Aamras Or Mango Ras
Aam ras also known as Mango Ras and very popular in western region of India places such as Maharashtra and Rajasthan including Gujarat.
Aam ras is a popular and staple Indian dessert enjoyed during summer season. This chilled summer dessert made easily with ripe, fresh and juicy Indian mangoes. It can be optionally flavoured using spices such as ginger powder or cardamom and saffron.
The best Keri no ras is not just sweet but has the slightest hint of tartness too and I think this actually helps bring out the sweetness more.
Aamras translates as Aam (mango) and ras (juice), litreally it translates Mango Juice but it is really Mango Pulp.
The pulp is extracted by hand (usually in keen anticipation of the treat to come) and then blended smooth.
Mango ras is a popular dessert that can be enjoyed on its own or after having a spicy Indian meal.
This recipe is Gujarati style mango ras which is enjoyed with piping hot Poori – a deep fried Indian bread. This meal called Aam Ras Puri. You can also include sukhi bhaji – a dry potato dish.
Gujarati keri no ras will have:
Every region in India will have their own interpretation of Aamras, but this is the version that I have grown up with.
Ginger powder – apparently to help with the digestion of the ras but also tastes amazing! It gives a delicious complementary flavor
Ghee – pure butter ghee is swirled through the ras to make it even silkier
Traditional Gujarati keri no ras has nothing more added to it than these few ingredients – if other spices are added then it is no longer authentic Gujarati ras.
The traditional method of making mango ras
My Mum would tell me how she would see her elderly next-door neighbour sat outside preparing the ras.
She would sit with a big box of mangoes, massage them all gently and then squeeze out the pulp into a bowl – all by hand and all whilst gossiping with the other women.
These were the days before blenders were readily available making this traditional way something of an art form.
Now, we have high-speed blenders to do the back-breaking work for us and we are rewarded with the silkiest and smoothest mango pulp.
How to choose the best Mangoes from the store
The trick is to choose some mangoes that have not yet fully ripened so you can stagger eating them. Once the mangoes ripen, they will spoil very quickly.
look for the skin to be as close to orange as possible without discolouration or black spots
Mangoes that are soft to touch and fragrant are ready to eat.
Why is ras made with Kesar mangoes?
To help answer the question of which mangoes are best for ras, we have to know the properties of the various types.
Alphonso mangoes are a little firmer and are great eaten on their own. Folks in Maharastra, uses Alphonso (Hapus or Hafus) to make Mango ras.
In Gujarat, Kesar Mangoes available in abundant. Kesar is softer and mushier and sometimes will not cut as well, making it a great candidate for making keri no ras.
However, in our house ras is made and enjoyed using alphonso and kesar mangoes.
Why do we soak the mangoes first?
According to Ayurveda, ripe mangoes are warm for the body. If you come from a South Asian background, you may have heard of the elders mentioning how certain foods are “hot” or “cold”.
This has nothing to do with the temperature of the food, but rather, Ayurvedic medicine suggests that certain foods have either a “warming” or “cooling” effect on the body depending on how they are metabolised.
Mangoes are a “warm” food so soaking them beforehand is thought to take away that effect and make them “cool”.
Leftover Mango Seeds
Do not throw away the seeds but either make mukhwas (an Indian mouth fresher) or add to your compost.
Serving Suggestions
Summers are incompletet without aamras poori or aamras puri feast in any Indian households. Often this sweet aamras served with spicy or tikhi puri, the sweet and savory combination is delightful.
Aamras poori is a popular meal that is often served at weddings and other celebrations and festivals.
In Gujarati households all around the world, this mango pulp is served in a small bowl (vatki) alongside the meal as a side sweet dish.
Aamras devoured with soft puris or rotlis /chapatis along side Gujarati daal , rice, Bateta Nu Saak (suki bhaji), Stuffed Bhinda Nu Saak or Cauliflower and Potato Curry
Because of mangoes have short season, in many households, Keri No Ras is made and enjoyed every day at lunchtime with Be Padi Rotli or Padwari Rotli (layered roti) another speciality of Gujarati cuisine.
Some people love to eat keri no ras with milk and drink it as a milkshake, after adding milk consume straight away.
Drizzle some Mango ras on the ice cream or a cake.
