3 Delicious Mango Dessert Recipes to beat the Summer Heat- Crowne Plaza, Pune

Summer is synonymous with the most beloved fruit of all time- Mangoes. Mango is the ingredient of several delicious summer-time desserts. Mango Desserts are not only refreshing but are extremely delicious and a must-have for the season. Crowne Plaza, Pune, brings you 3 easy dessert recipes that you can prepare for yourself and your family this summer.

1) Aamras  (Mango Nectar)

Aamras is a popular dessert or sweet from the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

What is Aamras? (Mango Nectar)

Aam Means mango & Ras Means juice. so literally the word Aamras means mango juice. Basically, aamras is plain mango puree or pulp. You can also call it mango nectar. aamras is a summer delight in a bowl. One recipe which I make at times during weekends in the Indian summers is Aamras poori.

Traditionally aamras is served with Poori and this combo of Aamras Poori is liked by many people and is quite popular. But aamras can also be had after a meal or as a sweet dish, dessert or just about at any time. Recently a reader had also mentioned that Neer Dosa can be served with aamras.

Tips for making aamras recipe

• Mostly, the Alphonso variety of mango is used for making aamras. Though you can also make it with any sweet juicy mangoes. Just make sure the mangoes are not fibrous.
• I never add any milk or water when preparing aamras as we have it with pooris or chapatis. But if you want you can thin down the consistency by adding some water or milk.
• As a reader has mentioned below, The Gujarati aamras has a bit of dry ginger powder(saunth) added to them. This helps in digestion as the aamras are also topped with a bit of ghee.
• In the Maharashtrian version, cardamom powder is added. I usually add cardamom powder and saffron. Sometimes I also add chopped dry fruits.

Note: the amount of jaggery or sugar depends on the sweetness of mangoes and your individual preference for sweetness. If the mangoes are tangy, then you could add some sugar and jaggery. But if the mangoes are very sweet, you need not add any sweetener.

Ingredients

400 grams mangoes or 2 large Alphonso or 3 to 4 Kesar mangoes

½ teaspoon cardamom powder

1 pinch saffron strands (Kesar), optional

sugar or powdered jaggery (Gur) – optional

¼ teaspoon dry ginger powder (Saunth) – optional

water or milk as required – optional

Instructions

• Rinse the Alphonso mangoes. Then peel and chop them.
• In a blender, add the chopped mango pieces and blend.
• Add cardamom powder and crushed saffron strands.
• Stir very well. To thin down the aamras, you can add some sugar or some milk or water.
• Pour in small bowls and chill in the refrigerator.
• Serve aamras with puri. You can also serve with chapatis.
• You could even add your choice of dry fruits to the aamras. If adding cashew nuts, fry the cashew nuts till golden brown and then mix it with the aamras.

2) Mango Phirni 

Mango Phirni is a mango twist on a classic Indian dessert Phirni. It is a rice pudding made using rice and flavored with mango puree. Here is how to make it.

Ingredients

To make this Phirni, you will need – Rice, Ghee, Milk, Mangoes, Saffron, and Sugar. Yes, that’s it. You can use dry fruits such as Almond, Pistachios, Cashewsetc to garnish the Phirni along with Mango pieces.

If you are looking for a Vegan option, you can use coconut milk or almond milk as a substitute for milk.

You can use canned mango puree to make this dish.

But if mangoes are in season, there is nothing like making it using fresh puree.

If using canned puree, make sure to use either Kesar or Alphonso variety.

Also make sure to adjust the amount of sugar, as the canned puree is on the sweeter side.

How to make it using condensed milk?

To make it using condensed milk, cook the phirni as mentioned below in the recipe.

Once the phirni is reduced to half and the rice is properly cooked, add ½ tin condensed milk and skip adding the sugar.

Cook until phirni reaches the desired consistency. Then add mango puree once it cools down.

Serving Suggestions

Phirni is traditionally served in individual earthen bowls.

The bowl absorbs the extra moisture making the phirni even more creamy and thick.

