Latest news with #Bazm-e-Aam
Time of India
18-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Cooking with mangoes: Aam's the khaas ingredient in desi kitchens
From tenderisers in meat curries to desserts, comforting dals, pickles and chutneys that pack summer in a jar From intensely sweet and floral alphonso and kesars to tangy varieties like totapuri and langda, Indian mangoes span a wide flavour profile. They stir senses, spark nostalgia and find a special place in the Indian regional kitchens. Just as their taste and texture vary, so do their culinary uses, with every region giving the fruit its distinctive twist – from tenderisers in meat curries to desserts, comforting dals, pickles and chutneys that pack summer in a jar. Adding a tang with kachcha aam Raw mangoes, prized for their tartness, are a common thread in regional Indian cuisines, used to add freshness, tang and complexity to savoury dishes. Mamadikaya pulihora A summer favourite in Andhra Pradesh, mamidikaya pulihora is a tangy rice dish made with grated raw mango, tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies. Mamadikaya pulihora (Pic: @chefreetuudaykugaji) C hef Sadaf Hussain, who curated a mango-inspired menu for a recent Bazm-e-Aam event, says, 'There's no other fruit that offers such versatility, from raw to ripe.' His regional spread featured dishes like Gujarat's ras no fajeto, Manipur's heinou metpa, Andhra's mamidikaya pulihora (mango rice), Bihar's aam ka koocha, and Rajasthan's kachche aam ki kheer - all celebrating mangoes across India's culinary map. ' Mango preserves Mango preserves are a part of many culinary cultures. Be it aam ki launji, galka or gudamba, raw mangoes are used to make sweet-spicy jams across the country. About the culinary use of mangoes in Bihar, chef Nishant Choubey, says, 'Gudamba is a chutney-like preparation made from raw mangoes, jaggery and red chillies. It is a mix of sweet and sour with a hint of heat.' The jam-like galka, made with raw mangoes and sugar or jaggery, is a Lakhnawi household favourite, says chef Taiyaba Ali. Green mangoes are indispensable in Bengali kitchens (Pic: @samitacuriouscook_) Aam bata In Bengali cuisine, aam bata is a traditional raw mango mash or paste, typically made in the summer. It is prepared by boiling or roasting green mangoes, then mashing them with mustard oil, salt and green chillies. Aam bata (Pic: @samitacuriouscook) Achraj Achraj is a traditional minced-mutton dish of the Awadhi cuisine. It blends finely minced goat meat cooked in aromatic spices and enriched with raw mango, added towards the end for a sharp, tangy finish. In the Awadhi cuisine, chef and writer Taiyaba Ali notes that raw mango is used not just for its flavour but as a tenderiser. 'One will see raw mango being cooked with meat, like in Achraj, a qeema and aam dish.' In her recently curated seven-course mango-forward dining experience, Aam Baat, the chef featured a mix of traditional dishes inspired by home-cooked Awadhi food with a twist, like acharaj pulao. Achraj, prepared by chef Sadaf Hussain as a part of a five-course mango-forward dinner Indulgence with the sweet ripe side If raw mango adds tartness, ripe mango is all about indulgence. Chef Ashish Bhasin reflects on how mango is deeply rooted in the Indian food psyche 'Unlike fruits introduced through invasions, mango is truly ours. Ripe mangoes lend a natural sweetness. Balanced with spices, they create flavours that are deeply Punjabi. Fajeto Fajeto is a Gujarati kadhi where the puree of ripe mangoes meets whisked curd and besan. It is slow-cooked with ginger, green chillies, and spices and topped with a generous ghee tempering of mustard, cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon and dry red chilli. Fajeto (Pic: @chefreetuudaykugaji) Aamras Aamras is a silky mango puree made from ripe mangoes, typically flavoured with cardamom or saffron. 'Popular in Maharashtra and Gujarat, it's often served chilled with puris as a summer delicacy. Aamras (Pic: @chefreetuudaykugaji) The mango seed acts as a preservative for aamras and prevents enzymatic browning or oxidation when aamras comes in contact with the oxygen in the air,' shares culinary consultant Reetu Kugaji, adding, 'The natural balance of sugar and acidity in mangoes, along with its ability to absorb spices, makes them ideal for traditional sweets like aamras, aamrakhand or mambazha payasam' Mambazha pulissery In Kerala, the sweet side of mangoes is showcased in dishes like pulissery, a yoghurt-based curry, where the fruit imparts richness while the yoghurt provides tang. 'It's a balance of sweet and sour that defines summer meals in the south,' adds chef Rakesh Raghunathan. Mambazha pulissery (Pic: @_usha_mathew_) Amrakhand Amrakhand, a delicious blend of ripe mango pulp and creamy hung curd, enhanced with sugar, cardamom and saffron. Enriched with blanched charoli seeds, pistachios, almonds; amrakhand is a chilled, fragrant indulgence that captures the soul of Maharashtrian and Gujarati summers Amrakhand (Pic: @chefreetuudaykugaji) Mango leather The chewy, sun-dried slices of mango takes on different names across India. It's known as aam papad in the North, mamidi tandra in Andhra Pradesh, amba poli in Maharashtra and aam sotto in Bengal. Usually made with ripe mango pulp sweetened with sugar or jaggery, some regional recipes add a bit of raw mango for a tangy twist. In Bengali cuisine, too, ripe mangoes shine in festive fare. 'We make payesh (rice pudding), doi (mango-infused curd), sandesh, sotto (aam papad) and even enjoy ripe mango with boiled rice,' says Samita Haldar. Mango leather (@msaggarwal)
New Indian Express
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Romancing the Mango: Chef Sadaf Hussain's mango-centric dinner at Bazm-e-Aam celebrates India's beloved fruit
As monsoon clouds begin to hover over the capital, summer is slowly retreating. Despite the scorch of the past few weeks, there's one thing Delhiites still await with childlike anticipation: mangoes. From Alphonso and Banginapalli (Safeda) to blushing Raspuri, mangoes arrive across India like edible postcards of summer. But beyond fragrance and flavour, mango season tugs at childhood memories — of climbing trees and grandparents waiting with plates full of mango slices dipped in salt, chilli, and oil. To celebrate this nostalgia, Delhi-based Kashkol Collective's Bazm-e-Aam at IIC, offered an evening of poetry, dastangoi, music, and a mango feast curated by chef and author Sadaf Hussain. 'Everyone has a childhood memory with mango,' says Hussain. For him, summers meant endless mangoes at his grandparents' home in Sasaram, Bihar. He recalls eating mango mixed with rice and dal — a combo that reminded him of Thailand's mango sticky rice, 'but desi-style, though I didn't love it,' he laughs.
