Sweet and Spicy Stewed Mango

Manga Curry/ Sweet and Spicy Stewed Mango chunks

A leftover, semi-ripe mango found during the weekly fridge cleaning tempted one to replicate a summer favourite! This curry was made with ripe, tiny, sweet, honey mangoes, whose flavour would vary from tree to tree. These mangoes were peeled and cooked with very little water, turmeric, red chilli flakes and jaggery and served with rice.

It had detractors who detested the overtly sweet, spicy, sticky concoction and hated the messy way it was meant to be enjoyed! Others loved to mix it with rice, some with crumbled pappadums. Others had their favourite spice-tricks; one aunt tempered it with cummin and  a pinch of aniseed, others used a pinch of asafoetida and some a touch of clove.

I have cooked the semi-ripe chunks with turmeric, chilli powder, chilli flakes and jaggery with a tempering of cummin seeds, curry leaves and red chillies. And yes this is the base for the countless Mango Chutney's that Indian cuisine  has come to represent worldwide!!

Ingredients

1 Cup, Mango chunks

1/2 chunk of sarkara acchu/ jaggery cube/ 1 tbsp of brown sugar

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 dried chilli, flaked [optional]

1/4 tsp cummin seeds

2 dried red chillies

1 stem curry leaves

1 tsp oil

Salt

Method

Cook the Mango chunks in just enough water to cover them,

Season with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt and cook until the mango chunks are soft,

Add the jaggery/brown sugar and let simmer for a couple of minutes

Heat 1 tsp of oil and temper the cummin seeds, red chillies  and curry leaves,

Pour over the Mango chunks and serve.