If ever there was a fruit to teach us the art of living in the moment, it’s the Indian mango. The season is fleeting and supplies often limited so you can’t dilly-dally about buying them individually. Seize the day, be brave and buy a box of eight when they’re unripe, hard as cricket balls and acid green. Then watch as they ripen dramatically, transforming from sour and sharp fruit into something altogether richer and sweeter.
The king of mangoes is undoubtedly the alphonso mango, unbeatable for its buttery flesh, incredible fragrance and perfectly balanced sweetness. It’s available from the beginning of April until the end of June. If the worst prevails (you miss the alphonsos), look out for kesar mangoes, which will be around a little longer, until July.
These recipes will make light work of a box of mangoes across the whole ripening process.
The fish dish: Keralan fish curry with mango and coconut (main picture)
Putting fruit in a main course can spark arguments. But no matter which side of the fence you sit on, this meen manga – Keralan fish curry with mango – is worth a try. It’s not as sweet as you’d imagine because it’s traditionally made with unripe and slightly sour green mangoes, which add a lovely fresh kick to an otherwise creamy coconut fish curry.
Serves 4
2 tbsp coconut oil
12 curry leaves
250g banana shallots (4-6) peeled, halved and thinly sliced
2.5cm ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 green finger chillies, very thinly sliced
2 unripe mangoes (560g gross, 330g net weight peeled), cut into 2cm dice
½ tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
⅓ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt
400ml coconut milk
4 hake steaks (around 200g each, or cod, haddock or pollack)
Crispy shallots to garnish (optional)
1 Heat the coconut oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan. When hot, add the curry leaves. When they crackle and pop, add the shallots, ginger, garlic and chillies.
2 Cook for around 6-8 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the shallots are soft enough to cut with the back of a wooden spoon.
3 Add the mango, turmeric, ground coriander, chilli powder and salt.
4 Leave to cook for a few minutes then add the coconut milk. Stir to mix and allow to cook for a further 10 minutes.
5 Drop the fish in and coat with the sauce, cover with a lid and heat gently for 8-10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
6 Serve with white basmati rice or naan for mopping up the sauce and some crispy shallots, if you like.
The bustling salad: Paneer and mango salad with tamarind and shallots
This is becoming one of my favourite salads to make at home and serve on a big plate on a sunny day. It’s a heady mix of textures and flavours: crispy, creamy paneer with sweet mango and golden shallots with tart tamarind – all strewn atop a bed of fresh leaves and herbs. Semi-ripe mangoes are best for this salad.
Serves 4
For the dressing
2cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 green chilli
Salt
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp honey
Rapeseed oil
For the salad
500g paneer, diced into 1.5cm cubes
200g banana shallots (or 4 big ones)
2 x large mangoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
2 tsp tamarind paste
120g mixed leaves
15g mint leaves, chopped
20g fresh coriander, chopped
1 To make the salad dressing, add the ginger and chilli to a pestle and mortar along with ¼ teaspoon salt. Bash until the chilli and ginger have broken down, completely then add the lime juice, honey and 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil. Mix and set aside.
2 Heat a large pan on a high heat, and add about 2 tbsp oil. When hot, fry the paneer, turning the pieces frequently to brown them on all sides. Watch out as the paneer might spit; half cover with a lid to protect yourself if so. When golden and crispy, transfer to a paper-towelled dish.
3 Add the shallots to the same pan (adding more oil to cook if needed) and cook for around 6-8 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Then add the paneer back in alongside the mango, tamarind paste and ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir to mix and take off the heat.
4 In a serving bowl, add the leaves and chopped herbs and, just before serving, tip in the paneer and mango mixture and the salad dressing. Toss together and serve with warm naan or a good bread.
The Indian dessert: Vermicelli milk pudding with sweet saffron mangoes
This recipe is based on my mum’s go-to dinner party classic, which she’s been serving in the same cut-crystal bowl for decades. It’s never once let her down. I’ve updated it by adding some saffron and honey-coated mangoes, sharpened with a little lemon juice. Ripe mangoes are best in this dish and you can eat it hot or cold.
Serves 4
For the pudding
70g wheat vermicelli noodles
25g ghee or unsalted butter
750ml whole milk
½ tsp ground cardamom or finely ground seeds from 6 pods
⅓ tsp grated nutmeg or ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 pinches saffron strands
50g caster sugar
For the saffron mangoes
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 large mangoes, peeled and diced into 1.5cm pieces
20g pistachios, roughly chopped
1 Break the noodles into small strands of around a thumb’s length. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, and add the noodles to the pan. They can burn easily and catch, so make sure you stir regularly and keep a watchful eye over them. Stir-fry for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the noodles turn a shade of almond brown, then take them off the heat.
2 Let them to cool for a minute or two, then add the milk and put the pan back on the stove over a low-medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will thicken and bubble – when it does, turn the heat right down and add the cardamom, nutmeg, a pinch of saffron and the sugar. Stir to mix and leave to one side.
3 To make the saffron mangoes, heat about 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over a low-medium heat and add a pinch of saffron strands. When the saffron starts to colour the water, add the honey. Wait for the mixture to bubble and become syrupy then add the lemon juice. Mix and add the mangoes. Heat the mangoes in the saffron honey for a couple of minutes, then take off the heat.
4 Spoon the milk pudding into individual bowls and top with the syrupy mangoes and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios. Either eat straight away or refrigerate until cold.
The sunny drink: Mango and cardamom lassi
This is a joyful way to use your ripest mangoes: save them till last to whizz up into this quick delicious glass of sunshine. All mangoes will vary in their sweetness and pulpiness so feel free to add milk to thin it or sugar to taste.
Makes 4 small glasses
4 ripe mangoes
½ tsp ground cardamom (or finely ground seeds from 6 pods)
500ml whole milk yoghurt
4 ice-cubes
Caster sugar, to taste
1 Peel the mangoes (use your fingers if they’re too soft to peel with a vegetable peeler). Cut the flesh away from the mango stone and put into a blender. Add the cardamom, yoghurt and ice-cubes, then blitz.
2 Taste the lassi and add sugar to taste and milk to thin if needed.
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Meera Sodha is a food writer and author of Made in India: Cooked in Britain (Figtree). Her new book Fresh Indian is out in July; Twitter: @meerasodha
