Mango Smoothie

The third mango recipe for the week is a mango smoothie. It is refreshing and filling at the same time. My daughter who loves her fruits and vegetables enjoys this smoothie after school on hot spring days.

Growing up I was very particular about eating only mankurad or alfonso. Now I am not so picky. I get whatever is available.

You will need
1/2 cup mango pulp
1/2 banana
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
a pinch nutmeg powder
1/2 cup milk
a handful ice cubes

Put all the ingredients together with half a cup of ice in a blender cup.

Blend together until smooth.

Serve chilled.

Ambachya Shira / Mango Sheera / Mango Halwa

Ambyacha shira or mango shira is a variation of regular shira made with cream of wheat or rava. I have the recipe for shira with banana here. This recipe is very similar except instead of banana use mango pulp. This makes a great after school snack.

You will need
1 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup rava or semolina
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. mango pulp
1/4 cup sugar (if using canned sweetened pulp reduce the quantity of sugar)
1 pod cardamon, shelled and seeds crushed
raisins and cashews to garnish

Heat the ghee in a pan and add the rava to it. Saute until the rava is roasted. It will run smoothly through your fingers if you pick some up.

Heat the water and milk together in the microwave and bring to a boil. Combine with the roasted rava. Cover and let it cook for a couple minutes. Cover, mix and cover again for a couple minutes.

Add the mango pulp and sugar. Mix well. Add the crushed cardamom seeds and mix again. Turn off heat. Garnish with raisins and cashews.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week two, day one of BM #40 for the theme Mango Mania. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#40.

Mango Sherbet

With the lunar month of Chitra the green mangoes arrive. As soon as they do we make ambe dal and pickle. As the temperature rises one reaches out for panha. Before you know it, it is the season for ripe yellow mangoes and the mango mania continues. This year with winter lingering well into April the warm spring temperatures were very welcome. With the warm temperature came flowers, birds and of course mangoes. This week I am going to post three different mango dishes that are sure to please. The first is Mango Sherbet.

Why is this a sherbet and not a sorbet you ask? Here is the distinction. In the US, a sorbet is a fruit puree with sugar and water. A sherbet is also a fruit puree with sugar and maybe water but in addition to that it may contains diary or eggs. In a sherbet the fat from dairy is less than 2%. When the fat content goes up it is called ice cream. The book I referred to called this an ice cream. I used non fat milk/condensed milk so I changed the name to sherbet.

Mango Sherbet is a treat on any day. But when it is made with fresh mango it makes it even better. I found this recipe by accident. A couple of months ago I was looking through my old cookbooks and printed recipes when I found a book of ice cream recipes. The book is by ice cream company Dollops and as per my neatly written note on the inside cover I bought it in February of 1993 in Bangalore. This is the first recipe I have tried from it. I am sure there will be many more.

You will need
1 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk (I used non fat condensed milk)
1 3/4 cup fresh mango pulp (or you could used canned)
1 3/4 cup cold milk
4 tbsp. sugar (skip if using canned pulp)

Except for the cream whisk all the ingredients until well mixed. Add the cream and whisk it just enough to mix it in. Transfer to an airtight container.

Cover the container and freeze for a few hours. Scoop out and serve.

Enjoy!

Note: If the Sherbet is too hard to scoop leave it in the refrigerator for 3-5 minutes before scooping. Return it to the freezer once you are done.

This is my entry for week two, day two of BM #40 for the theme Mango Mania. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#40.

Panha (Green Mango Drink)

Panha is a cool refreshing drink made with unripe green mango. It is a seasonal drink that can be made only when unripe mangoes are available in the market from March to May.

Panha takes me back to my school days. My mother used to make this drink for us when we got back from school. We would reach the house around 4:30 pm famished and hot. Goa where I grew up had one season - summer. It was milder in December and unbearable in April. This cool drink was most welcome on those hot days.

During the month of Chaitra Ambyachi dal (ambe dal) and panha both featuring unripe green mangoes are very popular in Maharashtrian homes. There are a couple ways of making panha. Today I am posting the recipe for panha made with cooked unripe green mangoes.

This is the 150th post on this blog. I wanted it to be something sweet and sour.

You will need
1 large unripe green mango
1/4 cup sugar
1 pod cardamom
a pinch of salt

Pressure cook the mango with a little water.

Peel the mango and strip the cooked pulp from the seed. Transfer the pulp to a blender. Add 1 cup of water and the sugar. Blend together. Shell and pound the seeds of the cardamom. Add them to the concentrate. This concentrate can be refrigerated until it is needed. Pour the concentrate into three glasses. A half a cup of water to each glass and mix together. Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Ambe dal / Ambyachi Dal / Green Mango with Channa Dal

Ambyachi dal is made with green mangoes that are available only during the spring. It is a sweet and tangy but filling snack. It reminds me of my school days in Goa, a place with just one season - summer. December was mild but March/April was unbearable. We got home from school around 4:30 pm and my mother would always have some snack waiting for us. On hot spring days she would make ambyachi dal and panha. This post is in her memory.

My mother was a very positive person and always looked at the bright side. This season reminds me of her. Flowers and trees are in bloom and mango season is right round the corner. These are some blooms from the local arboretum.

Green (raw) mangoes are available in the market only during this season. While they are mostly used for pickling there are some dishes that use fresh green mango and therefore are made during this month. I had shared the jaggery mustard pickle earlier this month. Ambyachi dal is another such dish.

Ambyachi dal is usually served with panha a delicious raw mango drink.

You will need
2 cups channa dal
1 raw green mango
2 tbsp. fresh shredded coconut
1/4 cup cilantro
1 Serrano pepper, deseeded and minced
salt to taste
1 tbsp. paprika or 1 tsp. red chili powder (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. asafoetida
2 tsp. turmeric powder

Soak the dal for at least 5-6 hours until soaked through. The dal should not be crunchy but should not be mushy either. On a cold day this may take up to 8 hours. Drain and discard all but 3 tbsp. of the water in which the dal was soaked. Coarsely grind the dal with the reserved water in a food processor. Do not make a paste.

Mince the serrano pepper after removing the seeds. Dice the cilantro. Shred the raw mango and discard the seed in the middle.

In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle turn off the heat and add the asafoetida and turmeric powder. Keep aside.

In a bowl combine the ground dal, the shredded mango, the minced pepper, the diced cilantro and the shredded coconut.

Add salt, sugar and paprika. Mix it all together.

Pour the oil and mustard mixture over the top and mix well. Check seasoning, adjust salt and paprika if needed.

Enjoy!