Panah (Mango Jaggery Drink)

Mango is native to India and Southeast Asia, and people have cultivated it for over 4,000 years. Hundreds of types of mango exist, each with its own characteristic taste, shape, size, and color. This traditional drink contains vitamins C and A, fiber, and antioxidants because cooked mangoes generally retain their core nutritional value. Antioxidants are important because they protect our cells against free radicals. Free radicals cause damage and may hasten aging and be the cause of chronic lifestyle diseases. The vitamin C in mangoes can help our body produce more disease-fighting white blood cells, help these cells work more effectively, and improve our skin’s defenses.

Recipe credit: Darshana Muzumdar

This traditional summer drink is refreshing and delicious and popular among both children and adults. Mango season can’t be a true mango season without this super drink. Once you have this for a few days, you won’t want to go back to your old habit of tea with milk. However, a better replacement would be a green smoothie or some delicious ripe sweet fruit. I believe that eating fruits helps in achieving our optimum health. Please learn more from Gaurav Goyal and his group Eat Fruits and Heal. The conversation is usually in Hindi and here’s a simple explanation that Gaurav Goyal shares. You can also check their English FAQs and Hindi FAQs to learn more about eating fruits as a species specific diet.

Ingredients

1 kg raw mangoes or around 3 large ones (use only the sour kind)
1 cup jaggery (use an equal amount of jaggery to the amount of pulp)
3 cardamoms powdered (use one cardamom per medium sized mango)
salt to taste

Method

Wash the mangoes well and place them in a pot that will fit in a pressure cooker.
Put 2 cups of water in the pressure cooker and pressure cook the mangoes for 2 or 3 whistles.
Allow the mangoes to cool down a little and then remove all the pulp from the mangoes into a pot.
Add the jaggery and mix it well and if necessary mash it with your fingers. Avoid using a blender as it will spoil the colour of the drink.
Add the cardamom powder and mix it well again.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl or a jar and place it in the fridge and use it within three days.
To make the panah, put two or three heaped teaspoons of the mixture into a glass and add cold water to fill up the glass. Mix it well. This may take some time as the pulp is thick with a jam like consistency. Serve the drink immediately.

Note: Some people add mint leaves to flavour it but the original recipe needs only three ingredients.

For the Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) version: