Kairi Panha Raw Mango Summer Cooler Maharashtra

Method

1. 1

   Roast the raw mangoes: Place the whole raw mangoes directly on a medium gas flame. Roast turning with tongs every 1 to 2 minutes for 10 to 12 minutes until the skin is completely charred and black on all sides and the mango feels soft when pressed. The roasting adds a smoky, slightly caramelised character to the pulp.

2. 2

   Cool the roasted mangoes: Rest the charred mangoes until cool enough to handle.

3. 3

   Extract the pulp: Peel off and discard the charred skin. Remove the seed. Scrape all the roasted mango pulp into a bowl. The pulp will be soft, slightly stringy and slightly smoky.

4. 4

   Blend the pulp: Blend the roasted mango pulp until smooth. You should have about 3/4 to 1 cup of thick, smoky mango pulp.

5. 5

   Mix with jaggery: Add grated jaggery to the warm mango pulp. Mix well until the jaggery dissolves into the warm pulp.

6. 6

   Add spices: Add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, black salt and roasted cumin powder. Mix well.

7. 7

   Add cold water gradually: Add 4 cups cold water, mixing continuously, until the concentrate is fully diluted and the drink is uniformly distributed. Taste as you add water — adjust the concentration to preference.

8. 8

   Taste and adjust: The panha should be: tangy from the raw mango, sweet from the jaggery, smoky from the roasting, warming from the dry ginger and aromatic from the cardamom.

9. 9

   Add ice: Add ice cubes.

10. 10

    Serve cold: Serve in tall glasses. The panha should be served very cold — the contrast of cold, sour, sweet and smoky is the experience.

11. 11

    Note: Kairi Panha (kairi = raw mango in Marathi, panha = a cooling drink) is the traditional Gudi Padwa drink of Maharashtra — offered to guests at the beginning of the Maharashtra New Year celebrations in March-April. The practice of roasting the raw mango rather than simply boiling it is specifically Maharashtrian — the char adds a complexity that boiling cannot produce. Also widely sold at summer fairs and temples during the hot months.