Basil Seed

Tiny, black seeds of a type of basil, Ocimum basilicum, found in central Asia as well as South and Southeast Asia, tukhmuriya is valued for its cooling and soothing properties. Basil seeds are an indispensable part of a sweet milky drink, faluda, that Parsis are supposed to drink on March 21 but can enjoy all year round. When soaked, the seeds expand quickly and dramatically into black specks with a translucent, jelly-like coating. You can find them in Indian shops, sometimes sold as tak-maria, or at Thai or Southeast Asian markets as med maeng lak. The Thai product often has less sand and chaff than what we get from India.