Kacha Aamer Tok Playful Cooking

Some states in India can get extremely brutal hot during summer, and Kolkata is one such state. During those months, you would want to focus on light meals that will soothe your tummy and help you stay hydrated. I always lean towards light dishes, like Lau Diye Munger Dal, Shoshar Shukto, Tetor Daal and any dish that calls for raw mangoes. Kacha Aamer Tok is also referred to as Aamer Ambol

Ingredients for Kacha Aamer Tok

Raw mangoes - Instead of using the usual big size raw mangoes, look for the very small varieties. These super tiny mangoes are refreshing, and very tender, so it cooks fast too. Spices - Black mustard seeds, dry red chili and turmeric powder is used in the dish. Mustard Oil - This simple side dish is always cooked in mustard oil to add that subtle pungent flavor. Salt and Sugar - The dish is more on the sour side, but to balance the flavor and taste, you have to add sugar. You want it to have a good balance of sour and sweet. As you can see, the list of ingredients is very small and there is neither any other complimentary vegetables nor a long list of spices.

Steps to prepare

Place the sliced mango in a mixing bowl filled with water. These small mangoes are tart and will taste too pungent if not soaked in water for about 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, place a heavy bottom pan or wok at medium heat and pour the mustard oil. Once the oil heats up, add black mustard seeds and dry red chili. Let it sizzle for a few seconds.
Drain the water from the soaked mango and then add it to the pan. Season with salt and add turmeric for color. Let the mango cook for a few minutes.
Pour enough water to submerge the mangoes and bring it to boil. Then let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle white sugar to sweeten the aamer tok. The amount of sugar you need to add will depend a lot on how tart the mangoes are. The over all taste will be a good a balance of sour and sweet. So, taste and add more if needed.
Let the mango simmer for 2 minutes and it’s ready. Kacha Aamer Tok tastes good at room temperature with some papad on the side or even plain white rice.

Storing the dish

You can prepare this mango dish in bulk to enjoy a little every day at the end of your meal. You need to store it in a clean dry air tight container and store in the fridge. It will stay good for 2 weeks.