Thanda Thanda, Cool Cool

I'm looking forward to the long weekend more eagerly than ever. It's been a very busy week here en mi casa. On top of work madness there's been lots of cleaning, reorganizing and gardening to prepare the house for the upcoming visit from my in-laws. I'm just glad the week is over. I'm saying adios to San Diego for a few days to get rejuvenated and recharged. I'll leave you with a great summer cooler recipe until then - Kairiche Panha/Panhe - a sweet and sour drink made with raw mangoes. This will be the perfect addition to your Memorial Day cookout menu. A great non-alcoholic option and perfect for all the kids.

Panha is to India as lemonade is to the US. It's a favorite summer drink sweened with jaggery and scented with cardamom powder. You can add a few saffron strands for their wonderful floral aroma. If you don't have jaggery, you can use sugar in lieu. However, I love the slightly burnt/caramel taste of jaggery. If you visit anyone's house in India, you'll typically be offered a cup of tea; but during the hot and humid summer days, cold panha will come as a much needed respite. The drink is prepared with pre-made mango pulp that stores in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Just mix a couple of spoonfuls with cold water, even ice, and you have an instant cold drink.

Panha - Green/Raw Mango Drink

Ingredients:

2 Raw,  firm mangoes

2/3-1 cup jaggery or brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

Few saffron strands

• Cook whole raw mangoes in boiling water until fully cooked. Take out of water and let cool
• Squeeze out all the pulp, discard the seed and skin. 
• Add grated jaggery to the pulp. The exact amount will depend on the sourness of mangoes and your preference. Let the jaggery melt completely. You can cook it with the pulp for a few mins to help this process. Give it a quick pulse in the food processor to get the lumps out.
• Add cardamom powder and saffron, and mix well. This is the concentrated pulp. Whenever you want a glass of panha, mix some pulp with cold water and make it as concentrated as you want.

Have a fantastic Memorial day weekend. Let there be grilling!