From rolls to roasts: Seven ways to use green mangoes in savoury summer recipes

How much mango is enough mango during mango season? It’s hardly fair that we get to savour this juicy, gorgeous fruit only for a few weeks. So, we’re making the most of it by cooking with mangoes, all day, every day and using tangy green mangoes in almost everything — from zucchini rolls to homemade fritters. Here are some of the best recipes — happy cooking and bon appetit!

‘Kancha aam chingri bhapa’

Pooja Mitra

The tangy kancha aam is a seasonal superstar and this yummy Bengali curry lets us indulge with some daring flavour notes.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

• 10-15 pieces of tiger prawns (or any kind of prawn)
• 3 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
• Half cup peeled and chopped raw mango
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Sugar/Honey
• 5-6 green chillies
• 1-2 dry red chillies
• Mustard oil

Recipe:

1. Deseed the unripe mango, peel the skin and roughly chop
2. Soak mustard seeds, poppy seeds, half of the chopped mango, 1-2 dry red chillies, 2-3 green chillies for 15 minutes and make a smooth paste, adding 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of mustard oil while grinding
3. Devein the prawns and marinate with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric and keep them aside
4. In a deep bowl, mix the marinated prawns and spice paste, adding salt to taste, 1 tablespoon of honey or sugar and slit green chilis, as per spice tolerance. Add a dash of water (the gravy should not be runny, but smooth and dense), the remaining chopped mangoes and drizzle two tablespoons of mustard oil
5. In a kadhai, pour some water. Once the water is piping hot, add the prawns and cover it with a lid
6. Let the prawns cook for 12 minutes before you uncover them. Check the seasonings and steam for another 2 minutes. Serve piping hot with another drizzle of mustard oil and garnishe with slit green chillies and sliced unripe mangoes.

‘Kancha aam diye kankrol bhaja’

YouTube/Mompy’s Kitchen

What’s a rainy day without some steaming munchies served fresh off the kadhai? How about the OG kankrol pur bhaja but with a fruity twist?

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

• 8-10 spine gourd or kankrol
• 1/4th raw mango
• 1/2 coconut
• 2 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
• 3 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 2-3 green chillies
• Salt
• Sugar
• Gram flour
• Water
• Sunflower oil

Recipe:

1. Deseed the spine gourds. Cut them into halves and blanch them. Keep them aside to dry
2. Soak grated coconut, mustard seeds and poppy seeds for 10 minutes. Peel the skin of the raw mango and roughly chop. In a blender, add the ingredients and make a smooth paste, adding one teaspoon salt and 2 green chillies while blending. Add only a dash of water if required. The desired consistency is thick and not runny
3. Make a thick batter of gram flour, adding a pinch of salt and one teaspoon mustard oil. Remove lumps in the batter, if any
4. Take a piece of spine gourd and add a dollop of filling into carved out part with a spoon
5. Dip each piece in the gram flour batter and deep fry till golden brown
6. Serve with kasundi on the sides

Devilled eggs with ‘kancha aam’ filling

Shutterstock

The devil works hard, but these devilled eggs work harder to unite some popular flavours in one party-starter. This delicious devilled eggs with a smooth yolk filling have a luscious kancha aam filling!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1/4th raw mango
• Rock salt
• Whole black pepper or black pepper powder
• 2-3 tablespoon milk

Recipe:

1. Hard boil the eggs and peel off the skin
2. Cut them into halves and scoop out the yolks into a deep bowl
3. Add grated mango, rock salt, crushed black pepper and blend with the yolks. Drizzle little milk only if needed. The filling should be smooth but tight
4. Take a spoon and fill the pockets in the egg whites with the filling
5. Serve in a plate with a raw mango dip on the side

‘Kumro/lau patay chingri bhapa’ (in kancha aam gravy)

YouTube

Kumro or lau patay chingri is one of the easiest Bengali recipes. But did you know, you can cook the same chingri in a kancha aam gravy as well? This is how…

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

• 300 gm prawns
• 10-12 big pumpkin or bottle gourd leaves
• 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
• Half grated coconut
• 3 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/4th raw mango
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Mustard oil
• 7-8 green chillies
• Sugar

