Aam Dal (Lentil with Raw Green Mango)

We are just back from Mexico. The weather there constantly reminded me of sultry Kolkata. The temperature hovered around 35 Celsius and the humidity at 99%. Even though I was having my fill of Taco’s and Tequila’s what I craved was Mango Daal and Alubhaja, the staple summer lunch of Bong’s.

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentil
• 1 small raw mango peeled and cut into big chunks
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. black mustard seeds
• 2-3 dry red chilies
• 1 tbsp. mustard oil
• salt to taste

Procedure

Wash lentils till water runs clear and transparent. Add chunks of mango, turmeric powder and a pinch of salt to it. Boil lentil with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker till 1whistle comes. Turn off the heat and wait till the pressure settles down.

Open the lid and gently stir the mixture once.

Heat mustard oil in a small pan till it starts smoking. Now reduce the heat and temper it with mustard seeds and whole dry red chilies. Once they stop spluttering add the tempered oil into the lentil mixture. Season it with salt and sugar and once again turn on the heat. Let it simmer for a minute or two and then turn the heat off.

Serve with hot rice and alubhaja.

Aamshotto or Mango-Lime Roll-ups

My daughter had gone for a 4 day camping trip and we took the opportunity and headed out as well. Finally when we came back and opened the door we were welcome by the smell of very ripe mangoes. I had complete forgotten about a box of mangoes I had bought and placed on the fruit bowl before leaving. They were in good condition but we had to finish them off that day. I decided that instead of feasting on mangoes alone, I’d make some mango roll-ups.

Unfortunately Seattle is not particularly known for it’s sunlight. Rather many tout it as the most depressing city in US, due to its lack of sunlight and constant drizzle (a view I totally oppose). So I worked around this problem by using the oven.

Ingredients

• 6 mangoes (Canned mango pulp can also be used) 
• 4 heaped tbsp. sugar
• 1 large lime

Procedure

Wash and pat dry mangoes. Cut the flesh and make a pulp out of them in your food processor. Now strain it on a strainer and remove the fibers to get the smooth pulp. If you are using canned mango pulps you can skip this step.

Though the mangoes I used were over ripe they were not sweet enough. To give a sweet and sour taste I added 4 heaped tbsp. sugar and juice of one large lime. The quantities of these two will therefore vary depending on the sweet and sourness of the mangoes you use. Stir in well and blend them in properly.

Line two cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the mango pulp evenly with a spatula. Don’t make it too thin or too thick otherwise either it will become very crispy like papad or it will not dry properly in the oven.

Turn your oven on the lowest setting (mine goes to 170) and place the cookie sheets in the oven.  I kept the door open to keep the oven cooler than 170 and for a better air circulation, we are drying these out not baking them.  Depending on how thick you have spread the puree it may take anywhere from 4-7 hours to dehydrate in your oven.

When you touch the upper layer of the spread if it feels rubbery and if the layer comes off from the parchment paper easily that means it is done. Turn off the oven and let it rest in the warm oven overnight. don’t forget to keep the oven door half opened for better air circulation.

Now remove the mango layers from the parchment paper and cut them into equal portions of your choice. Roll and tie them with ribbon.

Eggless Mango Cake

My daughter’s school celebrates international cultural night every year. In her school there are 38 different native language speaking students. Representatives from these cultures setup booths and each student brings in a food item so that everyone gets to enjoy food from all across the world. It’s pretty amazing to walk down the hall and see their booths and then eat Mediterranean baklava, Indian bisi-bele-bath and Japanese sushi in one seating.

This year me and my friend Laxmi decided to make some fusion food. Coupling Mango into an eggless cake.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup semolina (sooji)
2. 1 cup sweetened mango pulp (canned or freshly made)
3. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
4. 1/4th cup unsalted butter at room temperature
5. 1tsp. baking powder
6. Golden raisins ( optional )

Procedure

Preheat oven at 350F.

In a bowl mix sooji with baking powder and keep aside.

Take a mixing bowl and mix butter and sugar till its creamy. Gradually add mango pulp to it and give a real good mix.

Now slowly add sooji mix to it and stir to combine. Sweetness of mango pulp varies with different brands, so it is better to check the sweetness and adjust at this point.

Grease a 9 inch baking pan and pour the cake mixture into it. Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and allow it to cool on a wire rack.

Cut it into squares and serve. I didn’t put  raisins for my daughter’s school event keeping in mind that some students might have allergic reaction. But it really looks good when you decorate each square with golden raisin.

The same cake I made for a friend’s dinner party.