Kairi ka Panna.

Kairi ka Panna / Khatta Mettha Raw Mango Squash ......... Bottled and ready for the Party ........ Enjoy this drink chilled ....

Kairi ka panna is a famous summer drink from the state of Maharashtra in India. Every home, every corner of the street or shops seems to be having them either for selling or relishing. People serve this drink during festivals and celebrations too. This is a khatta meetha and a bit theekha drink. Well that’s the way I prepare it. Raw mangoes being plenty in season are used in all possible ways. Be it in the preparation of panna a tasty drink, pickle a spicy ready to eat side dish or made to preserve also, rice dishes such as mavinakai chitranna or pulavs, Dhals to fish curries to ambats name it and they are added to bring in that tangy additional flavour to the dishes that is a bit unique in its own way. I prepared this panna in bulk for the party so I made it a little bit in the concentrated form, as it was easier to carry from home to her place and to serve it right away. All you have got to do is add in very chilled water with plenty of crushed ice and mix well and yummy chilled kairi ka panna is ready to be relished and enjoyed with some starters.

Take 2 large sized raw mangoes, say about 700 gms in weight. Wash well and wipe it clean. Slice of the stem side portion and discard it. Slice off the sides as close as possible to the seeds inside taking care to see that you do not cut the seed. Chop the slices into small pieces. Put the cut pieces along with the seed (seed is added so that you can remove the fleshy portion that’s still available around it), 2 heaped tblsp of finely chopped ginger, 1 tblsp of pepper and half a litre of water. Pressure cook to 2 whistles and let cool down on its own. When cooled and you are able to remove the lid, uncover and let the cooked kairis / raw mango cool completely.

Once the mangoes have cooled down put all the fleshy portions in the mixer grinder. Squeeze out all the fleshy portions attached to the seed too and discard the seed. Add 750 - 850 gms of sugar and 1 tblsp of Kala namak, 1 tsp of cardamom powder, few strands of keshar / saffron and grind to a smooth puree / paste adding about ½ liter of water. Add more water while grinding only if necessary. Strain through a medium sized sieve. There will hardly be any residue if you grind all really to a smooth paste. But the process of sieving is must as it removes any fibrous portions or pieces left if any. Your concentrated Kairi / Raw Mango Panna is ready. Pour it into sterilized bottles and put it in the fridge to chill. 

To Serve : Just add the Kairi / raw mango concentrate and chilled water in the ratio of 1:3 and mix well. Pour it glasses and top it with some ice cubes. You can increase or decrease the amount of chilled water depending upon how sweet you want. Some like it sweet, while some prefer it with less sugar for various reasons. So mix the concentrated form with water as per individual taste. Serve chilled and enjoy this panna with some starters.