Juicy Couture - Aam Panna / Green Mango Cooler & Pink Lemonade

Nothing beats the soaring temperatures of Delhi better than these yummy, fresh, pink and green hued drinks! Lemons, Cranberries, raw green mangoes all rich in Vitamin C and lots of minerals and have numerous health benefits that I could go on about but I am sure most of us are aware of it. But just seeing the kayree / green mango and lemons at the fruit shops remind me of the mouth watering drinks that we have grown up drinking every summer! I still remember our fridge always having some kind of homemade sharbat - be it rooh afza, nimbu paani, aam panna or orange tang.

So, I am going to give you a twist to the humble lemonade and the very Indian aam panna which will give you, your kids and friends lots of respite from the heat and beat dehydration. Also, a dash of vodka in the drinks can make yummy cocktails to serve at a ladies night or enjoy with your hubby over a homemade Sunday brunch!

Here go the recipes:

Pink Lemonade
Ingredients:
5 tbsp powdered sugar

6 cups water
1 cup cranberry juice
Juice of 3 lemons

Recipe:
Mix the water and sugar well. Add the lemon juice to this and mix well. Now add the cranberry juice and mix again. Chill and serve cold with ice cubes. You can garnish this with some lemons. Makes about 6 cups of lemonade. And yes it is unbeliveably simply but taste simply divine and noone with be able to guess how simple it is to put together.


Aam Panna
Ingredients:
4 green mangoes washed and boiled in a cup of water
1 cup powdered sugar
100 grams mint leaves finely chopped
2 teaspoon bhuna hua jeera powder (roasted cumin powder)
4 teaspoon kala namak (rock salt)

Remove the mangoes from the water and remove their pulp. Put aside the water. Add sugar to the mango pulp and whisk it together in the mixie. Add about half the mint leaves and whisk it again. Strain this through a big sieve. Now add the remaining mint leaves, roasted cumin powder, rock salt and the water used to boil the mangoes. Mix this well and store in an air-tight glass bottle in the fridge.

This is a concentrate. Now use 1 part concentrate and 2 parts water to make your cooler - adjust sugar and rock salt to suit your taste. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and lemon.