Jigarthanda

Name: Jigarthanda
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 9 h 35 min
Ingredients: 4 g almond gum (badam pisin), about 4 small crystals; 250 ml water, for soaking; 600 ml milk, full-fat; 40 g sugar; 3 tbsp nannari syrup; 120 g vanilla ice cream, 2 scoops vanilla; 80 g ice, crushed (optional)

Vegetarian

ஜிகர்தண்டா · jigartaṇṭā

Madurai's famous cold drink: wobbly soaked almond gum, sarsaparilla (nannari) syrup and chilled reduced milk, topped with a scoop of ice cream.

Jigarthanda is an Indian shake, ready in about 9 hours 35 minutes and made with almond gum (badam pisin), nannari syrup and vanilla ice cream. It serves 2 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Jigarthanda: chilled milk drink with ice cream and nuts in a glass with a straw — Photo: Oleg Yunakov / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Rest: 1 h
Total: 9 h 35 min
Serves: 2
Level: Easy
Calories: 467

Plus about 8 hours (overnight) to soak the almond gum.

Ingredients

2 tall glasses

4 g Almond gum (badam pisin) (opens in a new tab), about 4 small crystals
250 ml Water (opens in a new tab), for soaking
600 ml Milk (opens in a new tab), full-fatContains milk
40 g Sugar (opens in a new tab)
3 tbsp (58 g) Nannari syrup (opens in a new tab)Swap: Rose syrup (Different flavour, but a common shortcut.)
120 g Vanilla ice cream (opens in a new tab), 2 scoops vanillaContains milk
80 g Ice (opens in a new tab), crushed (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Soak the almond gum (opens in a new tab) in the water overnight (at least 8 hours) until it swells into a soft, clear jelly. Drain off any excess water.
- 2 min
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Simmer the milk (opens in a new tab) with the sugar (opens in a new tab) in a wide, heavy pan, stirring and scraping the sides often, until reduced to about 350 ml and lightly golden, 20–25 minutes.
- 25 min
- medium-low heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Cool the reduced milk (opens in a new tab), then chill it for at least 1 hour.
- 1 min
4
Step 4
In each glass put 2–3 tbsp almond-gum jelly and half the nannari syrup (opens in a new tab), add crushed ice if using, pour over the chilled milk (opens in a new tab) and top with a scoop of ice cream (opens in a new tab). Serve at once.
- 3 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India · Commonly attributedMore food from India
Dish: Snack · Dessert · Shakes & lassis · Cold drinks
Cooking method: Simmered
Taste: sweet, creamy, rich, earthy
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Street food
Cook more with: Vanilla ice cream · Milk · Sugar
Techniques: Simmering · Reduction

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom milk, vanilla ice cream
May contain: Eggsfrom vanilla ice cream

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

467 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 543 g · recipe makes 2

Where the energy comes from

Protein 10%
Carbohydrate 58%
Fat 32%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	467 kcal	86 kcal
Protein	11.8 g	2.2 g
Carbohydrate	68.3 g	12.6 g
Net carbohydrate	67.9 g	12.5 g
Sugars	61.7 g	11.4 g
Added sugars	—	—
Fibre	0.4 g	0.1 g
Fat	16.6 g	3.1 g
Saturated fat	9.8 g	1.8 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	57 mg	11 mg
Sodium	191 mg	35 mg
Salt equivalent	0.5 g	0.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 536 mg
Calcium: 440 mg
Iron: 0.2 mg
Magnesium: 43 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 213 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 4.1 µg
Vitamin B12: 1.6 µg
Folate (DFE): 18 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: ice.
Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): almond gum (badam pisin).
Nannari syrup: Grenadine syrup (FDC 168088) used as a stand-in for a sugar syrup flavoured with Indian sarsaparilla root (Hemidesmus indicus); brands vary.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

A little almond gum goes a long way: 4 g swells to several tablespoons of jelly.
Some Madurai shops also stir in a spoon of thick milk cream (paal khova) before the ice cream.

Common mistakes

Letting the reducing milk catch; use a heavy pan and keep stirring.

Storage

Soaked almond gum and reduced milk keep 2 days in the fridge, separately.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & BlendCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Milk, full-fat600 ml · 618 g
Vanilla ice cream, 2 scoops vanilla120 g

Used in steps 2, 4

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

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