Aamsutra part II

After the "aamras" it was time for the pora amm er sharbat. My only objective in life was to get rid of the crate of mangoes.
As they say every food item has a story to tell. Pora amm er sharbat reminds me of Prof Ratnabali Chatterjee. She was my guide when I was doing my M.phil term paper. Often she used to call me at her residence to discuss the paper. One such sultry afternoon when I reached her home, she served me a cold glass of Aampora sherbat. She prepared it herself. Ever since whenever I hear Aampora sherbat, that afternoon comes to my mind.Nothing is more soothing than this in a hot summer afternoon.




Ingredients

4 Raw green mango
200 grams Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Rock Salt
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli flakes
1 teaspoons Roasted and ground Cumin powder

Preparation

Roast the mangoes in their jackets over a flame.
Cool the mangoes and then remove the skin.
Scoop out the pulp and mash it after removing the seed
Pass the pulp through a sieve, so that the fibres, if any, are removed.
Add powdered sugar, chilli, flakes, rock salt and mix over medium flame for a minute or two.
Sprinkle roasted and ground cumin powder.
Take it off the flame. Cool and store the concentrate in glass bottles.
To make a drink, add 1/4 glass of the concentrate. Add ice cubes and chilled water.