In the mood for mango

The mango season is upon us, and along with it are the various interpretations of the versatile fruit.

Mango has a long season in India, with southern and western varieties like Baiganpalli, Kesar and Alphonso starting to fruit from early spring and the northern and eastern types like langra, chausa and dusshehri in season until early monsoon. This means more mangoes for us to eat and a greater opportunity for chefs and pâtissiers to work with the fruit.

"We start working with mangoes when they're still raw," says chef Abhishek Singh of Hyatt Regency, Dehradun, who uses all forms of mango in their kitchen. "We use dehydrated mango in curries, especially the rich kormas where we add dehydrated raw mango poached in spices. It brings a distinct flavour to the dish. Then there are special tikkas and kababs where we use raw mango in the marinade to lend a fruity flavour and tartness to the dish."

Singh also uses mangoes in desserts in many forms and has a dedicated mango menu planned this summer. "Our mango entremet, for example, has mango jelly, mango mousse, mango sponge, and finally fresh mango on top. We also have mango tart, mango torte, mango puddings, and a large selection of desserts."

Beyond desserts

While desserts with mango have been common in north India, cooking with raw mango has been the highlight of many cuisines across southern states. Kerala and Tamil Nadu use raw mangoes in curries, and it is a popular ingredient to cook rasam and dals with.

Taking inspiration from these flavours, chef Veena Arora, Chef De Cuisine at The Spice Route, The Imperial, Delhi, has created a unique mango menu this summer. "As a celebration of the season, I seek to bring in curries from Kerala and craft my version of the recipes, with raw and ripe mango complemented by meats, veggies and exotic spices." The offerings on her menu include items like Pacha Mangai Irachi, crispy lamb slices wok-fried with ripe and raw mango, Pacha Mangai rasam, a Kerala style spicy broth of lentils and fresh mango juice, and Attirachi Pacha Mangai Curry, mutton simmered in Kerala curry tempered with coriander and fennel seeds and diced raw mango.

Playful combinations

From fresh mangoes as a garnish to mango ice creams and kulfis, we are now seeing chefs across the country adopting newer techniques to present contemporary and unusual mango creations, both sweet and savoury. "At Bombay Sweet Shop, we reinterpret traditional mithai in a contemporary format. The Mango Moti Paak, for instance, comes with the motichur laddu boondi with a layer of mango pista kalakand. In Mango Kheer Kadam, the rasgulla is soaked in fresh mango juice and then encased in mango flavoured peda."
"We also have Mango Jim Jam Barfi, where a mango peda is filled with a gooey centre of sweet and tart raspberry jam and Mango Tamarind Jujubes that remind you of aam papad," said Girish Nayak, Chief Mithaiwala at Bombay Sweet Shop.

As the season progresses, guests could expect weekly mango specials like Mango Shahi Buns, Mango Rasmalai Ghevar Tart and much more," said Nayak.

(Anubhuti Krishna is a writer passionate about travelling and eating. Her work has been featured in major publications. She hopes to write a book someday.)