Aam panna

• Raw green mangoes · about 300 g2 medium
• Jaggery · grated40 g
• Roasted jeera powder1 tsp
• Black salt1 tsp
• Salt1/4 tsp
• Fresh mint leaves12 leaves
• Black pepper · ground1/4 tsp
• Water · chilled, for diluting800 ml

Method

1. 1

   Wash the mangoes and pressure cook them whole with 1 cup water for 2 whistles on medium heat, about 10 minutes. Let the pressure drop on its own.

2. 2

   When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and squeeze the soft pulp off the seeds into a bowl. Discard skins and seeds.

3. 3

   Blend the pulp with the jaggery, jeera powder, black salt, salt, mint, pepper and 100 ml water until smooth. This is your concentrate.

4. 4

   For each glass, stir 3 to 4 tbsp of concentrate into 200 ml chilled water. Taste and add a pinch more black salt if needed. Serve with ice.

Tips

• Choose hard, very sour mangoes; semi-ripe ones make a flat, sweet drink.
• The concentrate freezes well in an ice tray: drop two cubes in a glass of water for instant aam panna.

Swaps

• No pressure cooker? Roast the mangoes directly on a low gas flame, turning, for 10 to 12 minutes until the skin blackens; the pulp tastes smoky.

Storage

Concentrate keeps 5 days in the fridge in a clean jar, or 2 months frozen.