Tried and Tasted: For your Sunday lunch, how about everything mango?

I am a peace loving chap, but every now and then I trigger a small war merely by praising a particular type of mango among a group of people. I name any mango in any gathering – and then just wait for the fireworks to begin.

That’s because mango lovers are a passionate lot who tend to swear by one kind of mango. The Rataul lover sneers at the Dussehri fan who laughs at the Langda aficionado who thinks the Alphonso is grossly overrated. And the Himsagar devotee is convinced that nothing can beat the Bengal variety.

I personally love the Chausa – which unfortunately comes for a very short while almost at the fag-end of the mango season. But I must admit I like most mangos, and can make a full meal just out of the sweet fruit.

But you don’t really have to eat mangos merely as a fruit. A great many of our regional cuisines use mangos – both sweet and raw – in the food. In this season, Khandani Rajdhani, a restaurant chain serving Gujarati and Rajasthani food, turns mangos into all kinds of delicious dishes. As its chef tells us, mangos can be a part of a drink or a dessert – or the entrée.

I think when it comes to mango dishes, nothing can beat the taste of aamras – a heavenly dish of pulpy mango blended till its smooth, and eaten with hot puris. But that’s not the only mango dish you can try out while mangos flood the market. Here are some ways you can make the most of the season:

Kairi aur pyaaz ki sabzi: For this green mango and onion sabzi, finely chop a green mango and an onion. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin, mustard and fennel seeds. Add the onions and fry for half a minute. Add the green mangos, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes on a slow flame. Serve hot. You will find the mango and onion doing an invigorating tango.

Mango dal dhokli: This is a dal tempered with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, chillies and asafoetida. Cook it with kokum, tomato, jaggery, turmeric powder, lemon juice, green chillies, chilli powder and ginger. Add some boiled peanuts to it. The dhoklis – thin roasted chapatis cut into diamonds or squares -- are dipped into the dal, along with sliced mangos. Try it!

Mango dhokla: This is not a besan dhokla, but prepared with maize and semolina (with just a bit of besan). Raw mango is blended with buttermilk which is mixed with the flour, tempered and then steamed. It’s healthy (steamed, folks, it’s steamed) and mangolicious, if I may be allowed to coin a word.

Fajeto kadhi: This kadhi like dish is prepared with besan, yoghurt and aamras. It is tempered with cumin, fenugreek, cloves, cinnamon, green chillies, red chillies, asafoetida and dry ginger powder. And if it has aamras in it, it can only rock.

Aamras: Ah – here’s a recipe for ambrosia. Blend sweet mango pulp, jaggery and some saffron strands. Add water or milk if you like it a little runny. Chill it, and then eat it with puris. If heaven be on earth, this is it.

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