Mango Curd

Oh my…I am going to face a bad day. I bought four mangoes and had totally forgotten about its existence. Suffocated in a plastic bag it spent almost two days when I suddenly bumped in to them while cleaning my kitchen counter. Yea I am to some extend a forgetful lady who sometimes keeps her mobile phone in the refrigerator or the butter in the Micro-oven. Yea, yea I know. You must be thinking I am exaggerating. Oh no absolutely not. And this might be the only reason that often I am bashed down in a vocal war with my Man due to my forgetful nature (Now he writes everything and stick it on refrigerator so that it should not skip my mind- Aha good solution to avoid the Home Wars. :P). Ok now the moral of the fact was when I picked up one Mango and served to the lil one she instantly rejected. To her, the taste of the mango was too sweet and different.  So I tried a bite. Yeww… It had become over ripen and due to that it was leaving a kind gassy taste and acidic too. Now what to do with the remaining mangoes!!! So I took a whole day to decide what can be made with these (For you people who think Food Bloggers are genius, they know everything, they make recipes instantly blah blah – Here is the proof  they are not – I mean I am not But I know many who are really a genius).

I didn't want to discard the expensive mangoes. The man shouted a bit (As lil K disclosed the secret that she was not able to eat the Mango..grrrrr). And I silently digested it. The next day the idea clicked to make Mango curd. To be fare I have never made Lemon curd or either Mango curd. So I started browsing through the net. And got a recipe after my mind and hit it. Frankly speaking the gassy smell still was remained in the curd. But I did like it with some crackers or just as it is after the meal.  So I came to this conclusion if the mango is over ripen it is OK to make Mango Curd. But if the carbon dioxide raises high in the mango it is better to discard. Or if you have some better Idea then please share with me.

My Food Photography Experience:

Now onward I have thought of sharing how I am learning Food Photography and  trying to improve it.

# For me the first thing one should learn is to FOCUS the main object of a dish which actually is considered as a hero.

# Once you are well versed with focusing objects then you should start concentrating on syncing the whole picture with LIGHT. Trying clicking from every angle. And you will understand from which position you are having the best focus.

#I have started my journey first with the PROGRAM Mode and with the basic lens that comes with camera by default. Then I move on to the 50mm/1.8ft lens. It is the cheaper of the lot and I swear best for Food Photography mainly for the beginners.

# Each dish should have a story. And according to that you should create the background and arrange the props.

# I bought simple and cheap Masonite Boards and colour them to use them as by back grounds.

# Keep some piece of different types of plain colourful and designer clothes, one can use them also as the background.

# I always share it that click in that way so that the picture should not need to get edited. If needed just balance the highlight and shadow that’s all.  For beginners editing in Picasa is the best one.

This much for today. On my next post will share more…Now lets move on to the recipe:

Ingredients:

(Yields approx 1 & 1/4 cup)

{Recipe adapted from HERE}

Mango - 1 large ripe and cubed

Buttter- 6 tblspn
Sugar -1/3 cup  

Lemon Juice- 1 tblspn
Lemon Zest - from one small lemon

Egg- 3

Method:

1.  Blend the Mango cubes in a blender and make a puree. Reserve.

2. Melt butter in a Kadai/deep dense pan. Add sugar, lemon juice,  and  lemon zest. Cook over medium heat. Keep on  stirring, until sugar gets totally dissolved and the mixture comes to simmer. (Please see Note: #3)

3. Add the Mango puree and bring to boil.

4.  In a separate bowl whisk the eggs one at a time. 

5. Take the Mango off the  heat and gradually whisk in the egg and fold nicely. 

6. Again put the mixture on heat and cook over moderate heat. Keep on stirring continuously to avoid the lumps. When it will start to bubble and the consistency turns a bot condensed then take it off the heat and cool. (Please check Note: #2)

7. When it is completely cooled down pour the mango curd an airtight container  and refrigerate for  at least 2 hours and then serve it. You can have it with bread or crackers or you can make tart and fill it with Mango curd. Some grated chocolates or some fresh chopped fruits too goes very well with it.

Note:-

1. I have made this out of 2 mangoes and used 5 eggs.

2. After the Mango Curd is done it is recommended to run it through a fine sieve to get rid of the lumps if formed any. I have skipped that part. 

3. I would recommend to add half of the sugar first and then the other half after adding the mango pulp. Because if the mango is too sweet then the addition of excess sugar may make it too sweeter. So first taste the sweetness and then add the remaining sugar as much needed.

