As soon as summers arrive, the streets are filled with carts of mangoes on display. People negotiating the price, smelling the mangoes for their sweetness and picking the best and bright ones for home is a common phenomenon in several parts of India. Mangoes are tropical stone fruits that are available in a lot of varieties. Be it Chausa, Dussehri, Langda or the famous Alphonso, there is no dearth of mangoes in our country. Another good thing about mangoes is the fact that they can be made into anything and everything you like. Want a mango smoothie? Here you go. Want to a tangy chutney? The kaccha aam (raw mango) is what you’ll need. In fact, you can even make curries with mango. The sweet fruit has a tantalizing fragrance and natural sweetness that makes it drool-worthy.
Thinking of how to include mangoes in your meals? For starters, your breakfast can comprise of mango pancakes or mango bread. You can even try adding mango to your parfait which will give it a seasonal touch. No wonder it is called the king of fruits. It is said that the mangoes travelled from Bangladesh and Myanmar to reach us and today, they are a staple part of any summer menu. Not only are they rich in taste, their nutrient profile comprises of 83% water which makes them ideal for summers.
Don’t limit the mangoes to just a fruity breakfast or dessert because around the world, people add mangoes to their meals too. Main courses dishes like curries can easily feature mangoes. If you are wondering how then here are some mango curries that you can try for dinner tonight.
Mango Curries For Dinner
1. Kairichi Amti
The Amti dal from Maharashtra is quite popular during dinner. It is made from chana dal and lots of spices and has a tangy flavour. To give it a summery twist, raw mangoes are added to coconut along with fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder. The sweet and sour taste of raw mangoes really amps up the flavour of the curry. This is best eaten with steamed rice.
2. Gujarati Mango Kadhi
Also known as fajeto, it is a sweet curry made from ripe mangoes. The ripe mangoes are made into a puree and this is added to the gram flour or besan mixture. The curry is cooked until thick and tempered with mustard seeds, cumin, cinnamon and red chillies.
3. Mango Chicken Curry
All the meat lovers, this one is for you. Instead of the hot and fiery chicken curries from India, how about you try a sweet and creamy curry from Thai cuisine? The slight hints of sweetness and creaminess of coconut is what makes the chicken taste so soft and succulent. Pair it with steamed long grain rice and enjoy the freshness to the most.
4. Tok Dal
A Bengali specialty in summers, the red lentils are cooked with raw mango and earthy spices. The tangy and spicy curry is made from masoor dal which is tempered with mustard seeds, turmeric powder and red chillies in mustard oil. This can be eaten with rice or roti.
5. Mango Rasam
The hot and spicy flavours of the traditional South Indian curry, rasam are spruced up with the addition of mangoes. Raw mangoes are added to the concoction and toor dal is cooked with curry leaves, tomatoes, mustard seeds and green chillies. A pinch of jaggery is added to balance the tangy flavour and the rasam is mixed with steamed rice to relish.