Name: Gond Katira Grapes Shikanji
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons soaked gond katira (from 1 teaspoon dry, soaked overnight); 1 cup (about 150 g) black grapes, washed and stemmed; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1–2 tablespoons honey, to taste; ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera); ¼ teaspoon saunf (fennel) powder; ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon chaat masala; ¼ teaspoon black salt (kala namak); Pinch of regular salt; 1 cup (240 ml) chilled soda water or sparkling water; 6–8 fresh mint leaves; 6–8 ice cubes

Contents hide

1. Gond Katira Grapes Shikanji

2. Ingredients

3. Directions

4. Notes:

5. Related Posts:

Shikanji is the great-grandmother of summer drinks in India — typically lemon, salt, cumin, black pepper, mint, all stirred together in cold water.

Try More Recipes –

Gond Katira Watermelon Cooler

GOND KATIRA Uses, Benefits, and Delicious Recipes

This is the upgraded version: black grapes for natural sweetness, gond katira for texture, and a fizzy lift from soda at the end.

The flavour is everything Indian masala drinks do well — tangy, salty, slightly sweet, slightly spiced, deeply refreshing. The kind of thing that wakes your mouth up after a heavy lunch.

It looks complicated because there are a lot of spices, but it’s really just “add everything to one jug, stir, top with soda.” Ready in 10 minutes once your gond katira is soaked.

Watch the recipe – Gond katira recipes

Gond Katira Grapes Shikanji

Course: DrinkCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

A spiced Indian summer cooler made with black grape juice, soaked gond katira jelly, chaat masala, cumin, fennel and a fizz of soda. Tangy, lightly sweet, and uniquely refreshing — ready in 10 minutes once your gond katira is soaked.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons soaked gond katira (from 1 teaspoon dry, soaked overnight)
1 cup (about 150 g) black grapes, washed and stemmed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1–2 tablespoons honey, to taste
½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera)
¼ teaspoon saunf (fennel) powder
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon chaat masala
¼ teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
Pinch of regular salt
1 cup (240 ml) chilled soda water or sparkling water
6–8 fresh mint leaves
6–8 ice cubes

Directions

The night before: soak 1 teaspoon dried gond katira in 1 cup of water for 6–8 hours. Drain excess water in the morning.
In a blender, blend the black grapes with 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a jug to get a clean grape juice (about ¾ cup).
Stir into the grape juice: lemon juice, honey, roasted cumin, saunf powder, black pepper, chaat masala, black salt, and the pinch of regular salt. Taste — adjust honey or chaat masala if you want it more tangy or sweet.
Tear in the mint leaves and let sit for 2 minutes so the mint releases its oils.
In each of 2 tall glasses, place 1 tablespoon of soaked gond katira at the bottom. Add 4 ice cubes. Pour the spiced grape juice over the top, filling each glass about ⅔ full.
Top with chilled soda water for a fizzy finish. Stir once gently, garnish with mint, serve immediately.

Notes:

**No soda?** Plain chilled water works — you lose the fizz but gain a cleaner taste. Tonic water adds a slightly bitter, more grown-up edge.
**Roasted cumin matters.** Pre-roast cumin seeds in a dry pan for 30 seconds until fragrant, then grind. Pre-ground cumin from a jar is half the flavour.
**Sweetener:** Skip honey for a vegan version — use jaggery syrup or coconut sugar instead.
**Make-ahead:** You can mix the spiced grape juice up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate. Add gond katira, soda, ice, and mint only at serving time.
NUTRITION (per glass, approx.)- Calories: 90 kcal - Protein: 1 g - Carbs: 22 g - Fat: 0 g - Sugar: 19 g