Kokum Cooler is a perfect summer drink

R: Hi hon. How are you? Hope all is well. I had a quick question. When your Mom and you were in LA a while ago, you guys had served 2 really refreshing drinks – one green and one pink with little pieces of chopped up fruit on top. Could you send me the recipes coz I would love to make them?? xoxo



 R

I am always thrilled to hear from friends anywhere, especially those I haven’t seen in a while but R’s question left me wondering. “Refreshing drinks” could be anything – I prepare Ayurveda based drinks all the time. Was she talking about a daytime drink? A night time drink? Alcoholic or not? Sweet, sour? The choices are endless.

R: It was yummy and refreshing. We had it during the day, going into the evening. Non alcoholic but I’m sure we could jazz it up it was sweet but refreshingly so, not too sweet. 
I guess it was your take on jaljeera?

Judging by her description, I am guessing that the ‘pink’ drink is Kokum Cooler, my version of Kokum kadi, a popular summer drink in Karnataka and Goa.

Kokum grows along India’s Konkan coast

Kokum (Garcinia Indica), a dark red fruit that grows along India’s Konkan coast is yet another Ayurvedic wonder-drug. Perfect for reducing heat and inflammation, it is an ideal anti-dote for the Pitta dosha. Drinking kokum infused water helps expel heat, counter acidity and relieve sunstroke. The fruit pulp can also be applied directly to the skin to alleviate rashes caused by allergies. The emollient properties of kokum butter (prepared from the seeds) are helpful in treating burns, scalds and chafed skin.

Kokum kadi, a decoction of fresh kokum fruits in water is a popular drink in households on India’s Konkan coast, especially during the hot months, when fresh kokum is available in large quantities. My version, Kokum Cooler, has always been a huge hit with my friends and clients in California. Most of them go for the taste and do not even realize the it wonderfully healing properties.

The drink is easy enough to prepare at home. If you are in India and have access to the fresh fruit then this is always my preferred option. If not, then look for the dried fruit skins at a natural foods store or at an Indian grocery store. Make sure that the skins have a soft, chewy consistency – hard, dried fruits mean that they have been been sitting in the store for a while and have probably lost much of their taste and healing properties.

Kokum Cooler – A perfect antidote to the pitta dosha

Ingredients:

• 2 whole fresh kokum or 4-5 dry kokum skins
• 2 cups water
• 3 fresh green chillies
• 1 fresh red chilli
• 1 tsp jaggery (or you can replace with stevia or molasses but not honey)
• A pinch asafoetida
• Natural rock salt

For the seasoning:

• 1 Tbs ghee
• 1tsp whole mustard seeds
• 1-2 chopped fresh (or dried) red chillies
• 1 tsp chopped, fresh (or dried) kokum

Preparation:

Mix the kokum with water. If you are using the fresh fruit then squeeze it with your hands until it colors the water. If fresh kokum is not available then you can used dried skins. Leave them in water for about 30 mins. Mix kokum water with salt, jaggery, salt and green chillies. Dilute the asafoetida in water and add to the mixture. Then prepare the seasoning: Heat the oil, add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add the chopped red chili and dried/fresh kokum pieces.

The drink chilled is most refreshing when served chilled.  Now I need to figure what R meant by “green” drink!

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“Finally through this exquisite and accessible book, Reenita Malhotra Hora has brought the power and well-being of Ayurveda into our lives,” — Mira Nair, Filmmaker

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It’s not so much an intention to detox as an observance of the Navratri fast . In effect though, the fast is a detox routine. Although observed as a sign of devotion to Devi, the Goddess, its origins lie in Ayurveda.

Here is the rationale.

Navratri occurs during two changes of seasons – Fall into Winter and Winter into Spring. Seasonal changes are characterized by an excess of the Vata elements, wind and space, which lower immunity. As such, it’s a good idea to take a break from your regular eating patterns during this time of the year and eat easily digested meals that support the immune system.

Fruit, the most easily digested of all food groups, forms the staple food of the Navratri festival. Milk, the other staple, is also consumed for its protein content and tissue building support. What is particularly important about these foods is that they are both ‘sattvic’ i.e. clean and pure. From Ayurvedic perspective this means no toxins, from a Hindu perspective, eating sattvic food help invoke the power of the Devi.

The entire purpose of the Navrati festival is to evoke the protection of Devi, who banishes all all negatives forces in life. This includes toxins that lodge themselves into our mind-body systems.

Are you up for a dose of Goddess energy? Hindu or not, the Navratri fast makes perfect sense as a health practice for anyone.

All that said, today is Dussehra which marks the culmination of the Navratri festival. It marks new beginnings (especially if you are all detoxified) So start something new today, it’s a great time to get your creative juices flowing. Happy Dussehra all!

Now while we know that ETFs allow retail investors to put their money into a wider basket of equities rather than single stocks, up until now, they have been denominated in single currencies only. Here in Hong Kong, investors are increasingly interested in Chinese stocks, hence the appeal of renminbi denominated funds.

With the launch of the Harvest MSCI China ETF, the Hong Kong stock exchange has beat Singapore to a dual counter fund. But what really is the advantage of dual counter?

“This means that people can operate this ETF with two trading currencies,” said Michelle Chua,Regional Head of Business Development, Harvest Global Investments Ltd. “People can trade on either the renminbi or HK$ counter; or they can buy in one currency and sell in the other.”

In a nutshell, far more flexibility in trading and settlement which is perfect for Hong Kong investors as it gives them th opportunity to play the currencies along with investments.

The ETF is different to others in that not only does it provide direct access to Asian markets but the underlying index is different. A pure stock ETF, it is the first ever based upon MSCI China A, which provides significant breadth in securities. With about 541 shares, there is much more mid cap representation. “We believe that broad is beautiful,” said Deborah Yang, Head of Index Business for MSCI, “It translates to less concentration in banks and more in consumer industries.”

That’s exactly what you want to focus on given that most analysts point growth in China resulting from domestic cosumption. And given that according to Jerry Wang, Portfolio Manager for the MSCI China A Index, the China A market has reached the bottom, now might be a perfect time to invest. That and the fact that Navratri has just begun!

Product Description:
Inner Beauty draws on the teachings of Ayurveda, India’s ancient tradition of natural health, to create a lifestyle centered on positive health. This is a 50 minute program about self care rituals based upon Ayurveda. Somewhere between a documentary and non-fiction ‘how-to’ story, the film likens itself to a Julia Child or Martha Stewart type approach to holistic health encompassing a brief history of the medicine, information about the different mind-body constitutions, and the specific self care rituals that can be customized to your own specific needs.

The cultural story and background information in the first part leads you to personalizing your own skincare, diet and detox rituals which are then outlined in the second part of the video. Whether your custom Ayurvedic self care plans including the cooling ritual of a herbal bath, meditative breathing techniques or the cleansing effect of a detox weekend, this video will guide you and help you to find the balance that we all crave in our hectic lives. Shot entirely in the Himalayan mountains and produced in India, the video features Reenita Malhotra Hora, (Ayurveda Clincian, Author of Inner Beauty, published by Chronicle Books) as the anchor.