How to freeze
To freeze aamras (pureed mangoes) first make the pulp d o not add anything. Put it into either a freezer safe zip lock bags or containers. J ust fill small freezer sealable bags.
If using a zip-lock bags stack them flat in the freezer, much easier to store.
It will keep in the freezer for 12 months. Every year we buy fresh Indian mangoes in bulk, blend them and store extra mango ras in the freezer for later use.
Use them for making lassi, smoothie or any desserts at a later date during Diwali or winter months.
Aam Ras Ingredients
Mangoes – get best, undamaged, ripe and fresh mangoes to make mango pulp/ras.
Sugar – regular granulated sugar. If you are getting very sweet mangoes, sugar is not needed.
Dry ginger or soonth powder
Ghee – can not imagine Gujarati style keri no ras without ghee. Vegans can skip it.
If you would like to make and enjoy Maharashtra or Rajasthani Mango Ras, skip ginger powder and ghee. Instead use
Saffron-
Cardamom powder or Nutmeg powder – adds some delicious floral taste to mango ras. It could also be used in conjunction with saffron.
For Consistancy
Water – thin it out slightly
Milk – it will provide a little creaminess.
Gujarati Keri No Ras is made by blending mangoes, sugar and very little water into a smooth pulp. Then flavoured with ginger powder and ghee. Adding milk is not necessary.
How to extract mango pulp without a blender
This traditional method is highly time-consuming, messy and requires a bit of skill but the end result is to die for. This method will give you slighly chunkier version (lacchedar) ras.
First, soak the mangoes in water overnight or in cold water for 2-3 hours.
You can add sugar at this stage if you want.
How to make Homemade Mango Pulp with Blender
Easiest and most common.
Wash and cut ripe mangoes into slices.
Remove the skin.
Roughly chop and blend it in the blender.
You may add little water, and sugar and blend it again until smooth and silky.
Chill in the fridge, serve with ginger powder and ghee.
Where to buy
If fresh mangoes are not available, you can make Aamras recipe with mango pulp . Canned mango pulp or frozen mango chunks are easily available in most of the supermarkets and all Indian grocery stores or even online.
However, most of the times canned mango pulp are packed with sugar and additives.
Always check lables or read the ingredients that doesn’t have added sugar. You can add sugar or other sweetner according to your taste.
Add flavours such as ginger, cardamom or saffron and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
What can you make from mango ras
Mango Shrikhand or Matho
Mango, Passionfruit and Coconut Lassi
Indian Mango Lassi
Paneer Kheer with Mango
No-bake Mango and Ginger Cheesecake
Mango Pancakes
Fajeto
Mango Kadhi
Mango and Ginger Muffins
Vegan Mango, Coconut and Lime Cake
Mango, Almond and Coconut Ladoo
Mango Kalakand
Keri No Ras or Aam Ras
Equipment
- Blender
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 12 mangoes good quality
- 3-4 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. ginger powder dry
- 2 tbsp. ghee
Instructions
Blender Mango Pulp
- Soak and cut the mangoes in slices. 12 mangoes
- Peel the skin.
- Place all the mangoes and sugar in a blender. 3-4 tbsp. sugar
- Blend till very smooth you can see a very smooth pulp.
- At this stage, pulp will be too thick, add a little water and mix once more time.
- Transfer into a big bowl and chill the ras until required.
- Serve in a serving bowl, add a pinch of ginger powder and ghee. 2 tsp. ginger powder, 2 tbsp. ghee
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – this post was originally posted on 14th May 2012, since we have updated the post with new images and content.
Keri No Ras or Aam Ras
Equipment
- Blender
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 12 mangoes good quality
- 3-4 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. ginger powder dry
- 2 tbsp. ghee
Instructions
Blender Mango Pulp
- Soak and cut the mangoes in slices. 12 mangoes
- Peel the skin.
- Place all the mangoes and sugar in a blender. 3-4 tbsp. sugar
- Blend till very smooth you can see a very smooth pulp.
- At this stage, pulp will be too thick, add a little water and mix once more time.
- Transfer into a big bowl and chill the ras until required.
