Mango
Special
Mango,
the king of fruit, is the most delicious of fruits
on the face of the earth, loved all over the world.
One can just never say 'no' to this juicy delicious
and fragrant fruit. Alphonso, which is exported from
Ratnagiri (Maharashtra) to all over the world, is
the most famous and expensive of all. India boasts
more than 500 varieties of mango, each with its own
distinct flavour and taste. Some of the popularly
known varieties are Safeda, Langra, Dussehri, Totabari,
Neelam and Chausa.
Apart
from relishing mango as a fresh fruit, there are many
other ways that a mango can be put to use. It can
be pickled or made into chutney or murabbas, a 'must'
at any Indian table, to liven up and enhance the flavour
of Indian cuisine. Aamras, another delicacy made from
ripe mango pulp and eaten with puris, is a great favourite,
apart from mango ice-creams, souffles, puddings, milk
shakes, squashes, juice and what have you. Apart from
its juicy, sweet taste, it is also very beneficial
for health. Eaten raw with a little salt, mango can
prevent dehydration in the body during the hot summer
months. It enhances the taste of the food, as Aamchoor
dry mango powder, and acts as a digestive ingredient
when used as an ingredient for churans and many stuffed
Indian dishes. No Indian kitchen is complete without
Aamchoor. Mangoes, abundant in the very hot summer
months, produce heat in the body, sometimes resulting
in boils for which the common antidote in Indian homes
is 'milk lassi' - diluted milk, without sugar - a
must if you eat a lot of mangoes. Consuming too many
mangoes can cause diarrhoea also. But who cares?
When mango is in sight, nothing else matters. So go
ahead and enjoy with these mango recipes.
Tapka
This recipe is specially made in the hot summer months
when hot winds blow across the plains of the North.
It has a cooling effect on the body.
Ingredients
8-10 pieces under ripe mangoes
1 tsp ghee/oil
1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
½ tsp freshly crushed pepper
10-12 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
½ tsp red chilli powder
3 cups water
Method
Boil the whole mangoes in enough water to cover them
fully, for 10 15 minutes or till tender. Remove from
water and discard the water.
When
cold, press the mangoes gently in the hands to make
into a pulp, then make a small hole on the top of
the mango and squeeze out the pulp and the seed of
the mango into a saucepan. Throw away the peels.
Add
3 cups water to the puree in the pan and mix well
to blend the puree and the water
In
another pan heat a spoon of oil, add the jeera seeds
and when they splutter, add the red chilli powder
and pepper. Immediately add the mango puree and sugar
and bring to a boil.
Cook
for 10 minutes, check for sweetness, and, if too sour,
add more sugar.
Eaten
as an accompaniment with main dishes, it will liven
up the meal. The seeds are delicious to suck along
with the meal.
Mango
chutney
Ingredients
1 kg grated mango pulp
1 kg sugar
2 tsp ginger cut in strips
50 gm salt
6 large cardamoms, seeds only
4 sticks cinnamon
4 bay leaf
3-4 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp peppercorns, crushed
¼ cup dry coconut, thinly sliced
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup cashew nuts
¼ cup almonds
2 tbsp melon seeds
150 gm vinegar
2 tsp cumin (jeera) powder (roast, grind)
Method
In a frying pan, dry roast the melon seeds till they
splutter and puff up. Remove and keep aside.
Roast
the almonds and the cashew nuts till they turn a light
colour, remove and keep aside. Take unripe, hard and
sour mangoes. Peel and grate. In a thick bottomed
pan, place the grated mango, sugar and salt together.
Cook for five minutes till the sugar dissolves, add
the ginger strips, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, bay leaf,
red chilli powder, peppercorns and cook till the mixture
is thick and like a chutney.
It
will become harder after cooling (approx. 25-30 minutes.)
Add the vinegar, cook for five minutes, and add the
nuts, raisins, coconut and cumin powder. Mix well
and cook for one or two minutes. Check for sweet and
sour taste. You can add more vinegar if desired.
