Lemongrass - Basil Sherbet

I wish I was one of those women who lie, swathed in their own rose-water scented mists (they never really sweat) on a steamy day, barely upsetting the dew on their cool glasses of lemon soda as they sip, and weakly proclaim, ‘It’s too hot to eat, I have no appetite.’ As luck would have it, not I, nor any one I’m related to by blood or water, have been blessed with such a delicate constitution. You know that thing they say, ‘if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen’ – well, not for us.

Someone is always hungry and so must be fed. But mountains of prep, minutes of ‘bagaaring’ and slashes of spicy can be daunting if you’re the designated domestic dinner-lady. Through trial and error, we’ve found whether it is to entice the languid, heat-allergic to the table or nourish the big-eaters, foods that can be labeled ‘modern eating’ or urban, ‘continental’-inspired work well. The trick to surviving a summer in the kitchen is to limit the time spent with the fires burning, keep the food easy on the eye and on the tummy and of course, always have some lemony sodas at hand.

Lemongrass-Basil Sherbet 

Boil up 1.5 litres of water, 500 gms of sugar, a big handful of lemongrass (actually you really need a lot of lemongrass... even two big handfuls) and the juice and zest of 15/20 lemons. Depends on how tart they are and how juicy and how flavourful. I think this is one of those recipes that you just keep adding/adjusting as you go along. 

Simmer until the water has reduced by half. Now throw in about 100 gms of hand-crushed basil and turn the heat off after 5 minutes. Into the warm mixture, stir in the juice of the zested lemons and some crushed fresh mint. Let it cool naturally. Then strain and keep your concentrate in the fridge to add to plain soda, cold water or poured into crushed ice for a delicious, light insta-sorbet.