Indian Aamras (mango smoothie)-recipe

Today I am going to share recipe of a traditional Indian mango delicacy called Aamras.
 Mango is one of my families favorite fruit,after all it is often referred to as the king of fruit:)
 Mangoes are among the most popular fruits worldwide and are especially popular in South and Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Hawaii. Mangoes are a seasonal fruit and are available only during summer.
One of the best variety of mangoes is Alphonso.The Alphonso Mango is named after Afonso de Albuquerque. This is an exquisite and expensive variety of mango, that he used to bring on his journeys to Goa.

I belong to western state of Maharashtra in India  where Alphonso is grown, so naturally I have grown up eating mangoes in summers:) 
Summers are incomplete without a healthy dose of Alphonso & things made from it...................& one of the Maharashtrian specialties is Aamras which literally means mango(aam) juice(ras).


You can make aamras out of any pulpy mango but as I said my choice is always Alphonso:)
Alphonso's come in wooden crates surrounded by straw to protect them like this.

The fragrance of Alphonso is heavenly.I can smell it & as I am typing this :)
The color is enticing too:)

Well.................now I have raved enough about it,now will get to the real business.This is how you make it:)


Take 1.5 mangoes per person,that is if you  are making it for 2 people take 3 mangoes & accordingly for more people.Cut it like above & take out the pulp.Traditionally the pulp is just squished with CLEAN fingers & milk added to it but somehow it does not appeal to me!!!!!!

I like it more like a smoothie.So take the pulp ,put it in a mixer,add milk as per desired consistency.Generally this is thicker than mango shake.
You know Ayurveda has a very logical theory about why milk should be  added to mangoes.
The mango is rich in sugar but deficient in protein. On the other hand, milk is rich in protein but deficient in sugar. The other makes up the deficiency of the one. Mango thus combines very well with milk
Besides most importantly the type of vitamin A available in mangoes can not be absorbed by body,so by adding milk it helps the body to absorb Vit- A properly!!!!!
In fact Ayurveda forbids adding milk to any other fruit esp bananas...................I am a great believer of Ayurveda & I totally follow all tenets laid down by Ayurveda.

OK so back to Aamras:)
You need not add sugar as Alphonsoes are really sweet but if you are using some other variety which isn't sweet enough you could add a little honey or sugar.Add a pinch of green cardamom powder.It complements the aroma of the mango & now give it a whisk:)
And your Aamras is ready:)

Enjoy it with traditional Indian Puris or flat bread called chapati or parantha (recipe for them coming soon).This is my meal of the day.I have a recipe  for the lentil too...........check it out:)

Well now I am going to be out of blogosphere for  a good 15 days:)

Going on a road trip to Himalayas.Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Have to pack now................it will be pretty cold as you can see so now am off to open my trunks of woollen clothes.

Will click loads of pics & give a detailed itinerary for anybody interested in exploring the mighty Himalayas:)))

This is the road leading to the Army base we will staying at:)))

I am sooooooo excited:)

Will catch you after 15 days.