Refreshing Panhe

Summer, Mangoes, Aamras and Panhe go hand in hand back home. Summer vacations will not be the same if you missed any of these. Coming to US last year I missed the scorching heat and the street filled with vendors selling Mangoes and also the vendors coming to sell mangoes by the Peti. In Mumbai and nearby suburbs , we could often hear these vendors shouting "Ambeyyyyyyssss yyyy" in the mornings and often in the still afternoons of April and May.
"Mangoes" held a very important place in the summer vacation lunches,dinners and mid day /evening snacks in various forms. For lunch /dinner you can have it as "Aamras" , while in the evening you can have a nice huge glass of Mango milkshake :) and these are just two forms :P
The raw mango also holds very special place in my mind for its tasty pickles (Lonchi) and most important Panhe. We were technically not supposed to disturb the pickles (but of course we ended up raiding the closet) which was made to last the entire year and tasted better when it would be marinated in the oil (Phodni) along with a special Masala which would usually be the secret ingredient.
But all households usually had this drink ready in concentrated form for the children and their friends or any guests who would stop by. This was the refreshing Panhe . It is made usually from a raw mango (Kairi). Well it was end of Summer here in US this year , when one day the guy at the Indian Grocery stores that I frequent told me that he had just received a consignment of raw mangoes from India (usually they get it from Mexico). That just tempted me to buy it and make nice refreshing Panhe . So not rambling on further let me get to the receipe for this nice drink.

Ingredients :

• Raw Mangoes (2-3 med sized, 1 Large)
• Sugar - (Approximation (1/2 - 1 Cup)
• Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon
• Saffron - 2-3 strands
• Salt - To taste (Black Salt /Rock salt - Gives better taste)
• Water - to boil the mangoes
  
  Receipe:
  1. Boil the mango/mangoes in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles or outside in a thick bottomed pan till u can see the mango get tender and skin getting peeled.
  2. Let it cool . Peel the skin when cooled , de-seed it and remove the pulp.
  3.Mash the pulp and add sugar (now be sure to taste the pulp so that you can understand how much sugar u need to add depending on the sourness of the raw mango and your taste). You can also blend it to a smooth consistency in a blender.
  4. It should be sweet and tangy to taste.
  5.In a thick bottomed pan , heat the mixture over medium heat. Let bubbles rise on top. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat when it thickens a little bit and let cool.
  7.Add the cardamom Powder , Saffron Strands and pinch of salt.
  8.When cool fill it in a clean and dry glass jar. It will stay atleast for a month in the refrigerator.
  9. While serving, add a desired amount of chilled water (Just to make it thin enough) and/or ice cubes depending on your choice.

Serve chilled and get refreshed in minutes or take a big glass and get ready to reminisce in the childhood memories :)
PS: Some people do add a bit of spice to this panha by adding a pinch of cumin powder to it. Also, this can be cooked using jaggery instead of sugar but I do prefer sugar !!!