Regional food in India is quite interesting and I have noticed that in last couple of years it has become quite popular. Another thing to be noticed is the influence of weather and the use of seasonal produce in these lesser known regional cuisines.
One ingredient which dominates the summer season is mango. The king of fruits is not restrained to just being eaten as a fruit but is the core ingredient for many dishes. Every region uses it in a different way, making dishes specifically for the hot weather. Right from the sherbets to chutneys, main courses to desserts, mango is present in some way or the other on the dining table.
Mughal emperor Jehangir was so fond of mangoes that he had commanded his cooks to prepare a dish comprising magoes and meat for him. It was a task for the khansamas as they were not used to cook the fruit with the meat but with their experience and talent nothing seemed to be impossible once the king had made a request.
After a lot of trials, they came up with a dish called Qaliya Amba — a preparation wherein the raw mangoes were cooked in sugar syrup, dry fruits and a bit of saffron and added to braised lamb or chicken with coriander and raw onion-based gravy.
The dish had a sweet and tangy flavour and the king was much impressed with it. Even today when loo (warm winds) starts blowing in north many grandmothers prepare Aam Panna to counter the heat. Made with raw mango, Aam Panna is a popular Indian sherbet which keeps the body temperature in control.
I remember my grandmother forcing me to have a glass of Aam Panna as soon as I returned from school. In Rajasthani, Marwari, Marathi and Gujrati homes, Amras is made using ripped or raw mangoes. The UP Amras has got raw mangoes and sooji as well while the many other regions make it as a curry to be enjoyed with puris and rotis.
In desserts nothing beats the mango Kheer or Phirni made with the juicy Alphanso or the Dussheri variants of the fruit.