I was in my hometown Chandannagore 10 days back and went to my mamar bari (house of my maternal grandparents). It was almost 4 or 5 months since I had been there. Once again, first nostalgia overtook my senses while remembering a part of my childhood back there and then there was happiness.  There used to be a huge mango tree in the plot of land owned by my grandfather in front of my mamar bari. Every season, the entire family and extended family waited eagerly for the sweet mangoes from that tree. In summers, coming to Mamar bari or someone visiting us with a bag of mangoes was compulsory.

It was not only the mangoes that remain etched in memory. It was also numerous half-baked/half-cooked ghost stories that had the mango tree as their residence. Summer nights, load shedding and dinners in candle nights in mamar bari meant the mango tree and its ghosts too. The land has now been sold and the mango tree does not exist anymore.

Kacha Aamer Ambol -1

Now the happy part. The otherwise unnoticed mango tree at the courtyard of mamar bari has now grown big. This time my mami was ecstatic to pass on some of the mangoes to me to carry back home. A slice of my childhood may have gone. And the resident evil ghosts can’t come back now from the huge mango tree. But the mangoes were not finished.

Kacha Aamer Ambol 4

Kacha Aamer Ambol 8

Kacha Aamer Ambol is a must-have summer chutney 

Kacha Aamer ambol was a regular feature at home during summers. I miss Baba whenever this is made. He struggled all his life to make the perfect balance of the tanginess of the unripe mangoes and the sweetness. As per him daant toke jabe – or to loosely translate in English, his taste palate will get sour. Kacha aamer Ambol is a summer dish that is served at the end of the meal and the tart of the mango rules the dish with fleshy mango pul in a light syrup. Lighter than a chutney, this is ideally not to be had mixed with rice.

Kacha aamer ambol was always served with a separate bowl of sugar for lunch. Baba needed that extra sugar which he would add to it on top. Ma would frown and I would enjoy the process. Baba would keep on adding sugar still such time Ma would shout at him that he is making the Kacha Aamer ambol to an aamer payesh.

Kacha Aamer Ambol 3

Baba’s chair at the dining table remains vacant for nearly 3 years now. Tugga has grown up now loving his chutney and ambol. Sugar in a bowl doesn’t get served along with Kacha Aamer ambol anymore. Tugga loves Kacha Aamer ambol so much that once he finishes his share, he would like to take a few additional spoons from the big bowl of Ambol without anyone’s knowledge. I have been most comfortable in playing the role of a facilitator in my life and I often wonder if I could make these two men from different generations have a conversation on Kacha aamer ambol.

Kacha Aamer Ambol 9

Pin this for your recipe board? You can follow us on Pikturenama recipes for more recipe ideas (Link)

kacha amer ambol pinterest 1
kacha amer ambol pinterest 2
Kacha Aamer Ambol 2

Kacha Aamer Ambol - the summer essential

A light syrupy chutney made with green mangoes is a delicacy and post lunch must have during summers.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Vegetarian
Cuisine Bengali, Indian
Servings 1 ltr

Ingredients
  

  • 400 gms green mangoes
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 no Dried Red Chili
  • 1 tsp refined oil

Instructions
 

  • Peel the skin of the mangoes and cut them into long quarters. Discard the stone and cut them into further thinner slices. Each slice should be about a cm and half thick (or a cm, its upto you).
  • Wash the mangoes under running water and then in a saucepan or a kadai, just drop them under medium heat. Sprinkle turmeric powder and stir .
  • Cover the mangoes for 2 minutes and then reduce the heat. In about 5 minutes, the mangoes becomes soft.
  • Add 5 cups of water and give it a boil. After that let it simmer on medoium heat while covered until the magoes have become pulp.
  • Add sugar at this point of time. The quantity of sugar will depend on the tartness of the mangoes. More or less 1/2 a cup does but sometimes a few mangoes are too tart and may require some extra sugar.
  • Let the sugar dissolve and then give it one more boil for about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • In a separate skillet, heat refined oil and add dried red chili and the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to splutter and the red chili has browned, add that to the mangoes.
  • Boil it for another couple of minutes and then turn off the heat. When it cools down, store in the refrigerator and have it chilled at the end of your lunch.