Aam Pora Sorbot / Roasted Raw Mango Drink

A few days ago we went to a nearby pet shop to enquire about our cats' vaccination...and there we saw they were selling rabbits and birds, along with cats and dogs. My my!!!!! I was so eager to have two rabbits in my home. But then I realized that I will actually bring a delicious dinner for my cats in the form of live rabbits and sadly pushed away the idea. My cousin has also bought two parrots lately. One of them even does not stay in the cage and roams around the room. How cute!!!!:) One of my friend, who lives in Delhi is going to Kolkata for a short trip....and I am so soooo jealous!!!! I want to go home so badly!!!

Then to put my bad mood away I thought of making something. I decided to make fruit custard. I had the custard powder, which I have bought this year in India, but I only had pears, apple and cherries. They are soooo boring. I needed something colorful and cheerful. So a little while later I went to the Cash Center and picked up figs, strawberry and raspberries. They might be a handful...but are't they lovely!! Those colors are soooo drool worthy!!! One of the cashier there has become really friendly with me. Every time she sees me, she says something to me. When my husband is there he translates...but otherwise I just smile to manage and in the end I just say, à bientôt...bon soirée!!! She gives me a broad smile and hands me over the rest of the money with bill.

Who knew one day, I will enjoy cooking this much. After years of brushing up the ideas of marginal productivity, Solow's growth model, Nash equilibrium, missing women and development parameters...I have finally found my peace in cooking. I think I am in heaven...where I can whip up any edible mass into a delicious platter...and I evolve with experience day by day!!!

Today I am sharing the recipe of Aam Pora sorbot which slightly different from the Aam Panna. It is done by charring the raw mango with skin. It is an amazing cooler during the summer and a must in my home. Don't ask me....how I got these green mangoes, as no one, and literally no one eats raw green mango in Africa. They consider this idea a somewhat alien and completely non-edible!! Desperate to find some I had to bribe our buildings guardian, who got me these beautiful mangoes from someone's garden. I was in an absolute utter delight!!:)

Aam Pora Sorbot / Roasted Raw Mango Sherbet
Makes 6-7 glasses

Ingredients:

• 4 raw or green mango
• 1-2 tbsp bhaja mosla / roasted spices (take 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 6-7 black peppercorns and 2-3 dry red chilies. Dry roast them for 2 minutes or until you can sniff the fine aroma coming from them. Cool them down and then grind them to a fine powder. Keep in an airtight container and use accordingly.)
• 2-3 tsp black salt
• 5-6 cups of water
• Sugar - as per taste ( I used a little more than 1 cup of sugar)

Method:

• Slit the sides of the mangoes and in the griller or on the oven top roast the raw mangoes until the skin becomes completely charred. Check with a knife that whether the center has become soft too.
• Once done, let them cook down to the room temperature.
• Once cooled peel the skin off and cut the flesh off the seeds. Make a pulp of them.
• Take a jar or bowl and put the raw mango pulp, sugar, bhaja mosla or roasted spice and black salt. Mix everything properly. You can do it with your hand or use a blender, but in that case be sure that there is no charred skin in your sherbet, or otherwise they will yield a bitter taste. 
• Let them sit like that for 2-3 hours to develop the flavors. Then strain the entire mixture and chill in the freezer.
• Serve them chilled with some additional ice cubes and some roasted or bhaja mosla sprinkled on top.