Mango Magic in Indian Cooking
It’s really quite simple to make healthy mangoes a part of your meal; and below I have a simple 2-step Raw Mango Pickle recipe that will give you a taste of just how easy it can be. It comes as no surprise that India produces almost half of the world’s mangoes, and also consumes most of them.
Mangoes make their way easily into Indian food, often in a surreptitious manner as part of a spicy vegetable or curry.
Used for cooking purposes in their raw ‘green’ form – from curries to lentils, and egg omelets to scrambled Akuris (I have a great on-demand recording for the latter Parsi egg dishes); raw mangoes offer a rather irreplaceable tang, taste, and texture to many dishes.
Raw and Sweet Versions of Mango are used in Indian Food
One sees ripe sweet ‘yellow’ mangoes come to the table, simply cut into pieces as a fruit, and sometimes served topped with whipped cream or ice cream. Sweet ripe mango can also be fashioned into Lassi yogurt smoothies, or Aamras, a thick flavored puree, or added to desserts like mousses, soufflés, puddings, and Kulfi ice cream.
Ripe mangoes also add the right kind of sweetness to chunky chutneys like the Mango Cranberry Chutney pictured below.
This 2-step mango condiment is a healthy easy recipe, inspired by my dad’s crushed raw mango pickle. It’s perhaps one of the simplest ways to bring a dollop of delightful flavor to a variety of meals – try it as a topping on meat, fish, or vegetables, as an accompaniment to Indian lentils Daal, or as a sandwich spread, and even smeared on hot Indian flatbread Chapati or homemade Naan (there are on-demand video classes for both Indian flatbread, check out the selection).
There’s minimum cooking and no wait time involved in this crush-style relish, just pull your food processor out, and get your taste buds ready!
