Mambazha Pulissery (Ripe Mango Curry)

A few months ago, I introduced my non-South Indian friends to the magical world of vegetarian cuisine from

Mambazha Pulissery

Kerala with a popular curry known as Pulissery - yogurt and coconut based curry. The signature recipe for most festivals, especially the Onam Sadhya is the Mambazha Pulissery (Ripe Mangoes cooked in a tangy yogurt and coconut curry). This curry is also known by other names such as 'Pazhamanga Pulissery' or 'Pazhamanga Curry' in Kerala. It is traditionally made using the 'Nattu Manga' - a special variety of mango that is small in size and has a unique, sweet taste. It is made in different variations across different parts of the state and the recipe I am about to share was one of the simplest and tasty, especially if you enjoy the taste and flavour of ripe mangoes.

MAMBAZHA PULISSERY ('zh' is pronounced as 'ळा') in Malayalam
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook TIme: 10 mins | Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1. Ripe Mangoes - 2 medium sized (I used Badami variety)
2. Water - 2 cups
3. Sour Curd - 2 cups (if you don't have sour curd, add a little tamarind pulp)
4. Grated Coconut - ½ - 1 cup
5. Rice - 1 teaspoon
6. Turmeric - ½ teaspoon
7. Green Chillies - 1-2 (depending on how spicy you like your curry)
8. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
9. Mustard and fenugreek seeds and 2 dry red chillies - for tempering
10. Salt - to taste

Preparation:

1. Boil water in a cooking vessel with salt and turmeric. Peel and chop the mangoes and cook them in the water and simmer for about 5 minutes.
2. Grind the mixture of coconut, green chillies, rice with a little curd into a smooth paste.
3. Add this paste to the cooked mangoes and stir. 
4. Add a cup of water to the remaining curd (whisked well) and add it to the mix while stirring well. 
5. Simmer till the curry starts frothing along the sides and remove it from the heat. Add curry leaves and mix well.
6. Temper with mustard, fenugreek seeds and red chillies.

Your Mambazha Pulissery is ready to be served with steaming hot rice and pappadam (papads)!

Enjoy the season of mangoes with these interesting recipes!