Aamras: the naked mango smoothie bowl

Today I made what will definitely remain the simplest mango recipe I'll make this season. It is so simple that when I found it online, I didn't really believe it was even a recipe. But apparently it is, and although I hadn't had it here before, I have since seen it on some of the food delivery apps. So restaurants are definitely making it, and people are eating it. After making it myself, I can kind of see why. Although I'm not sure I prefer it over diced mango, because diced mango is amazing.

Basically, aamras is pureed mango. According to the recipes online, people might add a pinch of saffron or cardamom to the mango puree, depending on which region of India they are from, and you can add some sugar or a little ghee to the mango as well, but it's all optional. At its simplest, aamras is just pureed mango. Although I haven't really asked around about this, I am guessing that the appeal of this is largely in that pureeing the mango makes it a lot less messy to eat, yet still fully presentable. An added plus, though, is that pureeing the mango gives it a certain lightness, almost like a mousse of sorts, or the perfect base for a smoothie bowl. I will definitely make this again, and although I didn't do it this time, I will definitely make a smoothie bowl with some of it next time.

Aamras

Ingredients:

• 1 or more ripe mangoes
• A blender or hand blender
• Optional: A pinch of saffron or cardamom, a little sugar, a little ghee (I didn't add any of these)

Directions:

1. Peel your mangoes, being careful to get as much flesh off as possible
2. Place them in a blender, or a bowl well suited to your hand blender. Puree the mango until smooth.
3. Chill your aamras for a while in the fridge before serving
4. To make an aamras smoothie bowl: after chilling the aamras, put some into a medium sized bowl, and add some sliced fresh fruit (such as berries, dragon fruit, bananas, or thickly sliced dried coconut), as well as granola, chia seeds, and/or roasted almonds