Mango Hummann

I don’t know if this falls in the dessert category. To me, this is sometimes an entire meal, a snack or sometimes a dessert. It is sweet, spicy, and tangy. This is my most favourite dish from my childhood. Every time I have this, it takes me back right to my childhood. Its a spicy, sweet, salty and tangy curry with sweet mangoes. One thing is for sure, our grandmothers have aced the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat concept and this dish is proof of that. The mangoes that I chose are Chandrakaran mangoes, which are primarily grown in Kerala. These are tiny, mangoes and are packed with flavour, more flavourful than the big ripe ones. They are so so so fragrant, that just their presence in a room fills it with mango fragrance. So, if you cannot find mangoes, try to get mangoes that fit closest to this description.

Every Konkani family has their own version of their curry, one of the main difference being the element of heat. Some families use peppercorns, some use chilli flakes. Both are delicious, but to me, peppercorns are what makes this dish what it is. My grandmother and mother use Red chillies only for tempering, so that is what I am doing. The ingredients are really simple ones that you may find at your home or in any basic grocery store.

First, wash and clean the mangoes. Remove any dirt on the peel as the dish uses whole unpeeled mangoes. Next, peel a little bit of the skin from all sides of the mango. Do not throw away the peel, reserve it in a bowl.

With the reserved peel, add 1 cup of water and squish it with your hands to extract whatever flavour and pulp are remaining in the peels. Throw away the peels once you have extracted as much pulp as possible. It is a lot. So do not skip this step.

 

Combine the mangoes, extracted pulp, some more water, peppercorn, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and cover with a lid for 10 minutes to cook the mangoes 50%. The mangoes will change to a duller colour when cooked and become softer than they were.

 

Lower the heat, add the jaggery and cook for another 15 minutes with the lid on.

 

Make the temper with the rest of the ingredients- mustard seeds, red chillies, cumin and curry leaves by adding it in hot oil, in the same order, one by one.

Add this to the mangoes, mix well. Switch off the flame and serve.

 

Recipe:
Serves- 4
Total time- 40 minutes

Chandrakaran Mangoes- 500 grams
Sugar- 1 Tablespoon
Salt- 2 Teaspoons
Peppercorns- 2 Tablespoons (Crushed coarsely)
Water- 3 Cups
Jaggery- 1/2 Cup
Dry red chillies- 5
Cumin- 2 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1 Teaspoon
Curry leaves- 20
Coconut oil- 2 Tablespoons

1. Wash and clean the mangoes. Remove any dirt on the peel as the dish uses whole unpeeled mangoes.
2. Peel a little bit of the skin from all sides of the mango. Do not throw away the peel, reserve it in a bowl.
3. With the reserved peel, add 1 cup of water and squish it with your hands to extract whatever flavour and pulp are remaining in the peels. Throw away the peels once you have extracted as much pulp as possible.
4. Combine the mangoes, extracted pulp, 2 cups of water, peppercorn, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and cover with a lid for 10 minutes to cook the mangoes 50%. The mangoes will change to a duller colour when cooked and become softer than they were.
5. Lower the heat, add the jaggery and cook for another 15 minutes with the lid on.
6. In a separate saucepan, add some oil and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the red chillies, cumin and curry leaves. Saute for 2 minutes till the leaves turn crisp. Add it to the mango mixture.
7. Mix well and turn off the heat. Serve in a bowl with a few mangoes and some broth.

Note: You can reduce the peppercorns if you do not want it spicy. You can always add more peppercorns in the end, if you think it is not spicy enough. You can also alter the quantity of jaggery. 1/2 Cup is ideal for me when the mangoes are ripe.