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With the summer season, the addition of mangoes to meals is a given. Whether you want to lend a sour taste from raw mangoes or the natural sweetness of ripe mangoes, the ‘King of fruits’ blends in perfectly with most of the dishes. Celebrating a perfect balance between sweet, sour, and spicy flavours, the traditional Bengali cuisine adapts to the addition of raw mangoes effortlessly.
What makes these preparations special is the use of distinctive Bengali spices, particularly "panch phoron" (Bengali five-spice blend), which imparts a unique flavour profile to the dishes. To help you get the best of Bengali raw mango dishes, Slurrp interviewed Chef Samita Halder, a culinary artist known for preserving and popularising traditional Bengali recipes. So, from mango chutney to fish roe curry, why don’t you recreate these kancho aamer recipes in your kitchen?
Mango Chutney And Papad
“Back in the day, no grand Bengali feast was complete without a final touch—Aam’er Chutney (Mango Chutney) served with crispy Papad. This sweet and tangy chutney, paired with fried papad and a spoonful of red doi (curd), was the perfect way to end a meal, especially on hot summer afternoons,” the chef introduces the dish.
Ingredients:
- 2-4 teaspoons of fennel seeds (mouri)
- 2 dried red chillies
- A few black peppercorns
- A couple of cloves
- ¼ teaspoon of fenugreek seeds (methi)
- Raw mangoes
- Panch phoron
- Oil for tempering
- Grated ginger
- Sugar to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- To enhance the chutney’s flavour, I prepare a special roasted spice mix in advance with the above-mentioned ingredients.
- Once roasted, I grind them into a fine powder and store it in a bottle for later use.
- For the chutney, I cut raw mangoes with their peels intact and soaked them in salted water. Then, in a pan, I heat oil and temper it with panch phoron (Bengali five-spice mix).
- The mango pieces go in next, along with salt and turmeric, and are lightly fried for about five minutes over low heat.
- Once the mango softens slightly, I add sugar and a little grated ginger. As the sugar melts, the mango continues to cook in the syrupy steam, enhancing both its softness and caramelised colour. Covering the pan helps speed up this process. Finally, I sprinkle in the roasted spice mix.
- For an extra burst of sweetness, raisins can be added too. Once cooled, the chutney is stored in a bottle and refrigerated—it stays fresh for up to a month.
- Fry up a couple of papads, serve them with chilled mango chutney, and finish the meal with a spoonful of creamy red doi. A simple pleasure that revives old memories.
Tangy Fish Roe Curry With Mango And Mustard Tempering
“This is a unique Bengali dish that combines the richness of fish roe (machher dim) with the tangy freshness of raw mango and the sharpness of mustard seeds. It’s a summer delicacy, balancing flavours beautifully,” says Samita Halder.
Ingredients:
- 200g fish roe (machher dim)
- 1 raw mango (sliced, with skin)
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar (optional, to balance tanginess)
- 2 green chillies (slit)
- Water as needed
Instructions:
- Heat mustard oil in a pan until it smokes slightly. Add the fish roe, breaking it slightly while frying.
- Sprinkle some turmeric and salt, and fry until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add more mustard oil if needed. Temper with mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add green chillies.
- Add the raw mango slices, turmeric, and red chilli powder. Saute for a minute.
- Pour in some water and let the mango soften. Once the mango is cooked, return the fried fish roe to the pan.
- Let it simmer for a few minutes, allowing the flavours to blend.
- Adjust salt, and add a little sugar if the tanginess is too sharp. Turn off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
