Mango Kadhi and Dry Dal Sabzi

One of the things I was looking forward to about living in India was mango season. I remember this time last year: I had already taken my job here in India, and as I was sitting in my apartment getting paperwork ready, packing, and downsizing my things, my instagram was alive with posts from Mumbai about mango season. Every food blogger was posting mango recipes and even just boxes of mangoes with captions about how much they loved mango season. 

Here in Mumbai, fruit moves with the seasons. I find I can get delicious pomegranates basically all year, but other fruits such as pineapples, green grapes, and mangoes come and go depending on the season. I remember in Indonesia as well, the best time for sweet mangoes was always the end of summer, from about July until late August, and after that you would mainly just eat them in rujak (sweet and spicy fruit salad), as they would be young and sour. So needless to say, as a mango lover who is used to only getting them a few months a year, I had been looking forward to mango season in Mumbai for a full year. I had no idea that by the time mango season rolled around the whole city would be shut down and I would have to "experience" and "enjoy" it alone from my apartment.

That said, I am making the best of it. I love that on Zomato, the app I am often using to buy groceries at the moment, numerous shops have opened up selling only mangoes. And in a concentrated effort to make the most of mango season even though I'm shut up at home, I have bought myself a large box of Alphonso mangoes and am looking forward to eating them as well as trying out some Indian mango recipes while they're plentiful and cheap.

The first recipe that caught my eye was this savoury mango recipe. It seems to be like a curry of sorts using equal parts pureed mango and unsweetened yogurt hailing from Gujarat, a state just northwest of Maharashtra. The dish is infused with a whole load of tempered Indian spices, and what you ultimately get is a delicious, wholesome curry-type dish with just a hint of mango and yogurt, but which doesn't really taste strongly of either. It's kind of addictive. I asked a Gujarati friend about it before making it, since I had had no idea what it was, and he suggested I make it with moong dal sookhi sabzi (dry moong dal), so I decided to do that, and I must say I was happy with the results all around. Both recipes are adapted from blogs, so I've linked the originals above as well.

And, if you can tell that the photo below was taken in the evening, it's because this whole meal was so quick and simple to throw together I did it after school one night. So it's a great meal for a special weeknight dinner.

Mango Kadhi (Fajeto)

Ingredients:

• For the Yogurt spice paste:
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp dry chickpeas, blended very finely in a blender (or chickpea flour - besan - if you can find it)
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 green chilis
• For the Mango Kadhi:
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp hing
• 3 cups water
• 2-3 dry red chilis or 3 tsp kashmiri chili powder
• 12 dried curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup mango puree
• For the tempering:
• 1 tbsp ghee or butter
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 2-3 dried red chilis, or 2-3 tsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1/4 tsp kashmiri chili powder (skip this if you already added chili powder)

Directions:

1. Gather the ingredients for the yogurt spice paste and blend to a smooth paste in a blender (yogurt, ground chickpeas, fresh ginger and chilis)
2. In a large wok, heat the oil, fenugreek, mustard, cumin and hing over a low flame until they pop a little and are fragrant.
3. Add the yogurt spice paste and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until it the ginger no longer smells raw.
4. Add 3 cups water, the turmeric, salt, and mango puree. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let it thicken and cook the mango. (Note: when you begin this step, you should start preparing the dal sabzi, if you haven't done so already)
5. For the tempering: In a small pot, add the ghee and tempering spices. Cook over low heat until the ghee is melted and spices are fragrant (once the ghee is melted, it should be only cooked for a maximum of 10-20 more seconds, so this is all very brief). Pour over the top of the mango kadhi and serve with dal and rice.

Dry Moong Dal Sabzi

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow moong dal (yellow split lentils)
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt, to taste
• 1 fresh green chili, thinly sliced (optional, for garnish)
• lime wedges (optional, for garnish)
• coriander leaves (optional, to garnish)

Directions:

1. Rinse the lentils, strain, and set aside
2. In a medium pot with a lid, briefly toast the chili power in 2 tbsp oil, add the turmeric, lentils, salt, and 2 cups of water. 
3. Give it a good stir, cover, and bring to a boil
4. Cook, covered for 10-20 minutes, until cooked through. Taste the dal to see if it is fully cooked, and if not, add some more water and cook further.
5. Once ready, add the garam masala, and give it a quick stir to lighten it up
6. Serve hot with mango kadhi and rice, garnished with some fresh lime juice, sliced green chili, and coriander leaves