Panha (in Marathi) / Aam Panna (Hindi)

Panha, as called in Marathi and Aam Panna, popularly referred in Hindi is a very renowned Indian drink which is especially very good to beat the summer heat.

Summer have begun and the scorching heat from the sun is almost killing us all. Most of us are still lucky and privileged to have the option to stay indoors or work from air conditioned offices. And yet we struggle.

With the summers come our favourite fruit i.e. the Mango and the famous "Alphonso Mango" in Maharashtra and Konkan belt. Before the mango ripens, you have it in the form of "Kairi" i.e. our raw mango. So I thought, I will bring some simple seasonal recipes and specially popular amongst every Maharashtrian household.

This recipe is a very good summer drink made of raw mango. It has a nice sweet and sour taste. You can very easily make the concentrate and store it in your refrigerator for many days. Just take a little each time, add water and you are ready to serve.

The quantity of sugar that you take, depends a lot on how sour is your raw mango. But at the same time, don't opt for mango varieties like "totapuri" to keep the sugar low or to have a sweeter taste. The very slice of heaven in this drink is because of the subtle "sweet & sour" taste of it.

Ingredients - (Makes 1 small bottle of concentrate )

1. 3 medium sized raw mangoes

2. 2 to 2.5 cups of granulated sugar (In baking, you have standard sizes. "cup" size is a representation from

that.)

3. 4 strands of saffron (optional) - Saffron can cause heat. So you can keep it out.

4. 1 tsp cardamom powder

5. salt to taste

Procedure -

1. Cook your raw mangoes in a pressure cooker for upto 6 to 7 whistles.

2. Once cool, peel off the top layer and squeeze the pulp.

3. Add sugar to the pulp and mix well.

4. Add saffron, cardamom powder as well.

5. You can taste to check if you need more sugar.

6. Keep it covered overnight till all the sugar dissolves.

7. Now store it in an container with tight lid and keep it in the fridge for long.

8. To make the drink, take around 2 tbsp of concentrate, add cold water, salt and some ice cubes.

9. Now you are ready to serve. You can also add some fresh mint leaves while serving.