Mango Haat at ITC Sonar,Kolkata

“In keep with ITC Hotels philosophy of being ‘rooted to the soil’, we celebrate the unique diversity of flavours through which Murshidabad mangoes delight connoisseurs of the fruit. This is in keeping with our commitment to sustainability and Responsible Luxury.” – Atul Bhalla (General Manager, ITC Sonar)

Have you heard of Bimli, which carries a classic legend direct from the enchanting history from the Nawabs’ era. During the rule of Mir Jafar, a maid called Bimli worked hard in the leisure garden of the Nawab. While being pleased with her work the Nawab named a new verity of mango that was being cultivating in his garden “Bimli’. Yes Bimli is the name of one of the sweetest and fleshy Mangoes that Murshidabad takes the pride of cultivating it.  Or what about Kohitoor the most legendary Nawabi Mango from Hakim Aga Mohammadi Bagh which would only pluck by hands and would be kept wrapped in cotton wool to keep it fresh. After every 12 hours, the mango has to change its position to ripe uniformly and should be cut with a sharp bamboo wedge but not by a knife. 

Bhavani, Bira, Anaras, Kalapahar Saranga, Molamjam, Ranipasand so and so forth- what do you think they are!!!!They are nothing but all the name of the varieties of Mangoes that leave the trail of the legends of the Nawab’s era again. Moorshidabad, not Murshidabad then used be the Heart of Bengal, the torch bearer of the Indian culture and architecture – The Nawab’s land of luxury.  In the pages of History Murshidabad It was the place where once 200 varieties of mangoes grown alone in the orchards of Murshidabad.

To start with - Thanks to Murshidabad Heritage Development Society (MHDS), iLEAD and ITC Sonar whose joint effort presented ‘Mango Haat’ to introduce the exquisite verities of mangoes where many got extinct but still there are many to bear the pride of the heritage land Murshidabad through the trail of history, the land once famous for its highly nurtured exotic mangoes. Being a part of Kolkata Food Bloggers the invitation to experience the journey with the legendary Mangoes from Murshidabad along with the history was a stupendous experience that last Sunday evening gifted us.

Along with the varieties of Mangoes on display a delectable high tea table enriched the taste buds of the guests. All the delicacies very creatively and sumptuously presented and the common ingredient of all was nothing but Mango. Even it really won the heart to see Sushi made out of Mango. The event became more interesting when Mr. Pradip Chopra the president of Murshidabad Heritage Development Society (MDHS)and the Chairman of iLEAD, enlightened our knowledge with a short documentary mainly based on

the  book – Mangoes From Murshidabad”, written by him.  It not only travelled us several years back to get the glimpses of how Mango used to get cultivated but also introduced to the Sheherwali cusines like Aam ka launi, Aam Chana ka Kutti, Kachhe aam ka kheer etc and there famous mango cutting techniques. If we literally define ‘Sheherwali ’, it means ‘City (sheher)’ dwellers. History says that the Jain Community who settled down in Murshidabad (Jiaganj, Azimgang) was called Sheherwali. Most of them came from Rajasthan with a connection of some business purpose and then settled down here. Apart from their delicious cuisine the most captivating part was their mango cutting technique. It is like a ceremony that has to go through five phases to get the perfect slices of the fleshy mango pieces without having wasting the juice or any finger prints on the flesh.

#The Mangoes has to be soaked in water for 4-5 hours and washed carefully.

#Then the skin has to be cut with two kinds of techniques.u

#Again the mango has to be washed.

#Then the pieces should be cut with utmost care.

#And then serve carefully.

The event was very encouraging to see the effort to bring back one of the glories of the Heritage place like Murshidabad and exhibiting the exquisite collection of mangoes that is not only a rare experience but also an eye opener to take the pride of the treasures that Bengal own.

(All the sources of information was found from the book: Mangoes From Murshidabad, Compiled & Designed by Pradip Chopra and Team iLead)

Aam Doi

Mango, the king of the seasonal fruits during summer is also one of my favorites. And the best part of it, Raw or ripe, it furnishes well one's creativity in culinary to experiment in vast ranges of different dishes. In Bengali cuisine mango is not only used in the sweets or desserts but in the main courses too, as raw mangos are used in Daal, fish etc. My recent visit to some eminent swanky Bengali Cuisine Restaurants in Kolkata, enamored my attention to the dessert section. Aam Doi  (Mango Flavoured Sweet Yoghurt) is mostly common in the dessert sections during this searing summer. I often make Mishti Doi (Sweet Yoghurt) at home but never tried Aam Doi. So this time I tried my hand to experiment Aam Doi in my kitchen. And no need to say, everybody in my family savoured it in no time. Of course on the same run, I would like to refer Bong Mom' s CookBook where she gave a nice recipe of Aam Doi. Following is the recipe, how I made it:

Ingredients:

Mango - 1 (medium sized, I made a pulp out of it.)