- Serve in a serving bowl, add a pinch of ginger powder and ghee. 2 tsp. ginger powder, 2 tbsp. ghee
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
1 MINUTE INSTANT POT SHEER KHURMA
Note – This is not the traditional method of making Sheer Khurma. This is the quick (and modern) version of making Sheer Khurma so that your precious pots, pans, and hob space can be used to make more dishes!
This Instant pot version, can be prepared in just a few minutes and you have a decadent Seviyan kheer in a moment. So prepare this dessert without any worry of stirring or spilling. Just add the ingredients, stir, lock, pressure cook and enjoy!
However, I can guarantee you that the taste and flavours are still authentic !
Meaning of Sheer Khurma
Sheer means “milk” and Khurma means “dates” in Persian. Sheer Khurma is a sweet dish hailing from Persia, enjoyed throughout the world. It is usually prepared during Eid.
This separates Sheer Khurma from Seviyan Kheer. Seviyan Kheer is sweet vermicelli and milk-based pudding from the same part of the world but does not contain dates.
In Sheer Khurma, nuts and dates are first fried in ghee and the dish is then topped with a second tempering of ghee with clove or cardamom.
We love Seviyan Kheer and Meethi Seviyan (which is made without milk)
Sheer Khurma Sevai
Eid recipe – This delicious Hyderabadi dessert served on a Islamic religion festival Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan season.
We have also included a STOVE TOP traditional method below so you can use either.
Tips to ensure Sheer Khurma doesn’t burn in the Instant Pot:
We have an extra step of adding a little water to the seviyan before adding the milk. The toasted vermicelli will soak up the water meaning that when pressure-cooking, the vermicelli will not soak up as much of the milk (risk of burning) Add more milk than you usually would – keep the seviyan runny to prevent burning – it will thicken as it cool.
Select PORRIDGE mode for 1 minute only on low-pressure. Honestly, that is it!
Add the evaporated milk after the seviyan is cooked – it is already cooked milk so there is no need to heat it again
Ingredients for Sheer Khurma Instant Pot
Here is everything you will need, plus ingredients substitute ideas.
➀ Vermicelli – I have used very thin variety, that is easily available from supermarkets or any south Asian grocery stores. But feel free to use normal size seviyan as well. If any of these not available use Mexican thin noodles known as Fideo noodles.
➁ Whole milk – full fat or whole milk is good for the creamy sheer khurma. Fresh milk is best for this recipe, however long life tetra pack milk also works well too.
You can use skimmed or semi-skimmed but the sheer khurma will be less creamy.
➂ Dates – we have used Medjool dates but you can use any other. Certain dates are sweeter than others so you may have to adjust the sugar. The best way to check – eat one before using! 😉
➃ Nuts – a mix of almonds, cashew, pistachios, and charoli*
➄ Sugar – granulated white sugar is best.
➅ Raisins – known as kishmish or sultana, – we don’t like in milk-based desserts, so we have not added.
➆ Evaporated milk – because we have added water to prevent burning, using evaporated milk thickens the sheer khurma and makes it more creamy. You can also add double cream, half &half or condensed milk.
If using condensed milk, then use less sugar. However, I have found that the creamiest pudding comes from using evaporated milk – there is just something special about the flavour!
- Charoli
Charoli is the Indian name for the seeds of the Buchanania lanzan plant. They can also be called chironji and have an almond-like flavour.
These lentil-like seeds are added to Indian sweets or ground and added to sauces. My Mum says that she has seen my grandma using charoli in sweets for years so she has fallen into the same habit.
Is Sheer Khurma Gluten-free?
No, original or authentic Sheer Khurma recipe is not suitable for gluten-free dietary needs. In this recipe vermicelli added, which is made using wheat flour.
To prepare totally gluten-free vermicelli use gluten-free vermicelli that is easily available in the market.
Sheer Khurma with Condensed milk or milkmaid
Authentic recipe of sheer khurma made using regular white sugar, however if you want you can use condensed milk or milkmaid as an alternative sweetener. Use one tin/can (397g) of condensed milk for 2 litre milk, skip sugar totally.
Is Sheer Khurma good for health?
If eaten in less quantity or in moderation everything is good for health, however if you prefer healthy version of Sheer Khurma recipe swap some of the ingredients.
