AAM PANNA GRANITA REFRESHER

Aam Panna...it is a tangy sweet and refreshing summer drink, made with raw mangoes, black salt, sugar, roasted cumin powder and mint. It’s a traditional drink in India, and it’s a great pick-me-up in those hot summer months!

The temperatures in India during summer months of May- June is scorching hot and this drink is especially made during those months to beat the heat and keep the bodies cooler and immune it to this scorching heat.

I twisted this drink to a different avatar, made the granita and preserved it in the freezer to make this utter refreshing drink anytime during these summer months. Spike it with the Caribbean Coconut rum Malibu and a good splash of soda and yippee you are all set to get those accolades of praises from your guests this summer. Addition of Malibu took it to totally another level with the concoction of Indian and Caribbean flavours.

Granita is an Italian semi-frozen dessert that is agitated and scraped as it freezes. The ice crystals that result afterwards are deceptively flavourful, and in this case with the fresh and summery ingredients, they quench your thirst too.

If you’re looking for an easy way to unwind after a full on day ...this is it!

Go ahead and try it out !!!

PREP TIME: 30 minutes

MAKE TIME: 10 minutes

SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg Raw mangoes, medium sized

• 750ml water

• 250g white sugar

• 3 tsp black salt

• 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder

• 1/4 cup mint leaves

METHOD

1. Wash and place the mangoes in a pressure cooker, add water to cover the mangoes. Pressure cook until just one whistle of the pressure cooker comes.

2. Release pressure from the cooker keeping it under the running water tap. Once pressure is released, open the cooker and dish out the mangoes from the water and let them cool.

3. Peel the mangoes, scrape out all the pulp.

4. In a large cooking pot, add the mango pulp, water and sugar. Bring it to boil, add salt and cumin powder. Remove from fire.

5. Using a hand blender, blitz until it becomes smooth. Cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled, 2-3 hours.

6. Pour the mango drink in a mixer jug, add mint and blitz. Add ice if you want it more chilled.

For Making Granita

1. Transfer the aam panna to a loaf tin and freeze for 2-3 hours. Once little set, scrape down with the fork. Keep scrapping with fork after every two hours for 3-4 times.

For Making Caribbean Aam Panna refresher

1. Take two scoops of aam panna granita in wine goblets or tall glasses, add 25 ml Caribbean Malibu. Pour 120 ml soda on top, give it a quick stir. Garnish it with a sprig of mint.

COOK'S NOTES

• I used pressure cooker to speed up the process but if you do not have the pressure cooker, you can boil them in a cooking pot.

• I prepare the drink in advance and keep it under refrigeration and add mint only just before serving as the mint oxidise if it stays in the drink too long. It doesn’t give that fresh pale green colour which comes when freshly blended.

• I also sometimes like to add soda water and spike it with vodka or caribou to make it an interesting cocktail.

• Mango panna can be kept in refrigerator for maximum 2-3 days.

• Mango granita can be kept in freezer for upto 3 months, covered with double foil and a cling wrap.