Mango Curry

“Every house in my Thrissur neighborhood had one or two mango trees,” says Joe Thottungal, author of 2020 Gold Winning cookbook, Coconut Lagoon. “Some were sweet for eating right off the branch, and some were sour, used for pickling and cooking. This vibrantly colored mango curry is authentically Keralan, and one we’d typically pair with a fish curry and accompany with rice. The recipe calls for coconut vinegar, increasingly found in supermarkets and in health food shops, but you may substitute white vinegar if you can’t locate a bottle—though do try! 

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Dietary: DF, GF, Veg

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Mango Curry

Author Joe Thottungal, author of 2020 Gold Winning cookbook, Coconut Lagoon

Ingredients

  • 2 green unripe mangoes peeled and sliced (2 cups)
  • 4 shallots thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 4 Indian or Thai green chiles halved lengthwise
  • 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
  • 3 cloves garlic cut into thin matchsticks
  • 3 Tbsp coconut vinegar or white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups coconut milk
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 4 dried red chiles snapped in half
  • 20 curry leaves
  • Fried Onions for garnish (optional)
  • Basmati Rice to serve

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine mangoes, shallots, green chiles, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and salt and mix well. Set aside for 2 hours.
  • In a large saucepan, combine mango mixture and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until mangoes are softened.
  • Have a splash guard and measured spices nearby. Heat oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Immediately reduce heat to medium. (You can test the heat of the oil by dropping in a couple of seeds. The oil is at the correct temperature when the seeds crackle, but do not burn.) Add mustard seeds and temper for a few seconds, until they stop popping. (Cover with the splash guard, if needed.) Add red chiles and curry leaves and cook for 15–20 seconds. Add the tempered spice mixture to the saucepan and stir to combine.
  • Garnish with fried onions (if using). Serve with rice.

Notes

Excerpted from Coconut Lagoon by Joe Thottungal. Photographs by Christian Lalonde. Copyright 2019 by Coconut Lagoon. Excerpted with permission from Figure 1 Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.