Beat the heat sipping on this irresistible mango drink packed with tang and flavor. Aam panna is simple and quick to make, it is hydrating besides being naturally gluten free and vegan. In this post, I am sharing a traditional aam panna recipe that I grew up drinking. You could use the recipe to make a batch of the aam panna concentrate, keep it refrigerated and enjoy panna whenever you want! Check out other refreshing summer drinks like mohabbat ka sharbat, mango shikanji, rose falooda, thandai and DIY masala chai concentrate.
About Aam Panna
In Hindi, Aam = Mangoes and Panna = Sweet Tart Drink Aam panna is also known as kacche aam ka panna or kairi panna. It is a massively popular drink in northern, western and eastern parts of India. As with most traditional recipes in indian cuisine, there are many ways it is prepared across the length and breadth of the country. There are different methods of cooking the unripe mangoes as well as the spices or sweeteners that go in. Primarily, aam panna is made using unripe or raw mangoes. Kaccha (meaning raw) aam is quite tart and fruity. Hence aam panna has a unique tart flavor that is balanced by adding sweetness like sugar or jaggery to make a tangy sweet drink. Besides raw mango and sugar, fresh or dried mint, kala namak (tangy indian rock salt), roasted cumin & fennel seeds along with a touch of balmy green cardamom powder give aam panna a unique fragrant & cooling taste. In modern times, aam panna is used to make cocktails and mocktails by addition of spirits, however in its original form, it is one rustic recipe that will win over your heart and tastebuds with its melange of flavors. You could choose to boil the raw mangoes or roast them. I boil them because I thats the taste I am familiar with. At my in laws, they roast the raw mangoes and the flavor profile is smokier. I love them both!
How To Make Aam Panna
Buying Green Mangoes in USA
I was taught that small unripe , dark green skinned mangoes are best when available in the markets at the start of the mango season. In India, these mangoes start coming in late March and here in indian grocery stores in USA, I have seen them around the same time as well. These petite plump mangoes are super tart and that’s exactly what we want. However, if you are unable to find green colored raw mangoes, choose yellow unripe mangoes (they are less sour, so you will need less sugar) but do work! I use them all the time. Again, I purchase mine from south asian grocery stores or mexican grocery stores. Whenever you cut mangoes, remove and discard the pointed black tip first thing. Cutting that tip reduces the bitter astringency of the unripe fruit. I do the same even for ripe mangoes.
Cook the Raw Mangoes (Boil or Roast)
I like to peel off the skins fully before I boil the mangoes. Add to a pressure cooker or steel insert of instant pot, add water and boil for 6-8 whistles or until soft. You could also cook the mangoes in a cooking pot for 20-30 minutes or as needed until they are soft and squishy. You may boil the mangoes with skin on if you wish, the only reason I don’t do so being that I feel that scraping the pulp off the skin later is messy and involves bit of a wastage. I could be wrong! To make aam panna without boiling the mangoes, you could also roast them. Place the mangoes directly over gas flame or open grill. You will need to flip them from time to time (use tongs) to cook from all sides. This is similar to how we roast eggplant for making bharta.
Mash the Boiled Mangoes
Let the cooked mangoes cool down completely. Once the mangoes are safe to touch, pick them out of the water and place in a large bowl. Don’t discard the liquid from boiling, we are going to use it. Using your hands, squish the boiled mangoes long and hard and remove all their pulp. Depending on how unripe your mango is, you will have a tiny soft seed or a hard seed in the center. Take off all the flesh from the seed. Discard the seeds. 3 ways in which you can mash the mangoes :-
Make The Aam Panna Concentrate
Quantity of Sugar - I am assuming that you have the ideal unripe mangoes. Meaning they are super tart. You will add more sugar (about 1.5 times) than the mashed mango pulp quantity. Sounds like a lot of sugar and it is. But you need this much sugar to balance out the tartness of mangoes and get the ideal aam panna taste. Crush the Spices - I prefer freshly made roasted cumin powder & toast fennel seeds in the same pan over low medium heat. Crush them using a mortar pestle. Use a separate mortar pestle and crush the green cardamom seeds to preserve their delicate scent. (images 5-8) Finely chop few leaves(5-6) of fresh mint. You could use dried mint as well. Add the spices, sugar, salt, kala namak(or rock salt) and mint to the mashed mango pulp. Mix well using a spoon until the sugar is dissolved. Your concentrate is ready. Store it for 2-3 weeks in the fridge and use as you like. Always use a clean spoon to scoop.
Make The Aam Panna Drink
Anytime you want to make the drink out of panna concentrate, add about ¼ cup of concentrate to a cup and top with 8 to 10 oz water or unflavored sparkling water (I do so) . Add ice cubes, a sprig of fresh mint and serve! I remember using a spoon at the end of drinking and eating the remaining mango pulp at the bottom of the glass. That’s why I serve the panna with a spoon 🙂
Variations
Aam Panna Cocktail - Add a shot of vodka or tequila to spike the aam panna concentrate. Make Aam Panna Mocktail- Add pineapple juice, fresh citrus juices or berry syrups to make a variety of mocktails. Personally, I like pairing it with tropical fruit juices. Use Jaggery instead of sugar - The taste and color of aam panna with jaggery (gud) is different but so good. You could use jaggery powder (it will make the panna deep brown in color) or kolhapuri jaggery (it preserves the color quite a bit). Grate the jaggery block and stir until it dissolves. Jaggery also boosts the iron content of panna. Aam Panna With Soda - Simply pop open a can of club soda or sparkling water and use instead of regular water. Pudina Aam Panna- Blend the mango pulp with handful of fresh mint leaves. The color will become green and the taste of aam panna becomes minty. Aam Panna with ripe mangoes - For the real panna taste, it’s best that you use green unripe mangoes. However I will direct you to recipe of this mango shikanji using ripe mangoes that is a perfect summer cooler!
Recipe Tips
Preferably use tart unripe mangoes for the perfect taste. Keep in mind to not overdo spices or mint. Panna needs to have a pronounced taste of the mangoes. If your mangoes are sweetish, reduce the sugar quantity to keep the drink on the tangy side. Using my recipe, there will be pulp at the bottom of cup, serve a spoon on the side. Towards the end of green mango season, the mangoes that come in the market are quite stringy and fibrous with large hard shelled seeds inside, I would avoid using those.
