KOCHI: As I eyed the golden Alphonso in the market, I was taken back to my home where in the backyard mango trees would start blooming way before the summer holidays set in.
Come the holidays, my house would have a daily feast with mango mojitos, curries, pickles, and desserts for every meal. It was only as I grew older did I realise the different names of the variants.
The golden mangoes were Alphonso or ‘Aapus’ as my grandmother would say, and the long raw mangoes, I used to have with salt and chilli powder, were Totapuri or Kilimooku.
“Sometimes, identifying mangoes is something you can do but not explain,” says Ranganathan, a vendor in the market as he explain the history of certain mangoes. This was a common statement I heard during my quest to learn how to identify different mangoes.
Baiju S Chittilappilly, who owns a farm in Kerala, explains that mango cultivators can often identify, through experience, the different mango trees based on the shape of their leaves. “Alphonso’s leaves are longer than a lot of other varieties,” he says.
Alphonso, especially the one from Maharashtra, holds tightly to its title of ‘King of Mangoes’ and sustains the public’s choice award. With a slight sparkle, it stands out in a cart due to its almost perfect roundness and clean golden-yellow skin.
“A good Alphonso mango will weigh up to 250 grams and will not have any blemishes or spots on its smooth skin,” points out Baiju as he speaks of this variant’s high demand. With dark yellow flesh almost comparable to turmeric, Alphonso is widely available in nearly every market.
And another one known for its hue is Sinshoora. Being one of the firstborns of the mango season, it is Sindhoora that often welcomes the public to a very sweet and fruitful season.
While comparatively easier to identify, with its reddish shade, the fruit weighs nearly 250 grams per mango. “There are not a lot of distinct reddish mangoes I have seen, and Sindhoora is a combination of red, green, and a bit of yellow,” says Sameer, a fruit seller from Bihar.
As I walked more into the lanes of markets, I stumbled upon a public favourite — Imam Pasand. With its origin in Urdu stories to the possibility of it having been Emperor Humayun’s favourite, it is one of the sweetest mangoes available. Very much in competition with Alphonso for the grand title, Imam Pasand has thin, tasty skin and is being bought a lot this season.
On the other hand, Banganapalli is the middle child of the season and is a bit more pale than others. Often distinctly larger than many varieties, Banganapalli is one of the most affordable lots in the family.
“Another variety, Jawaad can be sweeter than Banganapalli sometimes. However, most people cannot afford those, so Banganapalli is bought a lot,” Sameer adds.
Malgoa, with a smaller seed and more flesh, will be available well into May. With a thick skin, it is seen and described as being more round and curvy with a dip near its stem.
“With a pale flesh, Malgoa is sweet even before ripening, unlike mangoes like Sindhoora or even Neelam,” says Baiju.
Neelam, a latecomer to the mango season, mainly comes from Andhra Pradesh. “With a particularly small round shape, it can be seen when the monsoon rains start,” he adds.
While the markets are full of different variants, isn’t it a wonder that our states can grow so many of them right in time for the season?
Baiju tells me that with various grafting and budding techniques becoming popular among mango cultivators, growing multiple varieties of mangoes together is a cakewalk.
“Grafting is a practical method. Multi-budding, where you can grow multiple mango types on one tree, is very useful. The only main factor that affects is the climate, and some trees have close to 25 mango types growing together,” says Baiju.
And that’s how our markets get filled with mangoes from all over the country. Though the season of varieties like Moovandan and other umpteen local variants are almost over, the mango season is not close to an end as more and more varieties from other states enter the market.
Aam Dal/Toker Dal by Joyadrita Ragavendran Chatterjee
Ingredients
Red masoor dal: 1.5 cups
Raw mango (cut into long, thick strips): 1
Salt and sugar to taste
Turmeric powder
Mustard oil
Mustard seeds for tempering
Red chilli: 1
Method
Boil the red masoor dal with a couple of pieces of mango, salt, and turmeric powder.
Keep the other mango slices aside.
Heat mustard oil with the mustard seeds and red chilli in a wok temper.
Add the remaining mango slices and let it soften.
Next, pour the boiled dal.
Adjust salt. Add sugar.
The final dal should taste sweet and sour.
Prawns Raw Mango Curry by Sheeba La Fleur
Ingredients
Prawns: half cup
Green chillies: 4 nos
Ginger paste: 1/4 tsp
Garlic paste: 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Raw mango: 1 diced
Tomato: 1 small
Section 2
Grated coconut: 1cup
Shallots: 6 nos
Tamarind a small ball
Red chilly powder: 2tbsp
Corriander powder: 2tsp
Fennel powder: 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Ginger a small piece
Garlic: 2 nos
Water: 1/4 cup
For tadka
Coconut oil: 2tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Sliced Shallots: 2 nos
Curry leaves: few
Dried red chilli: 3
Method
Add prawns, green chilly, ginger and garlic paste with half a cup of water and cook for two minutes. Now add diced tomatoes and raw mangoes to it and cook for another two minutes. Make a fine paste with ingredients from section two. Add the paste to the prawns and cook for another 3 minutes. Heat oil add mustard and other tadka ingredients and pour it into the curry. You can serve it with rice or puttu.
