Aab Shola

Aab Shola is a chilled and refreshing Hyderabadi Special summer drink made with tangy green raw mangoes (kairi). This is absolute favorite drink which is much similar to North Indian Aam Panna or Aam Jhora. Time to beat the heat with this delicious vegan and gluten free kairi pannah | mango panna.

More Summer Drinks to Try – Mosambi Juice, Watermelon Lemonade, Coffee Lemonade, Mango Colada 

About This Drink

Main rang sharbaton ka,
Tu meethe ghaat ka paani…
Mujhe khud mein ghol de toh,
Mere yaar baat ban jaani…

I’ve been humming this song on loop since afternoon. Nothing curious or serious — it’s just this blazing summer heat that’s doing things to me. For the past two days, it’s been a scorching 45°C here in my native. The hot air burns, the power keeps playing hide and seek, and the streets wear a deserted look.

In weather like this, even the mention of a simple word like sharbat feels like a cool breeze, doesn’t it?

That’s exactly what happened. While flipping through TV channels in the afternoon, this song played, and the word sharbaton stuck with me. It echoed in my head and pulled me into memories of chilled glasses clinking and the sweet relief of summer drinks.

At home, we’ve been sipping on the usual drinks — Roohafza, lemonade, and lassi. But today, I was in a mood to try something different.

And just then, I remembered mom mentioning about her childhood favorite summer drink, Aab Shola, when we were making Amchur. Aab shola is raw mango cooler with a Hyderabadi soul. So, I decided to give it a try and oh, what a treat it turned out to be.

What is Aab Shola?

‘Aab’ means water, and ‘Shola’ means fire. Perhaps the drink earned its poetic name — Aab Shola — because it’s made during the peak of summer, when the sun blazes like fire (shola), and is served chilled with water (aab) or ice to cool the body down.

This traditional summer cooler is a staple in many Hyderabadi households, especially when the heat becomes unbearable. It’s made using the season’s best — the king of fruits, but in its raw, tangy form — green mangoes.

Much like the popular Aam Panna, Aab Shola is not just refreshing but also a natural remedy for heatstroke and dehydration. It cools you from within, replenishes lost salts, and brings instant relief on a sweltering day.

The Traditional Way — Straight from My Grandma’s Kitchen

My mom recently shared how her mom — my grandma (nanima) — use to make Aab Shola in the most rustic and beautiful way. She would place 2 to 3 raw mangoes directly in a wood fire, letting them roast for about 30 minutes, until the green skin was completely charred and blackened.

Once the mangoes were done, she would carefully take them out and leave them aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, she’d gently peel off the burnt skin and squeeze out the soft, smoky pulp.

Into that pulp go a mix of powdered sugar, black salt, roasted cumin powder, and a touch of black pepper. She’d whisk everything together until smooth and then refrigerate it to chill.

That was her version — earthy, smoky, and deeply refreshing.

Over time, this recipe has evolved and taken on simpler forms, but the soul of it remains unchanged. The version I’m sharing today is a modern take on my grandma’s classic, and it’s the one my mom still makes every summer.

To me, this drink is the perfect thirst-quencher — refreshingly yum, with just the right balance of sweet, spicy, and sour. A sip of nostalgia in every glass.

Aab Shola | Kairi ka Sharbat

Aab Shola | Kairi ka Sharbat is a traditional Hyderabadi summer drink made from raw mangoes, locally known as kairi. With its perfect balance of tanginess, sweetness, and a gentle kick of spice, this sharbat is more than just a drink. It’s a nostalgic remedy for scorching summer afternoons. Packed with electrolytes and cooling properties, it’s known to prevent heatstroke and instantly refresh the body. Whether made the old-fashioned way by roasting mangoes over fire or the quicker boiled version, Aab Shola is that humble kitchen magic passed down through generations — comforting, hydrating, and undeniably delicious.

How To Serve Aab Shola

1. Fill serving glasses with ice cubes.
2. Add 3–4 tablespoons of the prepared mango concentrate.
3. Top up with chilled water.
4. Stir well and serve immediately.

Adjust the sweetness to your liking. If your mangoes are too sour, you might need a little extra sugar.

MOM’S TIP: My mom always grinds 2–3 cups of granulated sugar into a fine powder and stores it in a clean, dry, airtight container. When serving Aab Shola, she adds a spoonful or more of this powdered sugar to each glass — adjusting the sweetness based on who’s drinking it. Simple, thoughtful, and so handy!

How to Store Mangoes

Whether raw or ripe, it’s a good practice to soak mangoes in water for 3–4 hours or overnight before using them. This helps to:

• Remove dirt and any greasy residue from the skin
• Reduce internal heat, as traditionally believed in many households

Once soaked, wipe the mangoes dry with a clean kitchen towel or tissue before eating, using in recipes, or placing them in the refrigerator. Clean mangoes not only taste better but are also safer and last longer in storage.