Summer is gorgeous—it’s pretty, it’s colourful, it’s vacation time, it’s hot (not always a good thing—ask the 42°C outside), it’s time for fun clothes, and in my part of the world, it’s also mango time! And though winter will always be my favourite month, nothing beats mangoes and fresh mango juice, mango salsa and mango milkshake!

 

“Sometimes, a summer afternoon needs a whole mango to be kept entirely for oneself, and eaten in one sitting.” – Alison Pill

The Fact: The mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines. It is also the national tree of Bangladesh.

The Inspiration: It’s summer. The markets are filled with that lovely sweet aroma that draws you, no matter which market you go to. It’s another thing that I’m grateful for when it comes to India and or warm, tropical climate. So, the mangoes called out to me… I bought a few dozens… didn’t know how to finish so many mangoes before they got overripe… solution: mango milkshake. And though I agree that this probably didn’t require a post because, I mean, “Who doesn’t know how to make milkshake, right?” But then the pictures that I took with my Samsung Galaxy S4 were so lovely, I just had to put this up.

The Ingredients

Makes 4–5 milkshake servings

• 4 sweet, fully ripe mangoes

The colour does not determine the ripeness of the fruit; the smell and firmness do. When you lightly squeeze the head or the stem end of the fruit, it should lightly give in. The stem end should also give out a lovely sweet, ripe smell. Remember that the sweetness and flavour of the mangoes decide what your milkshake will taste like. Get the mangoes wrong, and you’re not quite going to enjoy the milkshake.

• A cup of milk (or more, depending on what thickness you prefer)
• Sugar to taste
• Optional: one scoop of vanilla flavoured ice cream
• Optional: A sprinkling of cardamom (peeled)

The Method

• Wash, dry and peel the chilled mangoes. Using warm mangoes will give you a warm shake—something you definitely do not want.
• Roughly chop up the mangoes, while carefully discarding the seed. Try not to get too close to the seed; it’s usually not as sweet as the fleshy part of the fruit.

• Toss the chopped up mangoes, the ice cream, the sugar and the peeled cardamom into a blender/grinder and blend the ingredients together.

• After a smooth paste is formed, stop the blender and pour in half a cup of milk. Then, blend once more. 

• In this way, keep adjusting the milk until you reach the desired thickness. There’s no harm in tasting the shake until you get exactly what you’re looking for.

• Serve in lovely tall glasses. If you prefer a cooler milkshake, toss in a few ice cubes—just not too many or it will water down the milkshake. Cover and store in a refrigerator for a day or two.