QUENCHING THIRST WITH A MANGO COOLER…CELEBRATING SUMMER!
“Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. “
Russel Baker
Cooler anyone? Make mine mango… With summer here, a cooler is just the perfect way to chill out. And with mangoes in every avatar flooding markets, how cool would a mango cooler be. In North India, this is a traditional thirst quencher, considered a good way to beat the heat & was made throughout homes across the North. Just the right thing to gulp down when you walk in from searing temperatures hitting 40 degrees C & upwards, & for many, the only way to escape a heatstroke. Aam panna, as it is called locally, served up a healthy mix of sugar & salts to balance the electrolytes that the body lost in the the HOT Indian summer.
My favourite way to serve this thirst quencher is in a tall steel glass
Aam Panna is an Indian drink renowned for its heat resistant properties. It is made from Green Mangoes and it is used as a tasty and healthy beverage to fight against the intense Indian summer heat. Apart from being tasty this drink also looks good due to its refreshing light green color. 
Green Mango is a rich source of pectin, which gradually diminishes after the formation of the stone. Unripe mango is sour in taste because of the presence of oxalic, citric and malic acids. Aam panna which is prepared using raw mangoes, sugar and an assortment of spices is an effective remedy for heat exhaustion and heat stroke. It also quenches thirst and prevents the excessive loss of sodium chloride and iron during summer due to excessive sweating.
Green Mango is a rich source of pectin, which gradually diminishes after the formation of the stone. Unripe mango is sour in taste because of the presence of oxalic, citric and malic acids. Aam panna which is prepared using raw mangoes, sugar and an assortment of spices is an effective remedy for heat exhaustion and heat stroke. It also quenches thirst and prevents the excessive loss of sodium chloride and iron during summer due to excessive sweating.
The kids like their cooler in tall stem glasses topped with mint….
Raaga @ Singing Chef posted her mother’s recipe of a mango cooler ‘kairi panha‘. In North India we call it ‘aam panna‘. It is almost similar & in the past I have always made it differently. I usually wash the mangoes well, cook them under pressure with skins on for 5-7 minutes. Once cool, squeeze the pulp out & then continue the same way with the blending etc. Thought I’d give it a shot in Raaga’s Mom’s style as it looked decidedly different. The cooler came out very nice…fresh & exciting; tasted just like I make the other way. The son loved it & frequently asks me to make it.
The recipe as adapted from Raagas‘…Ingredients:
Raw Mango – 1 cup, peeled and diced ( about 2 mangoes)
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 tbsp
Rock Salt – 2 tsp powdered
Sugar – 2-4 tbsp
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 tbsp
Rock Salt – 2 tsp powdered
Sugar – 2-4 tbsp
Red chili flakes – 1/8tsp
Mint leaves – a handful
Method:
-
Place all the ingredients, except mint leaves, in a microwave safe bowl with a little water and microwave on high for 3 minutes (till soft).
- Allow to cool, add the mint leaves & run in the blender. Dilute this concentrate with chilled water, pour into tall glasses over ice-cubes, top with mint & celebrate summer! Can be made 2-3 days in advance. refrigerate until use.
Meeta @ Whats For Lunch Honey has Monthly Mingle #23 on now, which is celebrating Mango mania with all things mango for the entire month. So I thought I’d share this with the nice lady…
Fresh mint finds place in a almost everything I make… …& also with Dee @ Ammalu’s Kitchen who is running Herb Mania. Her choice of herb for the month is one of my favourites…MINT. I just can’t seem to get enough of this refreshing herb, & it seems to wiggle into most of what I make, as a garnish at the least, if nothing else. There you go Dee.
First it’s mango mania & then herb mania, am feeling like quite a foodie maniac after this post…
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Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
12 Comments
Manggy
That’s the first time I’ve heard a person specifically recommend a steel glass! 🙂 Looks very refreshing, Deeba! Unique touches of cumin and pepper too!
Passionate baker...& beyond
Oh, am surprised you noticed that Doc. I only drink water from a steel glass at home; makes the water taste better somehow.Also an environment friendly option in my opinion…reuseable forever,no contamination,unbreakable…there I go again.:0)
Passionate baker...& beyond
Oh, am surprised you noticed that Doc. I only drink water from a steel glass at home; makes the water taste better somehow.Also an environment friendly option in my opinion…reuseable forever,no contamination,unbreakable…there I go again.:0)
Nags
the pic looks better in the steel glass, atleast to me, cuz glass is just cliched, i guess 🙂
meeso
I would love a cup, It’s so hot, sounds sooooo good!
Susan from Food Blogga
We don’t see too many green mangoes here, so I’ll have to try this with our yellow-fleshed mango. And just in time… it’s expected to warm up here!
A&N
Lets see…the Panna for starters, stuffed Focaccia and artisan bread for the main course and cookies for dinner…..perfect 🙂
Seriously, they all look awesome!
A&N
Lets see…the Panna for starters, stuffed Focaccia and artisan bread for the main course and cookies for dinner…..perfect 🙂
Seriously, they all look awesome!
diva
this is wicked! i need something like this to cool off every day. beautiful.x
Bharti
It would almost be worth it to be in that heat just to have your drink Deeba. Looks super duper fresh and inviting.
onesilentwinter
I am half french and half mango! sounds delicious!
Bellini Valli
I have missed a lot of your posts due to gallavanting across the country. I would do almost anything ofr this refreshing mango drink:D