This is one of the first dishes we prepare when mangoes start to flood the market! With pineapples available year round, and with the advent of mangoes, this is a tangy, spicy and sweet tropical-feel dish that is looked forward to during all festivals and weddings as a gourmet addition to any meal! With summer almost upon us, the grocery aisles are beginning to be stocked with a variety of juicy, sweet mangoes (called “ambo” in Konkani)! Every variety has a different flavor and texture and sometimes it is difficult to choose! Coming from the coastal town of Mangalore in south India, I have grown up feasting on these tropical delights during the summers!
There is such a surplus of mangoes that besides gorging on them fresh, we end up making a plethora of mango based dishes like ambe upkari (mango curry), mango gojju (pureed mangoes with a spicy touch) and the quintessential favorite of all of us, Avnaas Ambe Saasam which is traditionally served at all festivals and weddings along with a special place on the dinner table when guests arrive! Saasam is a coconut based curry with a dash of mustard seeds or as we call it “saasam” (in Konkani, our language) blended into them along with just a couple of dry red chillies giving it a unique flavor. Like any traditional Konkani coconut masala curry, tamarind is not added as pineapple lends the tanginess or sour element to the dish. Jaggery is added to sweeten the whole mixture. Traditionally, chunks of fresh pineapple are mixed in with jusicy and sweet mango cubes in coconut gravy. But in our house, we cook the pineapple along with jaggery, let it cool and then add the mangoes and coconut masala giving the pineapples a wonderful texture and flavor!
Tempering it with mustard seeds and curry leaves in coconut oil is optional. If you are short on time, you can stir in fresh pineapple chunks into the coconut gravy along with the mangoes. Most houses prefer to follow this method. With Ugadi or New Year’s Day for people in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh (in India), coming up, I decided to share this simple but exotic and festive Mangalorean delight to my gourmet Facebook group Healthy WellthyCuisines for the theme #UgadiSpecial where you an check out other awesome Ugadi specials too!
So, head on to the kitchen and churn this tropical and exotic dish for Ugadi or any day for that matter and enjoy it as a side dish! It is easy, needs few ingredients, not much cooking involved and tastes amazing!
Some more mango treats you can check out: Cook Time: 10 minutes
2 cups pineapple chunks 2 mangoes, peeled and cut into cubes (the sweet variety) ¼ cup black raisins For the coconut masala: ¾ cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen) 2 dry red chillies, roasted 1 tsp mustard seeds Other ingredients: 1/2 cup jaggery (unrefined cane or palm sugar) or to taste Pinch of salt Green or black grapes (optional)
Instructions Notes Do not add more red chillies as the curry may become too spicy. It is amazing how just only one or two red chillies can spice up this mixture. When mangoes are not in season, you can make this dish with chopped apples and grapes or use frozen or canned mango chunks. For more flavor, you can season the dish with mustard and curry leaves in coconut oil; totally optional. Mango Sheera/Mango Semolina Pudding Ambe Upkari/Mango Curry Creamy Mango Sorbet Check out the other awesome Ugadi specials shared by HealthyWellthyCuisines: Gulab Nariyal Ladoos | Puran Poli | Makhana Jaggery Payasam | Puliyogara/Tamarind Rice If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page
