Friday, May 21, 2010

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.



27 comments:

  1. Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww... Looks awesome and tempting.. mouth watering clicks dear.. Sounds too good..

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  2. That is very creative A, looks creamy and bet tangy and sweet too. Great for hot Summer days. We have milder weather now, and rainy too so I think I will be frying some Mysore Bondas this weekend! :)

    Have a great weekend, see you on Monday.

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  3. i was partially correct, i had said mango and milk :):)

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  4. I have never had a dessert with green mango, the thought makes me anyway glee :-) I would love to have a taste.

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  5. Excellent dessert for summer and mango season
    Love it.you daughter should be happy

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  6. Omg, thats truly very unique Aqua..looks fantastic..

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  7. Nice,Sorbet with green mango new one to me.

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  8. So everyone, except Deepali, were off the mark with their limes and lychees and pears. Yes, Aqua, you stumped one and all, and what a catch! Who wud have thunk raw mango? Bravo, another feather in your culinary cap. And thanks for the panha nostalgia. I used to love to drink it but hadn't thought of it in years. :)

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  9. wow that really looks creamy and smooth. can imagine the tangy, sweet taste of this sorbet. looks great.

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  10. never thought it could be raw mango..unique one..thanks for sharing..

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  11. reading this post itself makes us want to go to Indian store and get mangoes.. really innovative one...

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  12. Wow, you took me down my memory lane too. When I was in school about same 19 years ago, we did not have a fridge and so surahi (what we would call the long neck earthern pot) was our source of cold water. Loved those days.

    Amazing looking green mango sorbet, amazing thought and glad that you executed it so well.

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  13. Wow! This is a very innovative recipe... looks so tangy, sweet.. mmm...mouthwatering :)

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  14. Dear Aquadaze
    I enjoyed reading the introduction and the childhood days..very well written.
    Raw Mango preparation is very good. I recall we used to burn the raw mango in " Chulla" and take out the pout skin and proceed with Jaggery and others
    Have a nice weekend

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  15. looks delicious,...lovely wrietup,..

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  16. OOhhhh raw mango very creative beautiful pic.

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  17. Wow, that was a tough one! very creative. Love the idea.

    But how could you not feel like just gorging on those raw mangoes just like that? :D

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  18. hi dear,

    There is an award waiting for u in my blog!!..please collect it!

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  19. My guess was terrible! But sinful looking! And love the new look of your blog!

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  20. Hari, thanks!

    Asha, waiting to see the bondas on your blog.

    Balaka, yes you were :) BTW, hope the writer's block has disappeared!

    HC, it was a first for me too, and I share your glee :)

    Madhuri, my daughter hated it! She is addicted to chocolate.

    Priya, SS, Swathi, thanks!

    Jaya, blush blush....can't handle praise :) BTW, can't wait to see your entry for the food fiction event!

    Sayantani, Sra, AV, Nithu, thanks!

    Priya, even we uswd to have an earthern pot for cooling water, it wasn't long necked though. To this day, I maintain that it is the BEST way of having chilled water.

    Rachana, Priyanka, thanks!

    Ushnishda, I am really glad you liked reading the post. Yes, I've been told of this method of cooking mangoes, bet it must taste absolutely awesome.

    N, of course I bought some I could snack on!

    Priya, thanks for sharing the award, sorry that I haven't acknowledged it earlier.

    Rak, thanks, glad you like the new look.

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  21. That's perfect! A sorbet inspired by kairi panha.
    Its so hot here, I'm looking forward to the rainy season. The only thing that does make this summer bearable are those mangoes! :)

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  22. Aqua! Nice to get in touch again. I was beginning to think you disappeared after tantalizing us with the ice cream.

    I had a question for you. As I speak, I am preparing for the food fiction event but I was wondering if you have plans to have a 3rd edition? If you do, I would love to host it. What do you say?

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  23. mmmmm,mouth watering clicks.Love this sorbet.....
    Drop in sometime

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  24. That look gorgeous! Perfect! I could use some right now!

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  25. A refreshing sorbet.Can't believe I missed it,did you send the details ?
    I'll update the round up with the entry.Thanks :D

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