Aam Panna.....How to preserve for 2-3 months

Hello, my foodie friends......Summers are going on in a full swing in many parts of the country and we always find ourselves opening the refrigerator and searching for some cold and refreshing drinks. Until now you might be knowing that I always prefer homemade food and of course, drinks are no different too.

Anything homemade is always healthier and more hygienic than the store-bought one. I would suggest you to keep 2-3 different varieties of homemade fruit juices in your refrigerator. They will not only refresh you but have great health benefits too. I have already posted few summer cooler recipes on my blog:

• Mango Lassi
• Mango Kulfi
• Mango Icecream
• Pinacolada
• Cucumber Lime Mojito
• Virgin Watermelon Sangria

Aam-Panna is a very popular summer drink that rejuvenates you immediately. It is prepared from raw green mangoes and it's sweet and tangy flavor is enjoyed by all. It not only helps in fighting the summer heat but also helps in digestion. A glass full of this chilled cooler makes you feel relaxed and gives you instant energy. Try this nourishing cooler this summer and believe me your family will thank you for this refreshing drink. Moreover, I have also shared some tips to store the Aam Panna concentrate for 2-3 months.

So, without any further ado let's begin with the recipe:

Mango Phirni

             

As we all know Eid is just around the corner so something special dedicated to Eid has to be there on the blog. What's better than celebrating a special occasion with a dessert. I have already shared many dessert recipes on the blog. You may check them out here (click here).

Phirni or Firni is a kind of rice pudding which is very popular in North Indian and Mughlai cuisine. This pudding is also prepared during the holy month of Ramzan and to celebrate festivals like Holi, Diwali etc.....

It's a very easy and quick dessert which needs very few ingredients. It's very similar to Rice Kheer but the difference lies in the kind of rice being used. Phirni is prepared from ground rice while the later is prepared from whole rice. 

So, let's celebrate this Eid with your friends, family members and Mango Phirni. 

Mango Lassi

Sometimes you just need very simple things to make yourself happy. Well, I follow this basic principle always. For me that can be a cup of coffee, getting drenched in the rain showers, playing with kids, browsing my childhood pics and the list goes on. 

Having a glassful of Lassi during summer gives me exactly same feeling but when it's Mango Lassi then my excitement gets no limits.

It was a season of Mangoes this year and we really enjoyed some of the popular varieties like Alphonso, Himsagar, Langda, Amrapali, Dussehri etc. I had posted many mango based recipes in my blog which are very easy to make yet delicious to taste. 

• Mango Kulfi
• Mango Ice-cream
• Mango Mousse
• Skinny Mango Cheesecake  

There are many more in my bucket list, will soon try to give them a place in my blog.

Summer is very much over and monsoon has already arrived in India. So, before saying adios to the king of fruits I thought of making a very popular yet very simple recipe; yes it's nothing other than Mango Lassi. Lassi is a cooling and refreshing drink made from yogurt and when it's blended with the flavors of Mango, it takes this traditional drink to the next level. 

So, let's give our Mango love a pause and get into the recipe of Mango Lassi:

Mango Kulfi

Can we imagine Summers without Icecreams? Nah.....!!!!

In India Summers are synonyms to Ice-creams, Pickles and Papadam. As a child we all grew up eating Kulfis (Popsicles) which we used to enjoy during our long Summer holidays. My mother had a very hard time keeping me at home the moment I would hear a bell of Kulfiwallas.

Usually my mother used to make ice-creams at home but sometimes, we would get "Kulfi" from the local vendors. These Kulfis were carried out in a large earthen pots. Those days I just used to enjoy the taste of Kulfis without any thought of hygiene factor. Things have changed these days and Kulfi's have been replaced by Ice-creams and the so called Kulfiwala's got replaced by the Ice-cream parlors.

In the scorching heat of summer frozen treats and cool beverages give a sense of relaxation. I have already posted few recipes here, you can have a look:

• Aam Panna
• Virgin Watermelon Sangria
• Cucumber Lime Mojito
• Mango Icecream

Kulfi is nothing but a frozen creamy milk based dessert. As mangoes are in full swing this summer I thought of making Kulfis and giving it a mango flavor. So, this recipe has the creaminess of milk and bursting with mango flavors. After I had this Kulfi I was back in my childhood days that feeling can never be replaced by the modern icecreams and icecream parlors.

