Aam Panna with Lemongrass

Rinse the mangoes and place them in a traditional pressure cooker. Smash the bulb of the lemongrass and add it in as well. Add the water and pressure-cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 whistles. Let the steam release naturally from the pressure cooker. Alternately, boil the mangoes and lemongrass in a stock pot until soft enough that a toothpick goes through easily. Remove the mangoes and let cool.

Once the mangoes are cool enough to handle, use your hands or a spoon to remove the pulp into a blender jar or food processor. Compost the skin and any seeds.

Add black salt, cumin, jaggery, and mint to the mango pulp and blend until smooth. Use leftover water from the pressure cooker or stock pot if necessary to help get a smooth but thick concentrate. Taste and adjust spices, salt, and sweetener, if needed. You can swap jaggery altogether with your preferred sweetener to taste.

Store the aam panna concentrate in the fridge in an airtight glass jar for up to a month. This recipe will give you 5 tall glasses. To serve, add 3 to 4 Tbsp of concentrate to a glass. (if you prefer metric measures, it's 150 ml of the concentrate to 200 ml water). Add ice cubes and fill the glass with chilled water. Stir to combine. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.