MANGO CHEESECAKE by Arun Vijayan, consultant chef
Ingredients
Crushed biscuits: 500gm
Melted butter : 150gm
Cream cheese : 350gm
Whipping cream : 250gm
Cornflour : 50gm
Mango puree : 250gm
Condensed milk: 300gm
Method
In a blender, add biscuits and process them until fully crushed. Now add melted butter and blend again. Transfer the biscuit crumbs into a 7-inch springform pan and press down evenly. Set it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. In another bowl, add cream cheese, heavy cream, condensed milk, mango puree and cornflour. Mix until the batter is fully combined. Now transfer this on top of the biscuit base. Seal the bottom of the springform pan with two layers of aluminium foil so nothing leaks out. Now add the batter to a cheesecake tin and place it in a preheated oven at 160 Celsius for about 40-45 mins. Once baked fully run a knife around the edges while the cheesecake is still warm. Transfer the cheesecake to the fridge to cool for about 7-8 hours. Garnish it with mango puree.
Sticky Mango Rice by Sheeba La Fleur
Ingredients
Uncooked sticky rice: 1 cup
Full-fat coconut milk: 1 can (13.5 oz / 400 g)
Sugar: 1/4 cup Salt: 1/2 tsp
Cornstarch (Optional): 2 tsp
Mangoes (peeled and sliced): 3 ripe
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (Optional)
Method
Rinse the sticky rice with water and gently stir it with your hands. Drain the water to remove the excess starch. Then add cold water. Soak the sticky rice for a minimum of 1 hour, or up to overnight in the fridge. Once soaked, rinse again and drain the water. Transfer the rice to a heatproof bowl, add about 2.5 cups of water to your steamer (not into the rice), place the heatproof rice bowl on the steaming rack placed in the steamer, and cover the steamer. Turn to medium-high heat to bring the water to a boil. When the steam starts to come out of the pot, turn to medium heat. Steam for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked through, with no hard raw bits in the middle. Remove the pot from the stove. Let sit, covered, while you prepare the other ingredients. Make the sauce when the rice is cooking. Combine the coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat or medium-low heat until the sugar is melted. Do not bring the coconut sauce to a boil. Carefully remove the bowl of sticky rice from the steamer. Pour 1 cup of the sauce into the bowl. Stir to mix well until the sauce is fully absorbed. The mango sticky rice is ready to serve when the rice mixture and the sauce cool to room temperature or lukewarm. For that extra garnish, you can also pour a few spoonfuls of extra coconut sauce on top of the rice or also top with some toasted sesame seeds.
Creamy Mango Curry by Arun Vijayan, Consultant chef
Ingredients
Tender mango wedges: 300gm
Finely chopped onions: 30gm
Finely chopped garlic : 10gm
Finely chopped ginger: 10gm
Tomato purée : 20gm
Cumin powder: 5gm
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder: 8gm
Fresh cream : 30ml
Butter : 10gm
Sunflower oil : 50ml
Method
Heat oil in a pan and add onion, ginger and garlic. Sauté it until brown. Add the seasonings and tomato purée. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes in slow heat until the tomato gets mashed. Then add little hot water and mango wedges to it. Reduce the flame and finish with fresh cream and butter. The curry can be served with bread or white rice.
Mango margarita by BLND Restobar, Thiruvananthapuram
Ingredients
Fresh mango: 75 gm
Lime juice: 30ml
Chilli: 1/2 chilli
Ice cube: one big scoop
Method
Blend all the above ingredients in a blender and serve it in a margarita glass with chilli salt on its rim. Garnish with a chilli.
Mango Rasam by Mala Sekar
Ingredients
Raw mango: 1, medium size
Toor dal: 1 small cup Tomato: 1
Pepper: 1 spoon Cumin seeds: 1 spoon Green or red chillies: 2
Crushed ginger: a small piece
Coriander leaves
Method
Pressure cook toor dal and raw mango with a pinch of turmeric on medium flame until two whistles.
Once it’s done, blend it into a smooth paste and add water if it’s too thick.
Add oil to a pan and add mustard, chilies, ginger, a pinch of asafoetida, and turmeric for tadka.
Chop the tomato and add it to the tadka along with salt.
After this is done, add the toor dal and raw mango paste.
Once it comes to a boil, add pepper and cumin powder
Garnish with coriander generously.