Aam Panna| Kairi Ka Panna

Aam Panna (also called Kairi Ka Panna) is a delicious summer cooler, quite popular in the North of India. It is a drink made with raw mango, sweetened, with a few spices added to it for flavour. Super refreshing stuff, I tell you!

I grew up drinking home-made Aam Panna by the gallon in the hot summer months. Come April-May, and mom and grandma would set about making it from scratch, using the plentiful raw mangoes available that time of the year. We would always have bottles of it in our refrigerator in the summer, for the family and for any guests who would drop in. I used to adore it, and still do – till date, it remains one of my drinks of choice when we eat out. So much better than all the food colour- and preservative-laden stuff that make up the summer beverages at a lot of places!

In today’s post, I am going to share with you our family recipe for Aam Panna, the way we always made it, the way I do at my house even now.

Home-made Aam Panna aka Kairi Ka Panna

The ingredients used in Aam Panna

Raw mango is the principal ingredient in Aam Panna, like I was saying before. While you can choose any non-fibrous variety, the totapuri (‘kilimooku maangaai‘ in Tamil) remains my favourite type of mango to use in this drink. Raw mangoes are said to be heat-inducing, but they are believed to be cooling for the body when used in panna.

Granulated sugar is used here as a sweetener, but you may use an alternative like jaggery or rock candy (‘kalkandu‘ in Tamil, ‘mishri‘ in Hindi). Coarsely ground roasted cumin and black pepper are added in, along with black salt, all of which gives the panna a gorgeous heady fragrance and wonderful taste.

Aam Panna helps replenish electrolytes in one’s system, thereby aiding the prevention of dehydration in the hot summers. It is believed to be an effective remedy for heat stroke and for exhaustion due to high heat levels. It is a rich source of Vitamin C, B1 and B2. It aids in preventing iron deficiency, boosts general immunity, and helps fight against indigestion and other gastro-intestinal issues.

Aam Panna recipe

There are a few different ways in which Aam Panna can be made. Some families cook the raw mangoes whole, then remove the skin, extract the pulp and grind it along with the spices mentioned above. Some roast the mangoes, with the skin on, over an open fire, to infuse them with a smoky fragrance. We prefer de-skinning the mangoes first, then pressure-cooking them and mashing them to make a smooth, thick liquid. This liquid concentrate is stored refrigerated, and can be mixed with chilled water as and when needed.

Let me show you how we go about it.

Ingredients (makes about 10 glasses):

1. 1 medium-sized raw mango

2. 1 cup sugar

3. 1 teaspoon black salt

4. 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder, coarse

5. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely crushed

Method:

Top left: Step 1, Top right and below: Step 2, Bottom left and right: Steps 3 and 4

1. Peel the raw mango and chop into large cubes. Transfer the mango pieces to a wide vessel and add in 1-1/2 cups water. Discard the peel and the seed.

2. Place the vessel in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook on high flame for 2 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.

3. Once the pressure has gone down completely, get the cooked mango pieces out. They would have almost disintegrated into the water by this time. Let the mixture cool down enough to handle.

4. When the mixture is still slightly warm, mash it well using a spoon, breaking down the pulp to get a smooth, thick liquid. You may even grind the mixture in a large mixer jar.

Top left and adjacent: Step 5, Top right: Step 6, Below top right, bottom right and adjacent: Step 7, Bottom left: The thick aam panna concentrate is ready to be bottled

5. Strain the mixture using a strainer, to remove any remaining fibre. Stir constantly with a spoon to make sure all of the pulp goes through the strainer and only the fibre remains.

6. Add in the sugar. Mix well till the sugar melts completely. I had 2 cups of mixture (mango pulp + water), so 1 cup of sugar was just perfect for us.

7. Add the black salt, coarsely crushed black pepper roasted cumin powder. Mix well.

8. Fill the resultant thick concentrate in a clean, dry, air-tight bottle and store refrigerated. Use as required.

9. When you are ready to serve the Aam Panna, fill about 1/4 of a tall glass with the thick concentrate (after shaking the bottle to mix it up well). Fill up the rest of the glass with chilled water, mix well, taste and adjust the concentrate:water ratio. Add lemon juice if required. Serve immediately. Here, I have used a sprig of fresh mint for decoration. You can use the rest of the concentrate to prepare Aam Panna the same way.

Tips & Tricks

1. Use a raw mango variety that is not overly fibrous. It should be sour, not too sweet. I have used a medium-sized totapuri mango here.

2. The raw mango pieces can also be cooked in a pan with water, instead of in a pressure cooker the way I have done here.

3. A couple of green chillies can be ground and added to the raw mango pulp too. We don’t usually do that. In case you are using green chillies, skip the black pepper.

4. Adjust the quantity of sugar as per personal taste preferences.

5. Crushed mint leaves can be added to the Aam Panna before serving. This gives a fresh and beautiful flavour to the drink.

6. Adjust the amount of water you use (while mixing the drink) depending upon the consistency of the Aam Panna you require.

7. Use regular salt in this Kairi Ka Panna recipe in case you don’t have black salt. However, I would highly recommend using black salt which is commonly available in most departmental stores these days. It adds a unique flavour and fragrance to the drink.

8. After pressure-cooking, the raw mango pieces can be ground in a mixer, along with the water they were cooked in. You may even use a hand blender. However, we prefer the above method.

9. The thick Aam Panna concentrate should be stored in a clean, dry, air-tight bottle after cooling. Keep it refrigerated and use as required. It is best used within 4-5 days when stored this way.

10. Use chilled water from the refrigerator or an earthen pot to mix the Aam Panna.

11. If the sourness from the raw mango is not enough, you may add a dash of lemon juice while serving the Aam Panna.

12. A few drops of food colour are sometimes added in, to make the Kairi Ka Panna look more attractive. I haven’t used any here.

More cooling recipes for summer

Do check out these recipes!

• Panakam|Panagam
• Imli Ka Amlana
• Gajar Amla Salad
• Pomegranate Kosumalli
• Podalangai Podi Thooval by my blog friend Kalyani
• Chaas Masala
• Neer More with a difference
• Pasi Parippu Kosumalli
• Aambe Dal
• Watermelon & Feta Salad
• Sattu Ka Ghol
• Nungu Sherbet
• Home-Made Grape Squash
• Rose & Strawberry Lassi
• Kanda Kairi
• Kesar Badam Lassi
• Kesar Badam Shrikhand
• Amrakhand
• Khus Sherbet from scratch

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!