Thick curd - 1 cup (I used Amul's Masti doi)

Condensed Milk - 1 can (400g pack)

Pistachio - for garnishing

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 130 degree C.
2. Beat the curd in a smooth paste so that no lump can be seen.
3. Add all the other ingredients except the pistachio and blend together nicely.
4. Take ramekins or an oven proof bowl. Pour the mixture in it and bake it for 10 -25mnts. If you are using ramekins it will take 10-15 mnts. If you are using a single bowl for the given measurement it will take 20-25mnts. Pls keep on checking pricking a toothpick until it comes out smooth.
5. Take out from the oven cool it. Then refrigerate for an hour and serve with garnished pistachio.

Note: If you want to make Mishti Doi at home, don’t add mango and do the rest.

Mango Pie

The dulcifying savour still smacks my lips. I tasted this dish in one of my husband’s colleagues’ party almost 4 years back. This was served as the dessert and everyone englutted it in no time. Being a newlywed bride my prime attention was then to feed my husband with new kind of viands. Cooking then became a passion for me and a ritual to ask for each and every recipe served in each party. And all the hosts got to get ready with their recipes handy before my arrival.

Mango Pie is one of the most challenging recipes till date for me which I failed to make two times and then quit 4 years back. I noted down the recipe properly but never understood the trick of wielding the Gelatin then. Both the times the pie was failed to jell. I dared to ask the recipe again as this was prepared by the colleague himself and all my research on setting a pie from the net didn’t work at all. So the best option I chose to relinquish. Now almost 4 years are passed and I have become the queen of the kitchen in moderate sense. In this long run, I crafted my hands in Jell-O making quite often. And two of my greatest achievements, the Layered Jell-O and the Broken Glass Jell-O gave me the confidence to try the failed recipe once again. No need to say this time when I defied the dish, it’s a grand success. You all should see the winning pacification on my face when I saw the pie congealed. This time I made a little bit of change by the addition of a layer of jelled condense milk, as I have to use the condense milk any way. With the addition of the layer the pie looked more colourful and tasty too.  The base of chocolate pie crust and two layers of a gelatinous condensed milk and the piquant mango pulp conflated with cream cheese, made a luscious twinge of delicacy. Both the kids and the adult would enjoy the dish till the last bite.

  Shuffling some information on Gelatin last night, I encountered with this fact, from which I was totally ignorant-

“Gelatin is a protein substance derived from collagen, a natural protein present in the tendons, ligaments, and tissues of mammals. It is produced by boiling the connective tissues, bones and skins of animals, usually cows and pigs. Gelatin's ability to form strong, transparent gels and flexible films that are easily digested, soluble in hot water, and capable of forming a positive binding action have made it a valuable commodity in food processing, pharmaceuticals, photography, and paper production.” 

(http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Gelatin.html)

 

Did you know that!!!!! If you want to read more about Gelatin go Here.

 Now come to the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

Instant Chocolate pie crust base- 1

The first layer of Condense Milk:-

Condensed Milk- ½ cup

Knox Gelatin- 1 envelops

Water-1 cup

Second Layer of Mango Pulp:-

Mango pulp- 1 cup

Cream Cheese- 2 table spoon (soften in room temperature)

Water- 2 cups

Knox Gelatin- 2 envelops

Method:-

The first layer of Condense Milk:-

1. Boil ¾ cup water.

2. Pour the condense milk in a bowl and add ½ cup boiling water. Fold nicely.

3. Pour 1 envelop of gelatine in ¼ cup of cold water, stir gently and leave for 2mnts to set. Add the remaining hot water. Mix well.

4. Add the gelatine to the milk mixture. Sir well.

5. Pour it on the pie crust base and refrigerate for 3-4 hours to set.

Second Layer of Mango Pulp:-

1. Boil 1 ½ cups.

2. Blend the Cream Cheese and the Mango pulp nicely. Add 1 cup boiling water.

3. Pour 2 envelops of gelatine in ½ cup of cold water, stir gently and leave for 2mnts to set. Add the remaining hot water. Mix well.

4. Add the gelatine to the mango pulp mixture. Sir well.

5. Pour it on the empty space of pie crust base and refrigerate for 3-4 hours to set. Best is to keep overnight to get the thick consistency. Enjoy....


Sending this to Indrani of Recipe Junction 's Summer Fruit event: