Virgin Mango Mojito is a refreshing non-alcoholic summer drink. You only need a handful of ingredients available in most kitchens, sweet mangoes and a trusty blender. This rock star virgin mojito is ready in under 5 minutes – no kidding!
Mango Mojito
Summers in India are harsh. The mercury soars, and with it, so do our tempers. It’s hard to function normally when your body is trying to battle against a soaring temperature – but this cooling, delicious mango mojito surely helps us keep calm and get going.
Alcohol-free beverages such as this are great for cooling the body, suitable for everyone ( kid-friendly, good for lactose-intolerant, vegan, or gluten-allergic peeps ), and safe to serve at parties where one is unsure of guests’ drinking preferences.
Since this is a virgin mojito, there’s no alcohol in it, but one can add a splash of white rum, vodka, or sparkling wine, if preferred, to convert this into a snazzy cocktail.
Mango Mojito
Mango Mojito requires no cooking and can be done in a flash.
Before assembling the drink in glasses, we need to prepare:
- Mango Pulp/Juice
- Lime Mint Blend
Mango Juice: Choose a good quality, ripe mango pulp for making the juice. Use little water and sugar to make puree or more like juice. Don’t use the pulp too close to the seed; this part is quite sour and has a strong flavour.
Lime Mint Blend: Add a few mint leaves, lemon wedges, and Himalayan pink salt to the glass. Gently crush them using a wooden spoon. Don’t add too much mint because it might change the colour and taste of the drink. Adding this blend is optional but makes the mango mojito refreshing, cooling, and citrusy.
Sweetener: One can add any sweetener of choice to the mango mojito, like stevia, honey, powdered sugar, or sugar syrup . Or you can add the granulated sugar while blending the mango pulp. If the mango juice is sweet enough, skip adding any sweetener.
Watch Mango Mojito Video
Mango Mojito Recipe Variations
Cocktail: To turn this virgin mojito into a cocktail, add a dash of white rum/vodka/sparkling wine to it and mix before serving
Garnishing: Dip the rim of the glasses into the water and then powdered sugar or pink salt for a nice pub/bar style touch. Cubed small pieces of mango and green chilli slices can be added as a garnish to the mojito.
Flavour Variation: Add orange juice instead of lemon juice and a thin slice of orange – to try a variation of this drink with an orange flavour.
Mango Mojito
More Mango Recipes
- Mango Red Pepper Salsa
- Mango Oats Smoothie
- Mango Chia Pudding
- Shrimp Mango Salad
- Mango Milkshake
- Spicy Mango Dip
- Mango Iced Tea
- Mango Lassi
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach many other food lovers like you, who are looking for a perfect tried and tested recipe.
Ingredients
Ingredients For Mango Juice:
- ▢ 1 Cup mango pulp (ripe and sweet)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
- ▢ 1 Cup chilled or cold water
Other Ingredients For Mojito:
- ▢ 4 – 5 fresh mint leaves
- ▢ Himalayan Pink Salt
- ▢ 4 – 5 lemon wedges
- ▢ 5 – 6 ice-cubes, as required
- ▢ 1 litre club soda or sparkling water
Instructions
Make Mango Juice:
- Combine mango pulp with water and sugar. Blend smooth to a juice like consistency. Keep in the fridge until ready to make mojito.
Make Mojito:
- In a serving glass, add 2 – 3 mint leaves, half a teaspoon of salt, lemon wedge, and gently crush them using a wooden spoon to release the flavor of mint leaves.
- Fill each glass with ¼ Cup of mango juice. Add ice cubes.
- Fill each glass with club soda or sparkling water and stir. You can add alcohol as well at this stage.
- Serve virgin mango mojito immediately.
Recipe Notes:
- Readymade mango juice or canned mango pulp can be used instead of fresh mango juice.
- Taste mango pulp first and then add sugar accordingly. You can skip the sugar if mango is sweet enough.
- You can store homemade mango puree in the fridge for a week.
- Do not crush lemon juice and mint leaves for too long as they might turn bitter.
- I prefer using Himalayan Pink Salt for cocktails. You can use any kind of flavored salt for the purpose. Or add a dash of red paprika or green chili to spice it up.
- If using canned mangoes, adjust the quantity of sweetener accordingly in the drink – the virgin mojito needs all notes of sweetness, tanginess, and the kick from the soda to be balanced for that perfect invigorating flavor.
Nutrition
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Virgin Mango Mojito Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Ingredients For Mango Juice:
- 1 Cup mango pulp (ripe and sweet)
- 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
- 1 Cup chilled or cold water
Other Ingredients For Mojito:
- 4 - 5 fresh mint leaves
- Himalayan Pink Salt
- 4 - 5 lemon wedges
- 5 - 6 ice-cubes, as required
- 1 litre club soda or sparkling water
Instructions
Make Mango Juice:
- Combine mango pulp with water and sugar. Blend smooth to a juice like consistency. Keep in the fridge until ready to make mojito.
Make Mojito:
- In a serving glass, add 2 - 3 mint leaves, half a teaspoon of salt, lemon wedge, and gently crush them using a wooden spoon to release the flavor of mint leaves.
- Fill each glass with ¼ Cup of mango juice. Add ice cubes.
- Fill each glass with club soda or sparkling water and stir. You can add alcohol as well at this stage.
- Serve virgin mango mojito immediately.
Video
Notes
- Readymade mango juice or canned mango pulp can be used instead of fresh mango juice.
- Taste mango pulp first and then add sugar accordingly. You can skip the sugar if mango is sweet enough.
- You can store homemade mango puree in the fridge for a week.
- Do not crush lemon juice and mint leaves for too long as they might turn bitter.
- I prefer using Himalayan Pink Salt for cocktails. You can use any kind of flavored salt for the purpose. Or add a dash of red paprika or green chili to spice it up.
- If using canned mangoes, adjust the quantity of sweetener accordingly in the drink – the virgin mojito needs all notes of sweetness, tanginess, and the kick from the soda to be balanced for that perfect invigorating flavor.
Nutrition
Dal Makhani is a vegetarian lentil recipe. I am sharing an Indian restaurant-style makhani dal recipe with a perfectly creamy buttery texture.
- Story Of Dal Makhani
- My Dal Makhani Recipe
- Which dal is used in Dal Makhani?
- Other Ingredients Required
- How To Make
- Serving Suggestion
- Storage Suggestion
- My Tried and True Tips
- More Indian Dal Recipes
- Dal Makhani Recipe
Story Of Dal Makhani
Over the years, Dal Makhani has become an inseparable part of modern Indian Cuisine. Outside India, it is considered the flag bearer of rich and indulgent vegetarian Indian food.
While researching for my debut cookbook, The 100 Best Curries , I learnt that the dal makhani recipe existed during the British Raj era.
The renowned chef of the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi wanted to create a vegetarian counterpart to the already famous butter chicken or murgh makhani. Hence, he developed a creamy, rich, indulgent makhani dal for vegetarians.
My Dal Makhani Recipe
Honestly, there are no remarkable imprints of Dal Makhani in my food memoirs of childhood. In our Kumaoni household, it was considered a fancy, restaurant-style Punjabi dish that nobody in my family knew how to make.
Then marriage to the Sikh family presented a new perspective on Punjabi dishes like chana masala , makhani dal, missa paratha , chitt , and rajma chawal.
This is NOT a family heirloom recipe. I have worked over the years to get the dal makhani’s perfect taste and texture. Hence, I can confidently say that this is a tried and tested restaurant-style dal makhani recipe.
Let me clarify, makhani dal is not a 30-minute meal. Traditionally, it is slow-cooked for a few hours or overnight. Therefore, I make it only over the weekends. It is a kind of leisure meal in our house. That requires time both to cook and relish.
Which dal is used in Dal Makhani?
