Those damned rain gods better take the day off today (June 16).
Old Trafford’s bracing for the centrepiece of the ongoing cricket world cup: an India-Pakistan match. Needless to say, some 1.5 billion people are preparing for a war of sorts.
Tongue-in-cheek television commercials, memes that have gone viral, and potshots on Twitter—there’s no escaping the jingoism or, as some would still call it, “love for the game.”
However, if you count yourself among the dying species looking to only enjoy good old cricket with the best of both worlds, then let Quartz set your agenda for the day in the best south Asian tradition: “Khao, piyo, aish karo!” (Eat, drink, and make merry!). And by best of both worlds, we mean combining rustic Indian spirits with Pakistan’s culinary delights.
We’ll tell you how to make the drinks at home; for the Pakistani dishes, kindly use those food-ordering apps.
Handia with Chargha Lahori chicken
If you are in any of the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, or Chhattisgarh, you know what we are talking about. For those who don’t, Handia’s rice beer is made from a combination of herbs.
Ingredients
- Rice – 5kg
- Raanu (a herbal fermenting agent)
- 15-20 litres water
Boil five kilograms of rice in 20 litres of water. When cooked, rinse the water, and cool the rice by spreading it. Add raanu, mash the mixture, and keep it in an earthen vessel. Cover the vessel and keep it in the dark. Your drink will be ready in just a few hours.
Thinking what would go with it? We think Pakistan’s chargha chicken would be the best.
Toddy with Peshawari Kabab
Widely popular in the southern, eastern, and northeastern states of India, toddy is made from the sap of the coconut or palmyra tree. For those with no palm tree in sight, here’s how you make a version of the drink at home.
Ingredients:
- Coconut water (as much as you want to drink)
- Sugar
- One tablespoon of yeast to hasten the fermentation
In a jar, mix one tablespoon of sugar in coconut water, add yeast and mix well. Cover the jar with a cloth and keep it in a warm place, preferably near the stove. Stay patient for 8-9 hours, and you have the drink of the gods ready.
This brew could go well with the most popular Pakistani delicacy, Peshawari kabab, best served with butter naan (oven-baked flatbread) and raita (yoghurt).
Feni cocktail with Shahi Tukda
If you have a sweet tooth, here’s a combination based on the popular Goan cashew drink, Feni.
Ingredients:
- 59 ml Feni
- 177 ml Limca (or any soda lemonade)
- Lemon
- Mint leaves
Drop ice cubes into the glass. Mix feni with Limca and lemon juice, garnish it with mint leaves and voila!
What better to go with it than the yummy dessert, Shahi Tukda?
Now that we have got you covered, call your friends over, switch on that TV set, and raise a toast. Cheers!