Use skimmed or toned milk instead of whole milk, by using less fat content milk you will not only cut down the calories from this dessert but lowering the saturated fat too.
You may add cashew nut paste to make this dessert creamy and rich. It also helps in to thicken the milk.
Add naturally sweet dates and skip sugar totally to make refined sugar free desserts. To make diabetic friendly dessert use naturally derived and calorie-free sugar substitute such as stevia which we have used in our sugar-free shrikhand
Instead of desi ghee, add canola oil for sheer khurma recipe. According to health experts, canola oil is a healthier oil. It contains less saturated fat.
Top your delicious sheer khurma with lots of nuts such as almond and pistachio.
How to make Vegan Sheer Kurma?
To make vegan sheer khurma or vermicelli kheer swap regular dairy milk for coconut or almond milk. Instead of ghee, use canola oil or vegetable ghee.
Choose sugar that is suitable for vegans. You may use vegan condensed milk or agave syrup instead of sugar.
Add cashew paste for extra rich and creamy sheer khurma and to thicken the dessert too.
How to make Instant Pot Sheer Khurma Step by step and video recipe
full printable recipe card with the exact measurement is at the bottom of this post
First set an instant pot and it’s inner pot.
STOVETOP SHEER KHURMA METHOD
To enjoy delicious sheer khurma you don’t need to rely on a pressure cooker, you still can enjoy just it will just take a few minutes more and needs constant attention.
Heat ghee in a heavy-based pan or kadai, and add nuts and raisins one by one and fry few seconds, remove and keep it aside.
In the same pan add seviyan and roast for a couple of minutes or until it goes light golden and releases the roasting aroma. Remove and keep it aside.
In the same pan add milk, cardamom and saffron and bring it to boil, turn the heat low and simmer for 5-6 minutes. keep stirring the milk.
Add roasted nuts, dates and seviyan along with sugar.
Cook the mixture for another 5-6 minutes or until turning little thicker and pinkish.
Turn the heat off, in another pan heat some ghee add whole cardamom or clove and pour it over the delicious sheer khurma.
Store Sheer Khurma
Fridge – this can be made in advance. Store in an airtight container away from strong-smells in the fridge.
Ideally, use the dairy shelf of the fridge. As an extra precaution, cover tightly with cling film and then place the container lid on top.
Freezer – If any leftover, (I highly doubt there will be), store it in a freezer-proof container and freeze for 4-6 weeks.
Thaw in the refrigerator before gently reheating on stove.
Tip:
Before you start cooking in an Instant pot, please check that the pot and seal are free from any odours and is thoroughly cleaned.
For traditional sheer khurma, use fine variety vermicelli also known as nylon seviyan.
Other Eid special recipes
Kala Jamun
Kesar Gulab Jamun
Shahi Tukda
Kesar, Badam, Elyachi Balushahi
Makhandi Halwa
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
SHEER KHURMA INSTANT POT
Ingredients
- 5 cup milk whole milk
- 50 gram vermicelli
- 50-70 gram sugar
- 5 tablespoon ghee
- 3 tablespoon almonds chopped or slivered
- 3 tablespoon Cashew nuts chopped
- 3 tablespoon pistachio nuts chopped
- 3 tablespoon charoli
- 4 tablespoon dates chopped
- 2 tablespoon raisins or sultanas we did not use*
- Big pinch saffron
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 4-5 whole cardamom or cloves – optional**
- 250 ml evaporated milk***
Instructions
- Set an instant pot and it’s inner pot.
- Select saute mode for 5 minutes.
- Once HOT add 4 tbsp. ghee and let it melt.
- Add chopped nuts and dates and fry just for few seconds, don’t let it burn.
- Then add seviyan and roast till it releases its roasting aroma.
- Quickly add 1/4 cup water.
- Then pour all the milk, give it a quick stir.
- Add sugar.
- Saffron and cardamom powder.
- Cancel the saute button.
- Close the lid, and set valve to sealing position.
- Choose PORRIDGE mode for 1 minute.
- After 10 minutes NPR, release the pressure if any left.
- Stir the sheer khurma, and add evaporated milk.
- Heat remaining ghee on the stove in a pan, add cardamom or cloves and pour the milk on top of the sheer khurma.
- Serve at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
