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Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Tangy coolant Beat the heat with Aam Panna

Summer is synonymous with Mango-mania. Well, the ripe luscious mangoes might not have taken over the markets yet, so get your dose of vitamin C from the deliciously sour unripe mangoes. Loaded with vitamin C, and a good source of vitamins B1 and B2, raw mango is a great cooler. An effective cure to counter heat-stroke, a cooling drink is made from the cooked pulp of raw mango, widely known as Panna.

This drink is made almost all over India, with a few variations to suit the local palate. In Gujarat it is made sweeter, while down south it is made with a bit of spice. And there are a few modern variations too. But the basic recipe remains the same.

The raw mango is boiled or roasted whole. The cooled fruit is then peeled and the soft cooked pulp is collected. The seeds and skin are discarded. Depending on individual preferences, sugar or jaggery is added to the pulp.

For each fairly big sized mango, about 150-200 gms sugar or jaggery (depending on the sourness) is added to the pulp and blended. For better preservation, this is further heated to a single boil (optional). While boiling, flavours or spices are added to suit individual palates. The cooled mix is strained and preserved in the fridge. This forms the basic raw-mango-concentrate. If the concentrate is too sweet (i.e., the mango is not sour enough) a bit of lime can be added.

The flavours or spices that can be added are many. Either one or a combination of the spices is added. To list a few…a few saffron strands, cardamom powder, ginger, a tsp of roasted coriander-cumin seeds powder, a tsp of roasted cumin seeds powder, chilli powder, pepper powder, a few sprigs of mint or a bit of rock salt. All these alternatives are local to various parts of India. In a tall glass, take about a tablespoon or two of the concentrate, add chilled water and ice cubes. Stir well and serve. For caffeine addicts, add 200 ml chilled tea-extract to about 50 ml raw-mango concentrate, add a sprig of mint, ice cubes and serve. And if milk-shakes are your scene, take 2 tbsp raw-mango concentrate and slowly add absolutely chilled milk stirring all the while. Serve with ice cubes.

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