Recipe:

1. Devein and clean the prawns and marinate with salt, turmeric and a pinch of sugar and set aside
2. Wash the leaves, blanch them and pat them dry
3. In a bowl, soak grated coconut, raw mango, poppy seeds, mustard seeds for 10 minutes and make a smooth paste, adding salt and sugar to taste, one teaspoon turmeric powder, two tablespoon mustard oil and 3-4 green chillies
4. Mix the prawns with the paste and check seasonings to taste
5. On a big plate or a flat surface spread a long thread, make a bed of leaves. Pour the filling with a spoon in the middle of the bed. Add a thin slice of green chilli on the top. Wrap from the sides and add a big leaf on the top, to make the shape of a flattened dumpling and tie so the leaves do not open or the following does not come out
6. Steam for 10-15 minutes

‘Kancha aam diye maacher dim bhapa’

Pooja Mitra

Maacher dim’er bora is a rainy day must, be it with khichuri or with cha in the evening. But if you prefer steamed meal-starters, give this maacher dim bhapa with kancha aam a try.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients:

• 250 gm rui maacher dim
• 1 big onion, finely chopped
• 1 small piece of ginger, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 4 green chilis
• 1/4th grated kancha aam
• Salt
• Kashmiri red chilli powder
• Mustard oil

Recipe:

1. Wash the fish eggs and mash them with hand (preferably), adding the seasonings and ingredients. Sprinkle some mustard oil while mixing
2. Grease the mould and pour the batter and put butter paper
3. Steam for 20 minutes approximate, occasionally checking the status with a toothpick
4. Demould and let it cool a little. Cut into desired shapes and serve

Zucchini wrap with raw mango and chicken keema filling

Pooja Mitra

The fancy zucchini meets a chic meat wrap recipe. Try out, startle your guests, and thank us later!

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1 green or yellow zucchini
• 100 gm chicken keema
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 slice of ginger
• 2 green chillies
• Salt
• Honey
• Half a lemon
• 2 tablespoon butter
• Half of one 150gm raw mango

Recipe:

1. Peel the zucchini in thin slices and marinate with one teaspoon of salt, half teaspoon of crushed black pepper and lemon juice. Set it aside
2. Marinate the chicken keema with one tablespoon salt, one tablespoon black pepper, lime juice and half teaspoon honey. Leave it for 15 minutes
3. In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoon butter and roughly chopped garlic. Saute till golden brown, add julienne cut ginger, followed by sliced onions. Saute till the onion turns golden brown and add the chicken keema. Next, add grated raw mango and mix, followed by salt, honey and finely chopped green chillies to taste. Cook till done. Set aside the filling so it cools down
4. Add one tablespoon butter in the pan and saute the zucchini strips till golden on both sides
5. Add a dollop of filling to each strip, and wrap

Tips:

1. The filling should be dry in consistency.
2. If you don’t want to use chicken, opt for beef, mutton or pork keema instead. For vegetarian options, grated paneer or mashed potatoes can be used as a substitute.

The diet ‘tok-jhal-mishti’ chicken roast

Pooja Mitra

Working on your summer bod? You don’t have to steer clear of the green mango. A juicy chicken roast in kancha aam marination could be right up your alley.

Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 40-60 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken with skin
• 2 tablespoon onion-ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
• 4 tablespoon raw mango paste
• Salt
• Honey
• Black pepper
• Assorted vegetables of choice
• Butter or olive oil

Recipe:

1. Clean the whole chicken and pat dry
2. Marinate the chicken with an onion-ginger-garlic-green chili paste, raw mango paste, salt, one teaspoon honey, black pepper (crushed or powdered), tie the legs and set aside for 15 minutes
3. Cut the vegetables and marinate them in salt and pepper. If you’re using a gas oven, steam the veggies and marinate them. Slow-cook till you hear a whistle. Add olive oil to a frying pan and cook both sides for a crunchy crust
4. If your medium of cooking is a microwave, add the veggies on the baking plate (as shown in the image).
5. Grease a baking plate. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes. Or, grease the bottom of the pressure cooker
6. Brush the chicken with melted butter or olive oil and convection-cook for 40 minutes (check occasionally).