In a number of households around the country, it is time for all other souring agents to take a backseat, as mango gets to rule not just the taste buds but also the day-to-day menu. Raw mangoes are in the market now, and the sight of them brings to mind thoughts of a multitude of dishes, from pickles to desserts.
Traditionally, there are many Indian recipes that do justice to the fruity sourness of raw mango. When one falls from a tree, the one who picks it up cannot decide whether to eat it raw with a sprinkle of salt and chilli or cook it in a dal. Says Madhu Reddy of Aiyor Bai farm, an organic mango farm in Telangana, “Every year, I usually have an excess of raw mangoes from the farm. That is not even the time for it to be pickled. So every year, I take them to the organic Sunday market, where they literally vanish within hours. Raw mangoes are sold throughout the year these days, but a true-blue raw mango lover will only buy it during the season.”
So what is the best time to buy and indulge in raw mangoes? Madhu says that in South India, this fruit becomes the go-to menu decider “only after March. Telugu people go all-out with their raw mango dishes post-Ugadi (Telugu New Year),” adds Madhu.
As the heat kicks in, mango boiled raw with sugar and mixed with salt and spices like jeera — or aam panna as it is popularly called — becomes the favourite family drink. So does ice gola with syrup, or some instant mango pickles. Or how about a mimosa cocktail with raw mangoes?
The advent of summer and abundance of crop then is a major determinant of our food habits, points out Madhu. That could be the reason why eating raw mangoes is an emotion, and the mention of it brings rushes of childhood memories that include gorging on tangy-sour slices with salt and chilli, or stealing semi-sun-dried mango pieces meant for pickles. Raw mango is that one piece of the puzzle that can easily connect people through generations and states with their mango memoirs.
A lot of the credit for this goes to its clean sourness that comes with a slight prickle. “It lacks the acrid bite that makes limes; this makes a raw mango much more bite-friendly,” says Abhinav Gangumalla, an organic urban farmer in Hyderabad.
MasterChef India Season 6 winner Abinas Nayak says, “More than a souring agent, I consider mango a flavour enhancer. Its acidity alerts the taste buds. I love it with fish or prawns, but my favourite is the amba-charu, an everyday treat in the South of Odisha. This is made from sun-dried mangoes. During the early season, when mangoes fall from the trees, they are collected and cured in salt and chilli powder in a pot. When the fermentation begins, the ingredients in the pot need a good shake everyday, so that all the mango pieces are well-coated in their own juices. It takes about 10-15 days for the mangoes to dry. To make the amba-charu, a few pieces of the dried mango need to be soaked in a desired quantity of water. Once it is soft and pulpy, it is cooked for a few minutes with tadka. It is an excellent sun-dried mango dish and goes well with rice.”
Moving away from traditional dishes, Chef Thimma Reddy of The Park Hyderabad has tried experimenting with it for fritters. Is he satisfied with the outcome? “I am. The only trick is to not select very sour mangoes to make fritters. And it needs a sweet-spicy chilli dip to round the flavours,” suggests Thimma.
Those who are not up for fritters, can always make the all-time favourite, a good old raw mango dal that holds pride of place in all our childhood memories.
Here are recipes to try.
Raw mango & chilli sorbet
Ingredients
2 raw mangos
135 gms sugar
80 ml water
Optional: 1/2 tsp red chilli powder or 1 slit green chilli
Method
Boil the raw mango in a pot of water for 30-45 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, melt sugar with the water in another saucepan until it reaches a thin syrup consistency. Keep aside. Once the mango is cooked, peel it, remove the seed and make puree of the cooked fruit. Heat the fruit puree along with the sugar syrup and add the chilli. Keep on a low heat for about 5 minutes until it is a cohesive mix. Strain into a flat dish but make sure you get all the fruit in. The green chilli can be taken out at this step. Chill in the freezer for 2-3 hours until frozen. Scrape with a fork and serve immediately.
Chef Payal Rajankar of Chennai-based The Gourmet gig.
Sun-dried shrimp with raw mango
Ingredients
250 gm sun-dried prawns
100 gm raw mango juliennes
50 gm onion juliennes
Salt to taste
10 gm turmeric powder
20 gm red chilli powder
10 gm coriander powder
10 gm mustard seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
10 slit green chillies
Fresh coriander to garnish
Method
Heat oil, add mustard seeds, once they crackle, add onion, green chillies, curry leaves and sauté till onion gets transparent. Then add the powder masalas, add a few tablespoons of water to keep the mix moist. The add the sun-dried shrimp and raw mango and mix well. Cook with lid for 10 min, put off flame, remove lid, sprinkle little lemon juice, add chopped coriander and serve with rice.
Recipe by Chef Thimma Reddy, The Park
