Eesha Kulkarni

Whether you’re eating a lip-smacking thali or a plate loaded with scrumptious kebabs and chicken tikkas, sometimes the meal feels incomplete without a refreshing drink. Now, there are a host of options when it comes to drinks accompanying meals, including iced teas, coffees, soft drinks or juices. However, no drink can top certain traditional, regional beverages (like solkadhi) which are not only delicious but healthy too.

Solkadhi is one of those desi (Maharashtrian, to be specific) drinks that can instantly give you a dose of energy and refreshment with just one sip, and even Vicky Kaushal seems to agree!

The pink-coloured summer cooler is usually consumed to beat the scorching heat, but this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it in cool weather. And, Kaushal is doing exactly that. The actor revealed on one of his Instagram Stories that a glass of ice-cold solkadhi is what feeds his soul. Holding the drink in his hand, he wrote, “sol kadhi for the soul!”

Now that this delicious drink has received a stamp of approval from the nation’s heartthrob, let’s look at its benefits to both the body and the ‘soul’. Solkadhi is a soothing digestive drink from the Konkan region made up of dried kokum fruit and coconut milk. The vernacular beverage is enjoyed with rice or as a digestive drink at the end of the meal or alongside it, and it pairs well with Indian spicy cuisines.

The OG pink drink should be everyone’s go-to chaser because it’s good for digestion, skin, hair, heart health, and also aids in weight loss. Your skin and hair will glow naturally as a result of this anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich beverage. You’ll love that solkadhi is a super tangy, sweet, creamy and the most delicious tropical drink of your dreams.

Now, what is better than gulping down some freshly prepared solkadhi at home? We’ve got you the authentic recipe right here!

Ingredients

6-8 Kokum or Aamsol

1 cup Grated Coconut

1 cup Hot water

2 cloves Garlic

1-2 Green Chillies

Asafoetida (hing)

Rock Salt

Coriander Leaves

Method

1. Soak the kokum in 3/4th cup of water after adding asafoetida (hing) and salt to it. Then keep it aside for 3-4 hours.
2. Blitz the freshly grated coconut, green chillies and garlic in a blender or mixer with some water.
3. Pour the mixture over a muslin or cheesecloth and squeeze the milk out of the thick paste and keep it aside.
4. Add another 3/4th cup of water to the dry paste and run the mixer again for a minute.
5. Now repeat the extracting process again and add it to the original liquid. Repeat this step several times until you’ve fully drawn out its flavour.
6. Remove the soaked kokum from the water and add the extracted coconut milk mixture to it to get a creamy pink solkadhi.
7. Let the solkadhi rest for about an hour and then serve it chilled. You can also garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves.