Hilsa Mango - Aam Elish

Mango has a lot of memories connected to my childhood days. A huge mango tree in our garden was a cynosure of all eyes. Every summer when the tree full of blooms heralded the arrival of mangoes, a palpable wave of joys would rush through our hearts and we would be waiting anxiously for the moment when the blooms would break into fruits.

 

 

Back to our childhood days during summer months when school was closed for summer vacation, me and my cousins would play through the afternoons climbing the mango tree and sitting on its sturdy branches, sometimes suspending ourselves from an offshoot. For hours, we would engage in prittle-prattle seated under the shade of the tree. Those were some of the cherished moments of my life I had enjoyed to the full.

One of our favourite summer activities was to pluck some of the raw mangoes out that were within our grip and then feasting on them by peeling them carefully, chopping them into tiny pieces and then concocting a delightful mixture of mangoes, tossed in a bowl with tamarind chutney, salt, sugar and dry red chilli powder as a mark of celebrating the mango season. Within few minutes of putting the mixture together, the bowl would be swept clean, licked up of every traceable smear. Still, when my hubby brings home a carton of raw mangoes, I save some for making a similar kind of concoction with raw mangoes rubbed in tamarind chutney, kasundi, sugar, green chillies and a bit of salt. It just tastes heavenly beyond description.

 

 

Talking about Hilsa Mango, I have collected the recipe from a Bengali magazine. Although according to my sweet will, I skipped some steps mentioned as mandatory in the recipe, more or less, I have tried maintaining the originality.

For more such recipes on Mango, please click the links below:

Rohu Mango Curry

Aam Doi Bata

Mango Flavored Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

Poppy Seeds Bread with Mango Glaze

Mango Cup Cakes

Ingredients:                                           Cooking time: 20 minutes ü  4 pieces of Hilsa or Elish ü  1 tsp nigella seeds or kalo jeera or kalonji ü  4 tomatoes (chopped) ü  4 cloves of garlic (chopped) ü  1 tsp turmeric powder ü  1 tsp kashmiri red mirch ü  4-5 green chillies (split in half) ü  25 gm raw green mango (ground into paste) ü  2 dry red chillies ü  Salt to taste ü  Mustard oil for cooking ü  Coriander leaves (for garnishing) Method: 1) Heat mustard oil in a wok. Add nigella seeds and dry red chillies and allow them to crackle. 2) Add chopped garlic and shallow fry till garlic changes to golden brown in color. 3) Add tomatoes and fry on medium heat till tomatoes soften. Turn the flame off and cool down the mixture. Then grind the mixture into smooth paste in a blender. 4) Into the same wok, heat oil again. Add the ground tomato mixture into the wok followed by the paste of green mango. Add turmeric powder, kashmiri red mirch and salt. Sauté for 2 minutes. 5) Measure out 1/4 cup of water into the wok and bring the gravy to a boil. Toss in the fishes and cook covered on low heat till fishes are cooked through. 6) Garnish with green chillies and coriander leaves.