Traditional Mangalorean Ripe-Mango Curry | Ambya Upkari
It is that time of the year, when the Indian stores in Germany are stocked with Indian Mangoes and I can never have enough of them. This year I’ve already downed 5 boxes of Mangoes and there is still room for more. And coming to mango based recipes, if you thought ripe mangoes find usage only in dessert recipes and only raw mangoes find place in savoury preparations, you will be wrong!
Yes, we Mangaloreans use raw mangoes as souring agents in our dishes and do make a mean raw mango fish curry but we also make a mean sweet & savoury curry using Ripe Mangoes. The ripe-mango curry is unlike any mango dish you’ve ever tasted. I fondly remember the times, when my mom would prepare this curry with the Bellary mangoes from the tree in our compound.
The curry, topped on piping hot par-boiled rice with more of it served along with a whole mango in a small plate known as “Peer” in konkani and some fried fish – the memory is still vivid! Dipping that perfectly cooked mango into its tempered curry and slurping and sucking all the fleshy goodness from the mango and dipping it back into the curry and slurping it again and again until only the seed of the mango remains was true bliss.
Although, in Germany, I do not have access to the ideal variety of Mangoes that go into the ripe-mango curry, I nevertheless made it with a box of Kesar mangoes. Read on to know the details of the recipe. I hope you will love this way of enjoying mangoes as much as I do. This curry originates from the GSB Community and is known by them as “Ambya Upkari”, while Mangalorean Catholics plainly call it “Ambyachi Kodi”
How to make Ambya Upkari (Ripe-Mango Curry)
Before we go into the details of the Ripe-mango curry recipe, remember that the taste profile of the mangoes is key in this curry. This is a sweet-savory curry and it turns out best with sweet & sour variety of mangoes which are ideally small in size. Traditionally, a local wild variety of mango, known as Gointo Ambo, which is small in size, fibrous and sweet & sour is used in making this curry. Another alternative is the Bellary variety of mango which has similar characteristics to that of the Gointo Ambo.
Yes, we can use the commercially available varieties of Mangoes as well – like I used the Kesar variety of Mango, as sourcing the above mentioned wild mangoes in Germany is next to impossible. The curry will turn out overly sweet when using the commercially available ripe mangoes. We can choose almost-ripened mangoes to cut-out a bit of the sweetness and also add a little piece of tamarind to the curry to balance the flavor of the curry.
Similarly, jaggery is used mainly to balance out the flavors of the curry, if the Mangoes are overly sour. If the Mangoes are sweet enough with just a hint of sourness, the addition of a sweetening agent is not necessary.
To begin with, wash the mangoes well and peel them. Keep the Mangoes whole. and reserve the peels in a bowl. Add a cup of water to the Mango peels and squeeze out all the pulp from the skin. Discard the peels. In a large enough pot, take the peeled mangoes and the mango-pulp water, along with some green chillies and salt and cook the mangoes on a low heat for about 10 minutes while stirring continuously.
Make a slurry of all-purpose flour and water and add it to the curry and give a gentle good mix. Add the jaggery at this point (only if needed). Bring the curry to a boil while stirring constantly and cook it till the curry thickens. Once the curry thickens, take the pot off the flame and proceed to tempering the curry.
For the tempering, heat some coconut oil in a tempering pan and splutter a few mustard seeds in it. Follow this, by adding urad dal, few curry leaves, some dried red chillies and finally, few fenugreek seeds and fry for 5 seconds. Add this tempering to the Ripe-Mango curry and give it a good mix. Cover the pot with a lid for a few minutes and let the flavors infuse. The Ripe-Mango curry is ready to be served. It is enjoyed best with a serving of par-boiled rice and a portion of Mangalorean style fried fish.
Ambya Upkari | Traditional Mangalorean Ripe-Mango Curry
Ingredients
For the Mango-Curry:
- 10-12 pc Ripe Mangoes, small sized (see notes)
- 2 cup Water (divided)
- 3 pc Green Chillies, Slit
- ⅓ cup Jaggery (use depending on sweetness of Mangoes)
- 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
For Tempering the Curry:
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- ⅓ tsp Urad Dal
- 1 Sprig Curry Leaves
- 2 pc Dried Red Chillies (broken)
- ¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds
Instructions
Making the Ripe-Mango Curry:
- Wash the mangoes well and peel them. Keep the Mangoes whole. Reserve the peels in a bowl
- Add a cup of water to the Mango peels and squeeze out all the pulp from the skin. Discard the peels.
- In a large enough pot, take the peeled mangoes and the mango-pulp water, along with the green chillies and salt.
- Cook the mangoes on a low heat for about 10 minutes while stirring continuously
- Make a slurry by mixing the all-purpose flour with the remaining water and add it to the pot and give a gentle good mix
- Add the jaggery if needed (see notes)
- Bring the curry to a boil while stirring constantly and cook till the curry thickens.
- Once the curry thickens, take the pot off the flame.
Tempering the Ripe-Mango Curry:
- In a tempering pan, heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds
- Follow this, by adding the urad dal, curry leaves, dried red chillies and finally the fenugreek seeds and fry for 5 seconds
- Add this tempering to the Ripe-Mango curry and give it a good mix.
- Cover the pot with a lid for a few minutes and let the flavours infuse.
- The Ripe-Mango curry is ready to be served. It is enjoyed best with a serving of par-boiled rice and a portion of Mangalorean style fried fish.
Notes
- This curry turns out best with sweet & sour variety of mangoes and ideally small in size. Traditionally, a local wild variety of mango, known as Gointo Ambo, which is small in size and sweet & sour is used in making this curry. Another alternative is the Bellary variety of mango which has similar characteristics to that of the Gointo Ambo.
- Use the jaggery if and only if needed, based on the sweetness of the Mangoes. The curry tastes best when it is sweet & sour.
- If using the commercial varieties of mangoes, the curry will turn out very sweet. Add a lime sized piece of tamarind to the curry to cut the sweetness of the Mangoes.
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