Deccan Chronicle

The taste of Raw Mango

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With the parting of the winter clouds, it is once again time for summer and arguably the best part of summer – mangoes.

Come summer and the one thing that you can look forward to is mangoes especially the raw mango that is a great addition to the menu. While known for being a great pickle ingredient raw mango is something that makes its appearance in drinks, salads, appetizers and even the main course.

Ubiquitous Ingredient

An integral part of several regional cuisines of India, the North has raw mango in dried (aamchur) or pickled format (baby raw mangoes used whole or cut mango pickles) that are popularly used in various dishes as a tangy flavouring agent. As you travel down in states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka raw mangoes are used as flavouring agent for various dishes and in various forms such as, pulps, cubes and pickles. “The entire costal belt of India very interestingly uses a mix of coconuts and raw mangoes for various meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes. The arid belts of the Deccan plateau and Maharashtra use it popularly as a pulp cooked with jaggery and later mixed with water to make it their favourite drink during peak summers. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana use it effectively for its tangy flavour in their meat preparations. Even with all of these nothing can take away the joy of having a slice of raw mango with salt and chilli powder,” says Varun Movva, Executive Chef, Novotel Hyderabad Airport.

Pacha Manga Meen Curry Chef Uchit Vohra, Executive Chef at ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru
Pacha Manga Meen Curry Chef Uchit Vohra, Executive Chef at ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru

Srikanth Reddy, Executive Sous Chef, ibis Kolkata Rajarhat adds, “Aam Pora Shorbet is a great summer drink from Bengal and with its wonderful taste, gives much needed coolness to your body. This drink comes very close to Aam panna made in North India. It is one of the best substitutes of water when you are back from the sweltering heat.”

Read the fill story that first appeared in Deccan Chronicle / Asian Age dated March 8, 2020 here:

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