This Aampora Sharbat recipe, which I stole from my grandmother’s kitchen, is as tasty as it is nutritious. The raw mango is roasted to remove its intrinsic heat and impart a smokiness to the pulp, which, when combined with the spices, makes the drink addictive and refreshing.
Ingredients
- 500 g mangoes, uncooked
- a third of a cup of caster sugar (powdered sugar) (adjust as per your taste)
- cumin seeds, 2 tbsp
- 12 tsp black peppercorns, whole
- 750 milliliters of water
- 2 mint leaves sprigs
- to taste black salt
- Ice cubes
GARNISH (OPTIONAL)
- 1 tsp paprika (smoked)
- 1 tsp salt
- Lemon slice
How to make Aampora sharbat
- Place the raw mangoes on a handheld BBQ grill and roast on low heat on the stovetop. Rotate them on a daily basis to ensure that they char equally on both sides. They’ll take about 15 minutes to finish cooking.
- In a bowl of cold water, soak the mangoes for 10 minutes.
- Squeeze out the pulp after peeling off the burnt skin. Get rid of the stone. Alternatively, use a knife to chip the pulp away.
- In a skillet, dry roast the cumin seeds until fragrant and slightly darker. Set aside for now.
- Blitz the roasted cumin seeds and black peppercorn to a coarse powder in a food processor. Set aside for another day.
- In a food processor, combine the mango pulp, sugar, black salt, and mint leaves. Blitz until the mixture is fully smooth. Using a strainer, strain the mango mixture and set it aside.
- Pour 750 mL water, the raw mango pulp mixture, and 1 teaspoon roasted spice powder into a jug. Stir all together thoroughly. This cooler’s consistency should be a little thicker, so change the water accordingly.
- Fill glasses halfway with ice cubes and serve chilled.
- To garnish, combine the smoked paprika and salt on a plate. Rub a lemon wedge around the rim of the bottle and firmly press it into the paprika-salt mixture, rim down.
