Mango Cardamom Cinnamon Soda
Bottled and ready to ferment!
Anyone who knows me knows I love Indian cuisine.
Before the quarantine, it’d be 50/50 whether I’d buy them with my meal at an Indian restaurant. It complements a meal really well — the cooling effect of the yogurt and milk in the drink quells any heat you may feel — but it also fills you up somewhat. It takes a similar belovéd spot as Thai Iced Tea for me in terms of drinks that perfectly complement a meal. I end up having to pace out the drink strategically as the meal progresses.
Now that we are under quarantine, it is as good a time as any to get off my lazy ass and start figuring out how to make this wonderful drink. I finally bought some decent mangos (mangoes?) at the local bodega. I looked up some basic recipe online. There was a whole week when I was making them for my sister and me as an afternoon drink. It would vary in consistency, but it was always refreshing during the middle of the day. (Supposedly it’s easier and tastier to make with canned mangos though!)
Orange soda doesn’t sound like a bad idea either.
I’ve had the idea for a while to use the ginger bug I have in my fridge to experiment in fruity sodas, so I decided that I wanted to translate a mango lassi into a mango soda. I’ve only been using my ginger bug to make ginger beer so far, but I am fully aware of its potential to create fizzy lifting drinks to rival Willy Wonka himself. My lovely friend Tiffany recently brought me some green cardamom during our most recent artisanal goods swap; this recipe could not have been possible without her. My brother’s wife provided the assist with the measurements.
The soda is currently starting its fermentation in bottles, and I am excited to see what happens. I tasted it beforehand, and it tasted like one of those Looza fruit juices; they have great mouth feel. I have a pretty good feeling about this recipe, so I’m sharing it prematurely before it actually fizzes up.
The below recipe is subject to change, since it is under development. Edits will be made and clarified when necessary. The recipe also assumes familiarity with making fermented drinks via ginger bug.
Recipe
Active time: 1-2 hours
Sterilization: 40 mins
Prep: 40 mins
Bottling: 40 mins
Total time: 4-5 hours
Ingredients
450 g / 1 pound flesh of ripe mango (the flesh from 3 mangoes).
1.2L - 1.8L filtered water
7 whole green cardamom pods, lightly crushed with the back of a spoon.
1 cinnamon stick
100 g lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
120 g strained active ginger bug
7/8 cup or 175 g granulated sugar
Special Equipment
A pot that can accommodate at least 4L of liquid
Fine mesh strainer (I like to use two)
Stand Blender and/or Immersion Blender
Carbonation-safe bottles (I just use empty glass seltzer bottles that I’ve bought from the bodega, but you can use plastic bottles as well)
Funnel
Steps
Sterilize your equipment in your preferred way
Place the mango chunks into the vessel of your choice for blending, and blend with 100-200ml’s of water until smooth.
Pour the mango/water mixture into a large measuring cup. After taking note of the amount, add water until you have 2L of liquid total, including the mango pureé mixture in the volume. You will have to add between 1.2L and 1.8L of water.
Place all of the liquid into your pot, and immersion blend until smooth (Alternatively, take turns blending some of the mixture and the water in your standing blender until it is as close to homogeneous as you can get it).
Add the sugar, the crushed cardamom pods, and the cinnamon stick to the pot. Turn on the heat to high, cover the pot, and heat mixture until it is at a boil, stirring occasionally, about 5-10 minutes.
When the mixture comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Turn the heat off, and let the mixture steep, lid on, for at least one hour.
Take lid off and wait an additional hour or until pot is cool to the touch.
Skim out crushed cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Pour mixture into a separate vessel (do not strain mixture), and add lemon juice.
Taste to see if it’s to your liking! It will be sweeter than it will end up being, because the ginger bug’s yeast will eat up some of the sugar to carbonate the drink. If it’s not, make any modifications you feel are necessary, or throw it out.
Stir in strained ginger bug liquid, and pour into bottles, leaving at least an inch of head room. Leave in a dark place at room temperature.
Burp bottles every 24 hours, until there are signs of carbonation, about 2-3 days at room temperature. Place in fridge when there is carbonation, and consume within 1-2 weeks.
