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Mango, unripe (khatte aam) and mango powder (amchur)
Appears in
Published 2008
The mango is the most consumed fruit in the world. When you realize there are over 125 varieties in India alone, the multitude of ways they can, and do, sneak into many of our curries should come as no surprise. Growers cultivate certain varieties to use in their unripe form for their sour taste. Green, rock-firm, and tart, they are sliced, then sun-dried.
A more common form is mango powder, the ground dried slices, sold in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores as amchur or amchoor. Light brown, dusty-looking, and very tart, mango powder showers stews, broths, and sauces, or folds into marinades, particularly in the northern regions of India, to create a sour presence. In the finger-licking blend of spices called Chaat masala, mango powder is one of two key spices.