“Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. “
Russel Baker
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.
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. 
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.
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
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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…
…& 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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