Mango Shake: 'If he doesn’t like Mango; let that man go'

Some stories remain as an eternal enigma but some of them do have the intrinsic values to be shared in the world. I am never hesitant when it comes to sharing my own life stories.

You are no longer in a disagreement to be nostalgic about those past events when your heart was extremely filled with love, innocence, and joy. Seasonal fruits are my never-ending love. This love is sweet as sugar candy and unconditional, too. I thought this love deserves to be celebrated especially in this hot burning season.

Summer always reminds me of my childhood. One of the most hectic seasons of the year. Let’s do an activity today. Let’s have a flashback of our summer holidays. What do you see? I don’t know about you but only one picture pops up in my mind.

You can take a guess how crazy food lover I have always been. And trust me when I say crazy, I really do mean it. I used to go mad when my grandpa used to fill half of the kitchen with my favourite summer fruits. But I have to say this, that I have an inexplicable love for mangoes. I feel it is important to empty out the bucket in your adulthood that you filled in when you were a child and today is a good day to do that. The bucket of mischievousness, kindness, happiness, a few slaps and exuberance has engraved a special corner in my heart.

I vividly remember my own bucket used to overflow sometimes with tears. How do I forget the days when my grandma strictly banned me from eating mangoes back then because of its overconsumption. But you know what, the universe literally never wanted me to stop eating them. I found multiple ways to sneak into the kitchen late at night, sometimes in the bathroom and in the backyard of my own house where people used to not go due to the fear of ghosts. God knows how many mangoes I was accustomed to stealing on a daily basis and hiding myself in some corner having the fear of getting caught by anyone.

But you know what, one day, the universe really conspired to help my grandma catch me with three mangoes in my hands underneath the bed. What a horrible face and phase of my life I encountered that day. Unbearable. Further, I stopped going to the backyard after seeing my grandmother’s face that day. A helpless, five years old child was stuck in one spot for more than two hours.

Intellectual grandma found out a trick to eat mangoes in a healthier way and unexpectedly I got to eat Aamras in my dinner time. As usual, the bucket overflowed but this time with tears of joy. Aamras is called ‘Keri no Ras’ in Gujju’s kitchen.

The recipe to make Aamras is not a laborious task but it’s wonderfully an easy process. We have different kinds of mangoes across the world and each type has its own uniqueness. In Gujarat, in cities such as Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot, people mostly eat Kesar and Hapus. Hapus are also recognised as Alphonso which is available on Swiggy instamart nowadays.

Step 1: Take 4 to 5 mangoes to make Amaras and wash them properly with warm water.

Step 2: you have to strip all the mango peels and cut them into small pieces

Step 3: Take one empty mixture jar and fill it with mango dice. Add 1 cup water to it.

(You can add 1 or 2 Tsp sugar if it is needed)

Step 4: you have to blend the mango cubes for 2 minutes which will eventually come out in a thick puree form. This is what Gujaratis call ‘Keri no Ras’.

The colour of Amaras might differ depending on the mangoes and their diverse types.

What’s the final step? Take out the Ras in a bowl and start eating it either with Rotis or Puris. A celebration of summer in Gujarat always begins with Amaras and Puris.

Stop drooling guys, go and find mangoes in the market. I wish you a fabulous and delightful summer!