Chef Ajay Thakur gives you a super excuse to celebrate summer by adding mangoes to your plate.
Aamras Puri can be rustled up in no time and will have your family licking their lips post breakfast.
Add an unusual spin to the dish by teaming it with crushed Lijjat papad and a side of diced aam papad.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Bayroute
Aamras Puri
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
For the aamras
- 2-3 large ripe mangoes, chopped, preferably a sweet, juicy variety like Ratnagiri or Devgad Alphonso
- Few tbsp milk or water
- 3-4 tbsp sugar, optional, depending on the sweetness of the mangoes
- Few kesar or saffron strands, optional
- ½ to 1 tsp green elaichi or cardamom powder, optional
For the puris
- 1 cup aatta or whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp rava or semolina
- 10 gm oil/ghee
- Salt
- Cold water
- Oil, to drizzle
To serve, optional
- 2-3 medium-size Lijjat papad, roasted
- 25 gm aam papad, diced
- 1 tbsp chilly powder
- 2 tbsp chaat masala
- Mango slices or cubes
Method
- Blend the chopped mango pieces with the milk/water, sugar in a mixer/blender.
Do not add too much milk/water, or else the aamras will become too watery.
Start by adding a few tbsp of milk/water and keep adding more until it's the right consistency.
Transfer the aamras into a serving bowl, add the cardamom powder and mix.
Garnish with the saffron strands and chill in the fridge.
- To make the puris, mix the aatta, rava and salt.
Add the cold water, little at a time, and knead into a soft dough.
Drizzle some oil over it and cover the dough with a moist cloth and allow it to sit for half an hour.
Knead the dough for a few minutes and divide the dough into equal parts and roll it into small 1-inch diameter balls.
Using your hands, flatten and then roll into small puris.
- Heat the oil or ghee in a kadhai.
Fry the puris, one at a time, until they puff up and turn golden brown.
Drain onto a tissue or paper towel-lined plate.
- Garnish the aamras with fresh mango slices or cubes.
Place the bowl of aamrasin the centre of a plate and arrange the puris neatly on the side.
Crush the roasted papad and arrange it on the plate.
Season with the chaat masala and chilly powder.
Add the diced aam papad and serve.
Note: For gluten-free puris use rice aatta or besan or chickpea flour and add in a bit of amaranth or rajgir flour or else jowar or millet flour. Cornstarch may be added too.
For vegan aamras add only ater and not milk and fry the puris in oil.
Mangoes are not ideal for a diabetic diet. To reduce the sugar content, mix ripe mango pieces with raw mango pieces as well. Avoid adding any additional sugar. And make the puris from besan or chickpea flour mixed with jowar flour or rajgir flour.
Chef Ajay Thakur is the corporate chef at Bayroute, a restaurant in Mumbai.
