How many dishes can you think of that are made of mango? If you’re scratching your head after answering aam er achar, chutney and mango shake, the buffet spread at IAM would have left you amazed. At a recent mango festival, they incorporated the king of fruits into every single dish, from soup to starters, main course to dessert.

Main course dishes laid out Brinda Sarkar

“There’s no one who doesn’t like mangoes. Despite this, the fruit is rather under-utilised in cooking. So, our students curated a menu around it,” said Harshjeet Rai, manager events, operations and training at the Sector V hotel management institute.

World cuisine

The buffet offered a global selection. There was Somtam salad from Laos, Mango Blossom sushi from Japan, Mango Ocean Stew from Thailand, and Mango Rice Vibes from Jamaica.

“The toughest to get right was the Sunny Mango Chill. This was a cold soup, a take on the Spanish Gazpacho soup, that uses tomato, cucumber, onion and the like but we replaced some ingredients with mangoes. Guests found it refreshing, as they are mostly accustomed to hot soups, and rarely with fruit,” said Shuvam Guha of the food production department.

Crispy Mango Prawn Cocktail Brinda Sarkar

Another popular dish was the Crispy Mango Prawn Cocktail, which used mango puree and honey, alongside fish and soy sauce. The Smoky Mango Chicken Tikka received praise, as did the Silky Mango and Cottage Cheese Curry, which featured coconut milk and mango puree as a twist on the classic “malai curry” recipe.

“Since this is the end of the mango season, we used the langra and chausa varieties,” said student Arkobrata Bhattacharya. “Himsagar is over but the Chausa is very sweet and ideal for making purees. The Langra, being firmer, was ideal for dishes requiring mango chunks.”

Raw Mango Rasogolla Bliss, a mint-green dessert. Brinda Sarkar

The dessert section did not disappoint either. There was Raw Mango Rasogolla Bliss, a mint-green dessert that looked as tempting as it tasted. Kong Firni from Kashmir was a creamy, mango-and-nutty dessert served in clay pots. A surprise highlight was the Tropical Mango Tiramisu. “This classic Italian dessert is traditionally coffee-flavoured, but we used only a hint of coffee powder, allowing the mango to shine. It was mild, soft, and delicious,” Shuvam added.

A presentation was delivered by Ishika Kapur and Nihal Das. “Mangoes are a local fruit, and we believe in being ‘vocal for local.’ We want to popularise them beyond just their raw form and encourage people to explore it in cooking,” said Ishika. “Also, since this is the tail-end of the mango season, people assume the best fruits are gone and stop buying them. As a result, many late-season mangoes go waste. We purchased these and made full use of them for this festival.”

Maitreyee Chaudhuri, director, IAM, said sustainability was at the heart of every event they organised. “If future chefs are encouraged to support local produce, we are moving towards a better world,” she said. “Previously our institute would host large-scale events, but we’ve now decided to hold smaller, more frequent ones to give students more hands-on experience.”