The black lentil (sabut urad or the kaali urad) is used in dal makhani. It is combined with rajma (red kidney beans) and chana dal (Bengal gram or dried split chickpeas).
I would not recommend using only black urad. Each lentil adds to the makhani dal’s taste, texture, and consistency.
Usually, the ideal proportion of these three lentils in a perfect makhani dal is 1:¼:1/4, i.e. 1 Cup of black urad dal and ¼ Cup of each rajma and chana dal.
Other Ingredients Required
- Cooking Oil: I use ghee to cook makhani dal and add butter while serving. You can use butter or flavourless refined vegetable oil for cooking the dal.
- Onion is the holy grail of this dal recipe.
- Tomato: Use either freshly chopped ripe tomato or canned crushed tomato.
- Tomato Paste: It gives a sweet taste to the dal. Substitute tomato paste with sweet tomato ketchup in equal quantities.
- Whole Spices: Bay Leaf (tej patta), Cloves (laung), Black Cardamom (elaichi), Cumin (jeera), Dried Fenugreek Leaves
- Spice Powder: Turmeric Powder, Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala Powder , Asafoetida (hing)
- Cream: Use light cooking cream with around 25% fat, not heavy or whipping cream. You can substitute cream with full-fat milk, also.
- Herbs & Seasoning: Green Chilli, Ginger, Fresh Coriander, Ginger & Garlic Paste , Salt
- Garnish: Fresh Coriander, Cream or Butter , Ginger Juliennes
How To Make
Step 1) Combine all three lentils in a bowl. Rinse them with water 2 – 3 times or until water runs clear. Soak them in clean water for 5 – 6 hours or overnight.
Step 2) After soaking, pressure cook the lentils. Transfer soaked lentils to a pressure cooker. Add salt, cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, asafoetida, and water. Stir to combine. Pressure Cook lentils over low for 5 – 6 whistles. We want them to break down completely.
Step 3) Now, let’s make tadka for dal. Heat ghee in a kadhai or heavy-duty casserole. Add cumin, and saute for 10 – 20 seconds. Add finely chopped onion and fry till onion turn light golden.
Step 4) Once the onion is nicely fried, add ginger and garlic paste, chopped tomato, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, and coriander powder. Fry for 5 – 6 minutes over low heat. The oil should start separating from the masala, and the tomatoes break down completely.
Step 5) Add tomato paste or ketchup and pressure-cooked dal. Stir to combine. At this stage, if you feel the dal is way too thick, get desired consistency by adding water, as after simmering, it tends to become thicker.
Step 6) Add cream, Garam Masala powder, kasuri methi, sliced green chillies, julienned ginger, and fresh coriander. Mix nicely. Taste, and if required, add more salt and seasoning.
Step 7) Now allow the dal to simmer over low heat, stirring at regular intervals for 10 – 15 minutes. This step gives a deep, slow-cooked-like flavour to the dal.
Garnish dal with cream, chopped coriander leaves, and ginger julienned. Dal Makhani is ready to serve.
Serving Suggestion
Dal Makhani is an Indian main course dish. Serve it with Indian side dishes like naan , paratha, tandoori roti, and chapati. Dal Makhani tastes delicious with rice dishes like jeera rice or matar pulao . You can serve it with plain basmati rice also.
I like to serve makhani dal in my Indian thali with chilled boondi raita , kachumber salad , tandoori roti, and extra homemade white butter on the side.
Storage Suggestion
Dal Makhani is a meal prep-friendly main course dish. After cooking, let it cool down completely and then transfer to airtight containers. Store for 6 to 7 days in the refrigerator.
It is best to reheat makhani dal in a pan. It becomes thick after a few hours or days of cooking. Hence, adding water, milk, or cream while reheating the dal is best for the desired consistency.
My Tried and True Tips
- You cannot make a good makhani dal without soaking the lentils. Soaking them in water increases their size, they break down easily while cooking, and absorb the flavour of the masala nicely.
- The flavour of dal makhani is the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, warm, and earthy. Hence, do not add too much chilli powder, green chillies, or Garam Masala.
