Mango Pulissery – Yogurt curry with ripe mangoes

December and January are “mango” months in Melbourne. We normally buy mangoes in boxes as they are much cheaper and that way and we can enjoy them to the full while they are in season. 

My first job as a trainee Engineer was at Cochin Shipyard with the building maintenance department.  All day we would be inspecting buildings and working on fixing maintenance issues.  Lunch was a big affair every day at the canteen and it was subsidized for trainees.  We got to try the local cuisine – which was pretty similar to what I was used to anyway.  It was here that I first tried the mango pulissery. Small sweet mangoes were cooked whole in a yogurt based sauce, seed and all and the taste was just out of this world. 

On a hot and humid day after completing a whole lot of building inspections, all I wanted was rice and a cooling mango pulissery to go with it. I haven’t seen small sweet mangoes in Melbourne – so I have just used the Kensington for my pulissery. I leave the seed in the sauce – you will only know why if you have ever sucked a seed that is dripping with sauce!  Cooking is all about evoking memories and this is definitely one of the pleasantest memories of my life.

 Ingredients:

2 small mangoes or 1 large mango, washed and sliced lengthwise, with skin. 

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon chilli powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon fenugreek powder

2 – 3 cups of yogurt, whisked till it is smooth with no lumps.

Salt to taste

For seasoning:

¼ of a red onion chopped

2 green chillies chopped

Two inch piece of ginger chopped

1 sprig curry leaves

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

1 dry red chilli, de-seeded

2 tablespoons olive oil

For grinding to a smooth paste:

2-3 tablespoons of desiccated coconut

1 green chilli

1 inch piece of ginger

Method:

In a saucepan, place the mango pieces, about 2 cups water, salt, tumeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and fenugreek powder.

Cook in a low flame till the mango pieces are soft but still retain their shape.

Turn off the flame.

In a wok, heat oil, add mustard seeds and when it crackles, add curry leaves, ginger, green chillies , dry red chilli and onion. Saute till the onion just starts to caramalise.

Add this seasoning to the whisked yogurt along with the ground up coconut paste. Mix the yogurt with the cooked mangoes.  Warm up this mixture till it reaches a warm temperature - please ensure the mixture doesn't boil.  

Enjoy the sweet spicy creamy sensation with warm rice.