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Pineapples, mangoes, green chillies: Kerala’s 500-year-old probiotic summer drink keeps you cool naturally. Bangalore food blogger shares easy homemade recipe
ET Online | May 3, 2026 10:19 PM CST

Synopsis

Beat the summer heat with a traditional Kerala-style fermented drink. This natural cooler, made with pineapple, raw mango, and green chillies, supports digestion and replenishes minerals. Food blogger Hina Gujral shares an easy recipe. Fermentation is key to its probiotic benefits, promoting gut health and natural cooling. Avoid iodised salt for proper culture development.

The homemade drink creates a powerful natural cooler. (Instagram - funfoodandfrolic)
Scorching summer temperatures can leave the body battling dehydration, fatigue, heat exhaustion, poor digestion, and sudden energy crashes. Excessive sweating often causes electrolyte imbalances, making hydration and gut health essential during hot weather. While packaged cooling drinks and electrolyte beverages are popular choices, traditional natural remedies may offer added nutritional benefits without artificial additives. Ancient probiotic drinks, especially those rooted in regional wellness traditions, can support digestion, replenish minerals, improve gut health, and naturally cool the body. Fermented beverages rich in beneficial bacteria are powerful summer superfoods that not only refresh but also promote overall health and immunity.

Probiotic summer drink recipe


Food blogger Hina Gujral recently dropped a video on Instagram, sharing an easy homemade recipe for a traditional Kerala-style fermented probiotic drink made with pineapple, raw mango, and green chillies. According to her, this age-old summer beverage combines sweet, tangy, spicy, and probiotic-rich ingredients to create a powerful natural cooler. She described the drink as flavourful, refreshing, and particularly beneficial during extreme summer months.

To prepare the drink, Hina Gujral added a pineapple and a raw mango with skin, cut into pieces, into a jar, along with four green chillies, rock salt, mishri, black mustard seeds, yellow mustard, and red chilli flakes. She boiled some water and kept it on the side for it to cool down.
The food blogger explained that all ingredients should be placed into a completely clean and dry glass jar before adding the water.

Things to keep in mind


As per the food blogger, the mixture should be sealed tightly and left on the kitchen counter, not refrigerated, for 24 to 48 hours to allow proper fermentation. She emphasised that fermentation is the key process that transforms this beverage into a probiotic-rich summer health booster. The fermentation helps promote gut-friendly bacteria, making it beneficial for digestion while also offering a naturally cooling effect.



Hina Gujral shared an important preparation tip: iodised salt should never be used, as it can disrupt the fermentation process. Instead, rock salt or sea salt is essential to ensure the probiotic culture develops properly. This traditional Kerala fermented pineapple drink, often celebrated for its bold and spicy flavours, stands out as a wholesome alternative to sugary summer beverages. Combining probiotics, electrolytes, digestive support, and seasonal fruits, it offers a natural way to stay energised, hydrated, and cool throughout the summer.


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