannari Syrup- 4 tablespoons
Milk- 3 cups (or) condensed milk- 1 cup
Vanilla Ice cream - 2 scoops


PROCEDURE:

  • Prepare Nannari Syrup as mentioned in the recipe or you can use store bought ones.
  • Heat a cup of water once it comes to boil, add the china grass and stir well till it dissolved completely with out and small pieces on medium flame. 
  • Once its done switch off the gas and transfer the contents to a heat proof bowl and keep inside the fridge to set for about half an hour in chiller or if you are running out of time you can keep inside the freezer for 10 minutes.(If you use gelatin sprinkle the gelatin in cold water once it absorbs water and blooms, heat a cup of water and once it comes to boil add the gelatin and cook till it dissolves; follow the steps as mentioned above to set the gel)
  • Boil the milk in a pan and bring it to boil and reduce the milk to half by constant stirring on medium flame for about 10-15 minutes. Now it tastes like condensed milk and light yellow in colour. That is 3 cups should be reduced to 1½ cup. Allow the milk to cool under the  fan and transfer it into a glass and allow to chill inside fridge for 1 hour or freezer for 10 minutes.
  • Make ready all the 4 ingredients Jelly, Nanari Sharbath, Chilled milk and Ice cream.
  • To assemble take a tall glass and add the scraped pieces of jelly followed by Nanari Sharbath, Chilled thick milk then Ice cream. Garnish with nuts and cherries if you like.