nimbu paani (limeade) with stevea and mint ...


With the picture of Stevea i had promised to bring a recipe using the sweetening leaves. We eat our sugars in moderation and never use any artificial sweeteners as a rule . Natural sweeteners having some nutritive value along with calories is my way of having my sweet treats . So dates , raisins and fruits rule as natural sweeteners in many of my desserts . Stevea is an occasional addition to my green tea or lemonade or limeade with other flavorings like ginger or mint or whatever is the mood.

I have never cooked with fresh Stevea leaves so i do not know how it behaves when cooked or baked . I like it being used fresh and feel like enjoying my garden more at such times . To make you some more jealous let me tell you , all the ingredients in this nimboo paani have come from the garden , freshly plucked ...


 Mint, Stevea and lime (nimboo) . 2-3 leaves of Stevea are enough to lightly sweeten a glass of limeade . Mint can be as much as you like. I add some salt to my limeade too as i like the way it really quenches the body after excessive sweating ..... I am living on such limeades and thin buttermilk these days.

So the lime is zested  and leaves are crushed using a pestle . I had planned to take a picture of the crushed up leaves and lemon zest but i was in a hurry to drink the nimboo paani after working in the garden for an hour . Taking pictures can spoil the fun sometimes.


 All the crushed leaves and lime zest is added to a pitcher , chilled water filled up and salt is added according to taste . Very light hint of salt is required the way i make it. You can see the crushed leaves floating on top of the limeade .




 Pour in glasses through a sieve . A few small bits of crushed leaves can be enjoyable , so add some if you like .



 Isn't it a lovely color . The refreshing taste is something i am loving these days . It's a seasonal delight for me , as long as the summers are sweltering and as long as i get fresh mint in the garden .

I took my drawing board outside in the garden and used it as a table to click a few quick pictures . Luckily the mild sunlight appeared for a few minutes and made my day . It has been a rainy day otherwise. Pleasant greens look all refreshed . The limeade refreshed my soul too...without any sugars going into my bloodstream.



I make the aam panna using Stevea leaves too . It is a better way to have the refreshing drinks of summer as we are in real danger of ingesting large amounts of sugars if all the ice creams , granitas , and sherbets are consumed indiscriminately .

Using healthier options for sweet treats makes more sense . Are you growing your own Stevea?
Try doing so as now you have seen the beautiful flowers it bears too...

Comments

  1. Refreshing and perfect drink.. looks inviting !!

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  2. Refreshing and perfect drink.. looks inviting !!

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  3. Beautiful pictures and the clicks of nimbu paani are making me so so thirsty

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  4. Perfect clicks n so refreshing drink!!!

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  5. refreshing drink. love the pic with beautiful background.

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  6. Neat blog. No complaining or agony here. Refreshing!

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  7. @ Formerly Anon. ... complaining or agony????

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  8. perfect to beat the heat......loved the clicks....

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  9. Love the mint leaves floating in the jug... and the jug :)

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  10. Absolutely love the pics and so refreshing, never used stevia before to sweeten anything, sounds great.

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  11. Oh the Answer is right here - I must get a Stevia plant pronto.
    Tell me can you crush and keep the Stevia paste in the fridge -handy to use ?

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  12. Hi Varsha...i have never stored Stevea paste in the fridge . The leaves are very sweet and as far as i know the fresh leaves have the most potent form of sweetening (my source of info is a researcher working on it) ...i always use it fresh although i am not too much into alternative sweeteners , i do not eat much sugar except for my milky tea and that i like with little sugar in it...no stevea for my milky masala chai.

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  13. Sangeeta can you please do a post on growing stevea. It would be very helpful. I could not find stevea seeds or saplings at my place. I found the insulin plant though. A shop selling stevea extract had some fresh plants for promotion but flatly refused to sell me a sapling.

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    1. Aparna I don't grow Stevea any more. I figured I can do without it :-) We don't eat much sugar and we like real sugar whatever small amount we need here and there.
      The stevea that I grew that year was so god it spread all over the garden and flowered too, almost became wild. And then I went for a cycling expedition and the husband got the garden cleaned, the gardener didn't recognise stevea as a useful plant and threw everything away. I was in shock for a long time but now I have made peace.
      Stevea grows easily btw, just like you propagate mint.

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    2. My condolences! Gardeners have this affliction. Stevea i can understand but our gardener chopped off my lovely philodendron creeper. It never grew back leaving me heart broken. I do not allow any one in my tiny garden after that even if it means lifting heavy pots to the terrace myself. Thanks all the same as you made it sound so easy I got the confidence to give it a shot. Do You suggest seeds or saplings. I stay about 3 hrs by road/rail from Kolkata and Delhi is an overnight journey.

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    3. I can be grown form cuttings easily just like mint as I said. Saplings grow well definitely. I have never grown stevea from seeds.

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