Beat the heat: What makes Aam Panna the ultimate summer drink?

Aam Panna is a sumemr coolant made with raw mangoes. (Photos: Wikimedia Commons)

Every April saw the Sawants come together for a joint family chore. While the children gathered all the raw mangoes fallen in the compound of the family home, the women got down to pounding the pepper pods along with fresh mint leaves. The men in the meanwhile washed the fresh bounty under running water before boiling them. “The whole process would take a few hours but it would be ready for us when we came back from playing in the sun. There was no refrigerator those days and the drink would be poured in earthern matkas to cool off,” remembers Priya Sawant, a travel industry professional and Goa native. Such is the allure of the sweet and tangy aam panna that the mere mention of it is enough to send people salivating.

According to food historian Pushpesh Pant, aam panna has a long history which goes way back, before the Mughals came to India. The panna in aam panna is derived from the Sanskrit word paaniya, which translates to something one drinks. The drink was devised as an oral rehydration solution by our ancestors. There is even a mention of aam panna in ancient Ayurvedic literature as well as in the writings of Kālidāsa, he says.

Quintessentially Indian

Summers in India are treacherous with temperatures soaring upwards of 40, leading to heat waves and increasing risk of black-outs. In such a scenario cooling drinks hold a special place and prominence. But not all drinks are made equal. Among the hydrating coconut water, tantalising nimbu pani/shikanji and cooling buttermilk, the lip-smacking aam panna is the king of all summer drinks. “Summers are synonymous with mangoes. We start with the tart aam panna, then dive into the luscious hapus, empty bowls of aam ras in between and end it with dussehri,” says Mumbai-based Suraj Nerurkar. Aam panna in Maharashtra is called kairi panna and is made by pressure-cooking the raw mangoes with their skin intact and then peeling and blending them to a smooth puree. The edge in the drink comes from roasted cumin powder and nutmeg.

Same same, but different

Different parts of India has its own distinct version of the panna. While some prefer to boil the raw mangoes to extract the fleshy part, others roast them for a smoky flavour. The Bengali version called aam pora'r (pora means burnt/roasted) shorbot is made by roasting raw mangoes and adding bhaja moshla (spice mix of roasted cumin seeds and dried red chilli) to the pulp. Black salt added to the drink helps in digestion. In Gujarat, the panna is laced with cardamom and some kesar for an extra oomph. “In Goa, we use the local varieties such as Malgesh, Culas, Khunt and Bispur mangoes to make the panna. Some black pepper and cumin is added for zing and fresh mint leaves are muddled for freshness,” says Paul Noronha, executive chef at ITC Grand Central, Mumbai. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand make a similar version which is called aam jhora, with fennel seeds and is just as delicious.

The best part of aam panna is that you don’t need a specific variety of mangoes to make it. “Back in my hometown Lucknow, there was a variety of mango called "desi" that was available throughout the mango season. This mango with a high-fibre content was perfect to make the panna. Now living in the southern part of India, I've experimented with different types of raw mangoes to make panna but none of them compare to the taste of the "desi" mangoes from my hometown. This is one of the things I love about India, each region has its unique varieties of mangoes with different textures and flavours. Ultimately, it's the mangoes that you grew up eating that you enjoy the most,” says Chef Mrigank Singh of the Hyderabad-based restaurant The Pink Elephant.

Made of memories

For most people aam panna is not just a lip-smacking summer coolant but a drink drenched in memories. “As kids, my brother and I would pick raw mangoes at our family home in Panvel. Our own twist was actually adding jal-jeera masala to the panna and then putting the same spice mix on the rim of the glass. So, it became masala kairi panna! In the 32 degree Celsius heat of Mumbai, this was everything we needed after lunch,” says Akash Deshpande, chef de cuisine, Nava, a newly launched restaurant in Bandra West. Making panna was all about family bonding for Singh. “Plucking fresh mangoes from the tree and watching my mom prepare the aam panna with patience and care holds a special place in my heart. Savouring a glass of it is like going back to my childhood and to the moments we spent together as family.”

For Sarfaraz Ahmed, head chef at Tresind Mumbai, aam panna was a matter of curiosity. “As a kid growing up in Lucknow and Kanpur, I was often intrigued at the sight of a large matka covered with a red cloth with mint leaves and lemon on top. I would wonder what’s inside it. Is it a kulfi or sherbet? It was much later that I realised it was aam panna.” Ahmed compares the theatrics of making aam panna on a cart akin to flair bartending. “The ingredients including the raw mango pulp, seasonings and fresh mint are all laid out neatly on a cart. The fun part is watching him rustle up a perfect drink in quick time according to your taste.”

Drink with benefits

Raw mangoes offer a variety of health benefits and are, therefore, used in chutneys, drinks and for flavouring curries. The Ayurvedic qualities of raw mango are sour, astringent and cooling. “If you feel bloated, tired and irritable in the heat, try panna. The potassium will cool you down and the enzymes will aid digestion,” says nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar. According to Shweta Shah, nutritionist and founder of Eatfit24/7, the fibre and Vitamin C and B in raw mangoes help cleanse the intestines. But instead of buying packaged aam panna, which may contain a lot of processed sugar, she suggests making it at home and having it in the late afternoons as a refreshing filler.

Ways to use aam panna concentrate

Mix the pulp with water and freeze it to make popsicles

Use the mango concentrate as a jam. It tastes delicious on toast or brie and jam sandwiches.

Use it on a grazing board alongside cheese and crackers.

Looking to spice things up? Add 60 ml of vodka/tequila to the raw mango nector for a refreshing cocktail.

Just add a teaspoon or two of sattu powder for a protein-rich post-workout drink.