Hope with this recipe I can take you back to your childhood. So, here's the recipe:

Aam Panna...Let's Beat the Heat In A Bong's Way

  

Indian Summers are back again and just a glassful of water is not enough to quench your thirst. Whether hungry or not I always find myself opening the refrigerator and looking for some cold and refreshing drinks. If you're a regular follower of my blog then you might be knowing that I always prefer homemade food and cold drinks are no different. 

I always find homemade fruit juices and drinks healthier and hygienic than the store bought or the ones that are readily available at the local juice stalls. In summers I always keep 2-3 different varieties of homemade fruit juices in my refrigerator. They not only refresh me but have great health benefits too.

Aam-Panna is a very popular summer drink which rejuvenates you immediately. It is prepared from raw green mangoes and it's sweet and tangy flavor is enjoyed by all. It not only helps in fighting the summer heat but also helps in digestion. A glass full of this chilled cooler makes you feel relaxed and gives you an instant energy. 

This is my take on Aam Panna. We Bengalis make this classic drink in a different way and have a different name too: "Aam Pora Shorbot". Try this nourishing cooler this summer and believe me your family will thank you for this refreshing drink.

Mango Ice Cream

Yes, you might be thinking that I have gone crazy. The season of Mangoes and Ice-creams has not been arrived yet or I must say we are just a few weeks away to indulge ourselves in the sweetness of mangoes and the rich, creamy goodness of Ice-creams.

To be very frank I am a die hard fan of Ice-creams and can enjoy it even in the subzero temperatures and when its Mango flavored I can't resist myself to have a scoop of it. Moreover who doesn't love mangoes after all it's the King of all fruits.

Recently, I found a can of mango puree in a departmental store and as usual I couldn't stop myself from buying it without a second thought. I was walking through the aisles and thinking what to do with this puree. Suddenly I turned and saw an aisle of ice-creams. Yippee!!! I got it. I decided to treat my family and of course myself with Mango Ice-cream.

Whenever we think of making ice-cream at home two thoughts comes in our mind successively:

• Will it be smooth, creamy, rich and soft like store bought?
• Is it possible to make ice-cream without an Ice-cream maker?

Well, the answer to all your questions is "Yes, Of course!" . It's just a pleasure when your ice-cream scooper glides through the ice-cream without encountering any ice crystals and yet you get a nice and perfect scoop. Moreover it requires very few ingredients and no cooking or churning. Just mix all the ingredients together and set it in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours. 

So let's dig into the divine flavors of Mango Ice-cream:

Skinny Mango Cheesecake.........A Cheesecake Without Cheese

By now you all know that I have a ginormous sweet tooth. My dinner is not complete unless I have a bowl of anything sweet. But whenever I eat anything sweet I always get a guilt feeling that how much calories its been adding up! This feeling turns me upside down and muddle up the state of bliss.

There was a time when we would gobble up everything without even giving a second thought. That was the time we never thought how would we look like in our profile pic. Well, time changes so do our thoughts. 

I'm a huge fans of Cheesecakes, aren't you? But we all know that cheesecake adds a lot of calories in your waistline.......Sigh :(. So, I decided to cheat these "Caloricious Cheesecakes" without any "Cheese" content in it. Yes, you heard it right: "A Cheesecake Without Cream Cheese". It not only helps you to get rid of that "guilt" but it does full justice to the taste of an original Cheesecake. Isn't that great!

This recipe is very easy and requires very few ingredients. It is also a party pleaser which can be prepared in advance. So let's dig into this recipe of making my version of "Skinny Mango Cheesecakes":

Eggless Mango Mousse....No Cook No Bake Mango Mousse

Mango Mousse.......Yes, I know this is not the season of Mangoes but last week when I went out for grocery I saw a can of mango puree which caught my attention. Immediately, chain of "Dessert-full" thoughts ran through my mind because when it comes to Dessert my imaginations get wings and they fly randomly. I have a sweet tooth so does every Bengali and I love to try desserts from every cuisine.

These days fruits and vegetables don't have any season constraints. We can get all our favorite fruits and vegetables all year round but mangoes. We can get them in puree form tough and enjoy its taste throughout the year.

Mango is considered as the king of all fruits and it deserves too. It is also known as national fruit of India where summers are incomplete without them. 

There are endless recipes made from mangoes starting from pickles to sweets. The recipe I am going to share today is Eggless Mango Mousse. It's hassle free and requires very few ingredients.  A Mousse may be sweet or savory. Dessert Mousses are typically made from whipped egg whites or whipped cream and flavored with chocolate or fruit puree. I used Mangoes but you can use any fruit of your choice.