- It is a BIG MYTH that too much butter, cream, and ghee will give you the best makhani dal. The slow simmering process gives the creamy, luscious texture and not the overload of dairy.
- If you are after that restaurant-style taste , do not skip adding TOMATO PASTE and Kasuri Methi. These two are game-changing ingredients.
- If you like smokey/tandoori-style flavour, keep a small stainless steel bowl in the centre of the dal. Add hot live pieces of coal to the small bowl. Immediately drizzle hot ghee over the coal pieces to create smoke. Cover the dal bowl with a lid. Let the smoke engulf the entire bowl for 5 – 6 minutes. Open the lid, remove the bowl with the coal, stir the dal and serve.
More Indian Dal Recipes
- Arhar Dal Fry
- Panchmel Dal
- Shahi Urad Dal
- Palak Chana Dal
- Pahadi Gahat Ki Dal
- Everyday Masoor Dal
- Moradabadi Moong Dal
- Punjabi Sookhi Urad Dal
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
Ingredients For Pressure Cooking
- ▢ 1 Cup (200 gram) whole black urad dal (sabut urad)
- ▢ ¼ Cup (50 gram) red kidney beans (rajma)
- ▢ ¼ Cup (50 gram) Bengal gram (chana dal)
- ▢ 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
- ▢ 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- ▢ 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- ▢ 4 cloves (laung)
- ▢ 6 Cup (1.4 litre) water
Ingredients For Tadka
- ▢ 4 tablespoon ghee or cooking oil
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ 1 Cup finely chopped onion
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste ( see recipe )
- ▢ 1 Cup finely chopped tomato
- ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste or tomato ketchup
- ▢ 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder ( see recipe )
- ▢ 4 tablespoon light cooking cream
- ▢ 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- ▢ 2 green chillies, sliced
Ingredients For Garnish
- ▢ 1 tablespoon light cream
- ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- Combine all three lentils in a bowl. Rinse them with water 2 – 3 times or until water runs clear. Soak them in clean water for 5 – 6 hours or overnight.
Pressure Cook Dal (lentils):
- Transfer soaked lentils to a pressure cooker. Add salt, cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, asafoetida, and 4 cups of water. Stir to combine. Pressure Cook lentils over low for 5 – 6 whistles. We want them to break down completely. Allow the steam to release naturally.
- Open the lid and gently mash the dal using the back of the spoon or a vegetable masher.
Prepare Tadka For Dal:
- Heat ghee in a kadhai or heavy-duty casserole. Add cumin, and saute for 10 – 20 seconds. Add finely chopped onion and fry till onion turn light golden.
- Once the onion is nicely fried, add ginger and garlic paste, chopped tomato, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, and coriander powder. Fry for 5 – 6 minutes over low heat. The oil should start separating from the masala, and the tomatoes break down completely.
- Add tomato paste or ketchup and pressure-cooked dal. Stir to combine. At this stage, if you feel the dal is way too thick, get desired consistency by adding the remaining 2 cups of water, as after simmering, it tends to become thicker.
- Add cream, Garam Masala powder, kasuri methi, sliced green chillies, julienned ginger, and fresh coriander. Mix nicely. Taste, and if required, add more salt and seasoning.
- Now allow the dal to simmer over low heat, stirring at regular intervals for 10 – 15 minutes. This step gives a deep, slow-cooked-like flavour to the dal.
- Transfer the Dal Makhani to a serving bowl. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and cream (optional). You can use ginger and green chilli slices as well for garnishing. Add a dollop of butter on top before serving.
- Serve Dal Makhani warm with Naan .
Recipe Notes:
- Dal Makhani can also be prepared in a slow – cooker or instant pot . You can find detailed instant pot dal makhani recipe in my debut cookbook .
- Get the desired consistency of dal makhani by adjusting the amount of water.
- While soaking the lentils, use a bigger bowl and add enough water because lentils absorb all the water and expand in size during the process.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