But if earthen or clay pots are not available, you can definitely serve it in a regular serving bowl.

Make sure to garnish the phirni with slivered dry fruits, rose petals, and mango cubes before serving.

Phirni is best served chilled so make it a few hours prior to serving.

Instructions

1. Wash and soak rice for an hour.
2. Drain the water and blend the rice in a blender to make a coarse powder.
3. Add very little water if required.
4. In a heavy bottom pan, add ghee.
5. When the ghee is hot, add the milk.
6. Let the milk come to a boil.
7. Add the rice and saffron to the milk.
8. Simmer the heat and cook till the milk is reduced to ½ and phirni has reached the desired consistency.
9. Keep in mind that it will further thicken on cooling.
10. Add sugar and cook for a minute.
11. Switch off the heat and let the phirni cooldown.
12. Add mango puree and mix well.
13. Transfer the phirni in earthen bowls. (or regular if not available)
14. Garnish with slivered almonds and pistachios.
15. Chill for a few hours before serving.

Notes

1. Keep stirring the phirni throughout while cooking, otherwise, the rice will stick at the bottom of the pan and get burned.
2. Serve the phirni chilled.
3. If earthen bowls are not available, use regular bowls.
4. Add mango puree in the phirni only once it is completely cooled.

3)  Mango Lassi

In the Indian subcontinent  “Lassi” refers to any yogurt-based drink. The popular ones are sweet lassi which obviously is sweetened with sugar and salty lassi which has salt and other spices in it. Mango Lassi is another popular version that has sweet mangoes blended with yogurt.

For this mango lassi recipe, I have used mangoes, yogurt, milk, sugar, and cardamom. A lot of times lassi is made with “yogurt only”, traditionally that’s how it was made. But I like to add little milk to my lassi since I don’t like it super thick. You can use all yogurt if you aren’t a fan of adding milk to your lassi. You may also add saffron or a splash of rose water for extra flavors but that is optional. It’s thick, sweet, and creamy and one of the best ways to enjoy mangoes!

Can You Make Mango Lassi Vegan?

You definitely can. I would recommend using plain almond milk yogurt here. That works best! Or you can use any other non-dairy yogurt you like. I wouldn’t recommend coconut yogurt since that will give it a very coconut-y taste.

1. To a large bowl or cup, add 1 cup fresh mango pulp. I got the pulp from 2 large sweet mangoes which I blended in a blender to make it smooth. You can use canned mango pulp if you can’t find sweet mangoes.
2. To the same bowl, now add yogurt. I have used plain whole milk yogurt here.
3. Now add cold milk (or water). I add this to thin out the lassi a bit. Also, add the sugar and the cardamom powder.
4. Blend everything until well combined. I used an immersion blender.
5. Pour the mango lassi into serving glasses and chill before serving!

You may garnish with nuts and saffron strands before serving.

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh chopped mango pieces, about 3 to 4 medium-sized mangoes. I used Alphonso mangoes, but you could use any good variety of mango. you could also use mango pulp.

2 cups chilled full-fat fresh curd (yogurt)

2 to 3 tablespoon cream, 25% to 30% fat or malai – optional

½ teaspoon cardamom powder or ½ tablespoon rose water or a pinch of saffron strands

4 to 5 tablespoon sugar or honey or add as required. this also can be skipped if the mangoes are very sweet

few mints leave for garnish or mango cubes or sliced dry fruits

Instructions

• Peel the mangoes and chop them.
• In a blender or mixer, puree the mangoes with sugar or honey and cardamom powder or saffron or rose water.
• Now add the chilled curd (yogurt) and cream.
• Add some ice cubes.
• Blend for some seconds till everything is mixed well and the yogurt has become smooth.
• Pour in glasses and serve garnished with mint leaves or cubes of mango
• If you want a slightly thin consistency, then add some milk to the mango lassi while blending.

Notes

1. Instead of sugar, you can also add jaggery or honey.
2. This mango lassi recipe can be doubled.

By the in-house chefs of Crowne Plaza, Pune