Aamer Ambol, Runny Green Mango Chutney

Remember those way too many green mangoes the husband got? Well, after making pickle and aam panna, this is what I ended up doing with the remaining two. Make my Mum’s runny green mango chutney, a popular summer cooler called Aamer Ambol.

Many memorable Bengali meals end with this sweet-tangy chutney, which is bursting with flavours. The Aamer Ambol has a cooling effect on the tummy, especially on summer days because of the anti-oxidants it has.

Ingredients for Aamer Ambol are:

2 green mangoes, washed and coarsely diced (remove the soft fleshy part inside the core, retain the seeds/stones)
1 heaped teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons mustard oil
5-6 tablespoons sugar
Salt

Heat the mustard oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and cover. Let them splutter till they turn dark, not black.

Add the pieces of mango and its seeds too.

Move around the mango to coat them well with the mustard seeds and oil. Cook the mango on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the turmeric powder and mix well. Leave the mango uncovered on low for a couple of minutes more. You will notice that the pieces of mango are looking softer and have already got a coat of color on them.

Add water, enough to completely cover all the mangoes, and a little more for good luck. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes and add sugar and salt. Its important that you add the sugar after the water else the sugar will caramelize and will not dissolve in the water. Which in turn will be an ambol disaster!

It doesn’t take too long to cook the mangoes. Make sure the texture of the chutney is runny. If the water cooks down, add a little more. Turn the heat off once the sugar dissolves and the mangoes are done. Do a taste test and adjust the salt and sugar accordingly. (When a dish is too hot, it will taste less salty or sweet than it really is.)

The Aamer Ambol is usually served room temperature. Or warm. That’s when you really appreciate the balance of sweet and sour in it.

This runny green mango chutney can be stored in the fridge for a few days too. After a hearty meal, we Bengalis usually end on a note of sweet, but before that comes a much important component of sweet and sour and savoury, in the form of a chutney – either tomato, green papaya, pineapple or this mango. They say a chaatney like this helps open up your senses to the dizzying array of desserts that follow. Or Ebaar “desert” ta aano as a true blue Bong would say!

Aam Panna

"Aam" is Hindi for Mango, and "Panna" translated literally is "Emerald".

So the next time you spot young green mangoes, think of all the wonderful possibilities you can bring in your kitchen with young raw mangoes. Including a very desi reason of a glass of chilled Aam Panna, something that many Indian homes rely on to beat the searing heat of the mid 40°C of the Summer months.

My Mum would make a big jug of this Aam Panna or Aam Poda Shorbet (Roasted Mango Sherbet) during the months of late April and May when raw mangoes were showing up in the bazaars in abundance.

Green Mangoes are a source of pectin and some good acids, plus the essential nutrient of Vitamin C.

During the summer months, when dehydration is almost inevitable, the Aam Panna helps to quench thirst while working on your body to prepare it to fight against excessive loss of sodium chloride and iron. So you see, apart from being high on the taste quotient, the humble Aam Panna is well-respected health-wise too.

I am not a big fan of sour mangoes, but the roasting of the green mangoes on an open gas flame adds a smoky flavor I simply cannot resist. Plus the balance of salt (I use black salt) and sugar tempered with some dry roasted cumin seeds makes the Aam Panna an all time summer favorite.

Ingredients for Aam Panna are:

3-4 green mangoes
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
Black salt to taste
2-3 cubes of ice 
Sugar

Smoke or roast the raw mangoes. Hold the mangoes over a low open gas flame. Rotate frequently. I used my stove-top rack (remember that roti mesh?). It should take about 20-30 minutes for raw mangoes to cook till the core.
The skin will pop to let out juices and will char on all sides. Poke a fork to know if the mango is cooked till the insides.

Let the mangoes cool down completely before handling them.

Meanwhile, dry roast the cumin seeds in a pan and crush them coarsely.

Peel the mangoes and squeeze the pulp out of them. No need to show any TLC when you are squeezing, do it with all the energy that you can muster. As if you are very, very angry at the mangoes…or the summer!

Discard the pits.

In a blender, mix the mango pulp, five-six cups of water, ice cubes, black salt, sugar (I used quarter cup of fine sugar) and give it a good swirl. Add the crushed cumin seeds and give it one last whoosh.

Pour the Aam Panna in glasses and serve. You can even sprinkle a few flakes of cayenne chili. Enjoy the sweet-salty and smoky-citrusy taste of this raw mango delight.

Aam Panna is probably a very important reason why I looked forward to Summers in India. Cheers!

I am sending my Aam Panna to The Summertime Sipper Recipe Contest.