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Aam panna
Raw mango cooler
आम पन्ना: boiled raw mango blended with roasted cumin, mint and jaggery into a sweet-sour summer cooler concentrate
When the first hard green mangoes arrive in April, kitchens from Lucknow to Pune start boiling them for panna. The cooked pulp is blended with roasted cumin, black salt, mint and sugar or jaggery into a thick concentrate that keeps in the fridge for a week, then diluted glass by glass with cold water. Grandmothers swear by it against loo, the hot dry wind of a North Indian summer, and in Maharashtra the same drink, called kairi panha, is served to guests at Gudi Padwa and haldi-kumkum gatherings. It tastes sour first, then sweet, then smoky from the cumin. A common mistake is using mangoes that have begun to ripen and turn yellow: the panna tastes flat and fruity rather than bracing, so pick firm, green, sour ones. Chef's tip: pressure cooking the mangoes whole in their skins keeps the pulp pale and fragrant; scraping too close to the skin and stone adds bitterness.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the concentrate
- 2 raw green mangoesabout 500 g, firm and sour
- 2 cups waterfor cooking
- 5 ½ oz jaggery or sugargrated; adjust to the sourness
- 2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp black salt (kala namak)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 20 mint leaves
To serve
- 5 cups chilled waterabout 150 ml per glass
- 16 ice cubes (optional)
- 8 mint sprigs (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse 2 raw green mangoes and put them whole in a pressure cooker with 2 cups water. Cook on medium heat for 3 whistles, then let the pressure drop by itself. Or simmer covered in a pan for 20–25 minutes until the skins split and the flesh is soft right through.
20 minStep 2: Lift the mangoes out and leave them until cool enough to handle. Keep the cooking water.
Step 3: Squeeze the soft pulp out of the skins into a bowl and scrape it off the stones with a spoon, stopping before you reach the fibrous layer near the stone.
5 minStep 4: Blend the pulp with 5 ½ oz jaggery or sugar, 2 tsp roasted cumin powder, 1 tsp black salt (kala namak), ½ tsp ground black pepper, 20 mint leaves and 100 ml of the reserved cooking water until completely smooth. Taste: it should be strongly sour-sweet and well salted, as it will be diluted.
3 minStep 5: Pour the concentrate into a clean, dry glass bottle and chill. It keeps for 5–7 days in the fridge.
Step 6: For each glass, stir 3–4 tbsp of concentrate into about 150 ml of the 5 cups chilled water with 16 ice cubes, and garnish with 8 mint sprigs.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 95 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does aam panna take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of raw green mangoes?
- Tinned mango pulp, same weight.
- What can I use instead of jaggery or sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Summer coolers