And the answer is....

A few days ago, my daughter came back from the playground, all sweaty and red-faced and headed straight to the fridge. She was thirsty and glugged down some juice directly from the carton. Seeing her do that sent me down memory lane to my childhood....



No matter that it is almost 20 years(!) since I last attended school, no matter that my daughter's school follows a completely different calendar, to my mind, the months of April and May will forever be associated with school holidays.

Two months spent with nary a care in the world, gallivanting barefoot in the scorching sun, playing chor-police or lagori or dodge ball or simply riding the bicycle aimlessly around the neighbourhood.



By noon, sweaty, tired and thirsty from spending long hours in the hot sun, we'd run home, open the fridge and glug down whatever juice or sherbet my mother would have made. Sometimes, it would be kokum sherbet, sometimes, nimbu pani; April and May being the mango season, most of the times, there would be kairi panha sitting in the fridge. Cold, tangy and sweet with a hint of cardamom, it was manna from heaven, the best thirst quencher ever.

I haven't had kairi panha in many years now, to be frank, I haven't even missed it too much.

However, that day, after my little trip down memory lane, I just had to have it. I literally flew out of the house and to the Indian grocery shop to buy some raw mangoes.

Green (raw) mango sorbet wasn't something that I had even heard of. Yet, as I churned the raw mango pulp to make the panha, I noticed that it was incredibly smooth and creamy. A little germ of an idea began to take shape....how about a green mango sorbet.......

And so, with the next batch of mangoes, I made a sorbet. Yes Dipali, you were absolutely right! Raw mangoes is what went into this sorbet.

Ingredients:

Raw mangoes: 2 large
Jaggery: 1 cup (you might need to add more or less depending on how sour your mangoes are)
Water: 1 cup
Cardamom powder: 3/4 tsp (essential)
Salt: a pinch


Method:


Pressure cook the mangoes till they are cooked through - about 2 whistles should do it.


When they are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and set aside. You need 1 cup of mango pulp; I needed 1 large mango for that amount.


Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the jaggery and water and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and cool.


Blend together the mango pulp and the jaggery-water mixture till smooth and creamy (taste at this stage, you might need to add more jaggery if your mangoes are too sour). Add in the cardamom powder and a pinch of salt. Chill for about 3 hours and then freeze in your ice- cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.


This sorbet is best eaten when it has just set; else leave it on the counter for about 5 minutes before serving.



What can I say about the taste? Suffice to say that when I had the first spoonful, I did a little dance in the kitchen. If tangy and sweet is to your taste, then make this sorbet while green mangoes are still in season. I pigged out on the sorbet and ended up with a severe cold for the last 10 days that led to a sore throat and a ear infection.



Now that I have recovered, I have another batch being churned in the ice cream maker even as I write this post!



Sharing this Green Mango Sorbet with 'I Scream For Ice Cream' Challenge hosted by Yasmeen.