Summer coolers

Aam Panna

Ingredients

2 to 3 raw mangos
100 gm sugar/jaggery
1 tbsp roasted cumin
powder
½ tbsp black salt
250 ml water
2 tbsp fresh mint leaves (chopped)
Salt to taste
½ tbsp crushed black pepper

Method

Place the mangoes along with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Peel the mangoes and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. Grind mango pulp along with water to a smooth paste. Add the pulpy mixture to a pan, add sugar or jaggery and cook till the sugar dissolves completely. Stir continuously. Remove from heat and add roasted cumin powder, black salt, crushed black pepper and salt. Let this mixture cool down properly.

Jaljeera

Ingredients

1 litre water
100 gm coriander leaves
50 gm mint leaves
20 gm roasted cumin powder
15 gm grated ginger
5 gm crushed black pepper
5 gm rock salt, 10 gm black salt
20 gm dry mango powder
30 ml lemon juice
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
15 ml sugar syrup

Method

Make a fine paste of all the ingredients except lemon juice, sugar syrup
and ice.
Add water, lemon juice, sugar syrup and ice in the paste, mix well. Adjust seasoning and serve chilled.

Thandai

Ingredients

1 litre milk
½ cup sugar
¼ cup almonds (preferably dry roasted to avoid oily taste)
2 tbsp poppy seeds
3 whole cardamoms (or use cardamom powder)
Few strands of saffron
¼ tsp pepper powder

Method

Grind — almonds, poppy seeds and whole cardamom pods into a fine powder. Store in an air-tight container. This mix can be prepared way ahead and will stay fresh when refrigerated.
Boil milk. Add saffron and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Cool it down a bit. Then add the nut mix and pepper powder. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours so that the flavours blend into the milk. Strain the mixture and serve chilled topped with chopped nuts if you wish to.

Nannari

Ingredients

50 gm nannari root (also known as sarasaparilla)
250 gm sugar
2½ cup water
2 tsp lemon juice
For the drink
1 cup water
3 to 4 tbsp nannari syrup
Juice of half a lemon

Method

Wash the nannari root well. Let it dry thoroughly. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the root once or twice so that it loosens up and breaks into two to three pieces. Remove the white part on top of the root and keep the brown part and grind it. Set aside. Meanwhile, boil water and take off the heat. Add the ground brown portions of the root and cover the bowl. Let it sit for six hours or overnight. Strain the liquid using a muslin cloth. Then, bring it to a boil and add sugar. As it boils, the liquid will become thick as honey. Take it off the heat and let it cool down. Then add the lemon juice and later store in the refrigerator. To make the drink, add three tablespoons of the nannari syrup to a glass, add ice cubes, one cup of water and lemon juice. Stir and serve.