Summer special Bel fruit sherbet

This article is written by nutritionist Dr. Vibhusha Jambhekar

Bel is a species native to India. The Bel tree is considered to be sacred by Hindus. Bel fruit has been known for its medicinal values since 2000 BC. In spite of this, we have long forgotten this fruit and its benefits. Even though I am a nutritionist, I had never seen this fruit till now. Hence I thought I should research more about our native, nutritionally rich foods.

So here's my recipe of simple Bel sherbet:

1 ripe bel fruit
1 lemon
10-14 tsp Liquid jaggery (kakvi)
1 cup water
1/4 th tsp salt

The bel fruit is very hard from outside. You have to break it open to remove the pulp. The pulp is very soft and can be scooped out with a spoon.

After you remove all the pulp, add 1 cup water and cook it for 5 - 10 minutes.

Strain the pulp through a mesh and add liquid jaggery, salt, lemon juice.

I have added jaggery as it is a better option for sugar, and is also rich in iron. The lemon juice enhances the taste and increases the availability of all minerals in bel fruit.

To prepare sherbet, to 4 tbsp of this concentrate add 1 cup of water and stir.