Sweet and Spicy Mango Curry (Mambazha Pulissery)
A veritable pot of gold, with the added benefit of being able to eat it AND taste a little bit of heaven? Yes. In my tummy, thanks. This is my ABSOLUTE favourite dish. If I had to choose a favourite fruit, it would be mangoes (with jackfruit being a close second). And to whomever had the presence of mind to turn it into a curry... I salute you and eat to your good health!
Mambazha Pulissery
The perfect accompaniment to a steaming bowl of rice or just relished on its own. Mambazha (maamba - ra) - the 'ra' is spelled like the 'r' in 'royal'; with a curled tongue.
Pulissery (pu - li - sheri).
Mambazha is basically mini mangoes, which makes for an ideal snack or an even more ideal bite size piece in this curry. I'm all about this curry.
Pulissery is a yoghurt-based dish with it's defining characteristic being that it's yellow in colour (because of the turmeric added - absolutely no artificial colours or flavours).
I must admit, as much as I wanted to share this recipe with everyone, taking pictures while smelling the delicious wafts of flavour was a true test of will power. I somehow persevered and I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labour (:P) just as much as I did! If you do make it, tag me on instagram (@ayurfit) or facebook (@ayurfithk), I'd love to see your pictures!
Tip: do NOT cook the yoghurt, you only need to add it to the dish once it's been cooked and once the flavours have developed. Cooked yoghurt splits and it doesn't look anywhere near as appetising. Also, once the tempering has been added to this dish, you needn't worry about the flavours going well together - it becomes a flavour party in your mouth. Patience you must have, my young Padawan.
Kitchen Essentials
Cooking pot and a blender.
We used a 'Made in China' version of a Le Creuset crockpot (the perks of living in Hong Kong). Our blender, is a tiny handheld mixer. It did the trick, but I would recommend something a little sturdier for constant use. Our family back in Kerala swears by Preeti mixers.
However, it's only recently that we've got back on the coconut-mixing bandwagon, courtesy of me becoming recently vegetarian and wanting to explore the flavours of the motherland i.e. Kerala, so we haven't had the opportunity to replace our age-old Preeti mixer that broke down just yet. Our New Year's Resolution!
Instructions
1. In a pot, add 1 cup water, ripe mangoes, turmeric and chilli powder, green chilli and salt. Bring to a boil, medium flame.
2. Grind coconut and cumin seeds with 1/2 cup water to a thick paste. Add this to the mango, mix and bring to a boil. Remove from flame.
3. Blend the yoghurt for a liquid consistency. Add this to the mango.
4. For the tempering, heat coconut oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds then add dried red chillies and curry leaves. Add this on top of the mango curry. Serve :)
Recipe as adapted from pachakam.com