Mint
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Planner: 4 events that make this an eclectic week
Anupa Mehta Contemporary Arts, Mumbai, is hosting Voir Dire 2, featuring artists such as Madhavi Subrahmanian, Sumakshi Singh, Vibha Galhotra and Chandrashekhar Koteshwar. The previous chapter of Voir Dire, held between March and April, presented a dialogue on materiality, perception and authenticity. The exhibition's second chapter carries this forward and examines how 'truth is constructed, perceived and revealed through a multiplicity of perspectives'. Subrahmanian, for instance, presents works from the Spiral series, featuring a set of 373 handmade stoneware cones and 343 terracotta cones. At Anupa Mehta Contemporary Arts, Mumbai, till 10 July, 11am-6pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Historian Sohail Hashmi A unique event is all set to celebrate the culture and generational memory around the mango. Organised by the Kashkol Collective, Bazm-e-Aam will include a myriad forms of storytelling to look at the mango as a cultural metaphor and a symbol of nostalgia. You can attend the Qissagoi—Dastan on the Mango by Ashhar Haque, tracing the journey of this fruit from Buddhist parables and Mughal memoirs to colonial kitchens. A highlight of the evening is a talk by historian Sohail Hashmi and writer-environmentalist Sopan Joshi on the mango and Indian cultural memory. At the end is a meal curated by chef Sadaf Hussain. At India International Centre, Delhi, 14 June, 7pm onwards. Magdalene in Ecstasy, Oil on canvas, by Caravaggio After mesmerising audiences in Delhi, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio's exquisite painting, Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy, travels to Bengaluru and is on show till early July at the National Gallery of Modern Arts (NGMA). The painting – considered one of the best examples of the chiaroscuro technique – was done by Caravaggio around 1606 while he was in exile after being charged for murder. After having been lost for centuries, the painting resurfaced in a private collection in 2014. At NGMA, Manikyavelu Mansion, Palace Road, Bengaluru, 14 June - 6 July 2025,10 am-6pm (closed on Mondays and national holidays). BeautyXperience 2025 includes masterclasses by celebrity makeup artistes, luxury brand showcases and live music performances. Phoenix Mall of Asia Bengaluru is hosting BeautyXperience 2025, a three-day celebration of beauty, style and artistry. On schedule are masterclasses by celebrity makeup artiste Sandhya Shekhar and beauty educator Bhumika Bahl, luxury brand showcases, and musical performances by StringFisher, Kanya, and the Fernandes Trio. At Fan Park, Phoenix Mall Of Asia, Byatarayanapura, Yelahanka, Bengaluru, till 15 June, 2.30pm onwards. For details and registration, visit
Mint
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
‘Bazm-e-Aam': An evening of storytelling around mangoes
If there is one fruit that evokes strong feelings among people across the country, it is the mango. From the aromatic Kesar and the golden-yellow Banganapalli to the Langra and the sweet Dasheri, different varieties of mangoes are grown and enjoyed across the country. While everyone talks about the fragrance and flavours, this summer fruit also has a rich cultural memory associated with it, often serving as a muse for poets. Now, this shared sensorial memory is being celebrated by the Kashkol Collective with an evening titled 'Bazm-e-Aam', where storytelling—through music, dastans, poetry and food—takes centrestage. The collective was started earlier this year by Ambreen Shah and Ashhar Haque to create a collaborative decentralised platform that empowers artists to find performance spaces and build connections. 'Bazm-e-Aam' is the second event by the collective following the one in April, which honoured poet Daagh Dehlvi's legacy. According to Shah, the mango offers a shared inheritance. 'While some prefer the sweet Alphonso, the tang of Langra finds favour in another region. These friendly debates get passed on from one generation to the next. Mango certainly slices through geography. We want to celebrate what it means to us as a community,' she elaborates. The evening will kickstart with a dastan performed by Haque, which traces the mango's journey from Buddhist parables to Mughal memoirs, colonial kitchens, and folk wisdom. Historian Sohail Hashmi, who has been taking people to the village of Rataul for almost a decade now to explore different varieties of mangoes, will be in conversation with writer-environmentalist Sopan Joshi to uncover the oral histories associated with the fruit. 'The shape of the mango, known as paisley, has inspired embroidery and wood carvings for centuries, while the tree's flowering season is connected with the arrival of the koel. From Babur to Shah Jahan, most Mughal emperors exhibited a fondness for the fruit and would have it preserved in large pots of honey, to be enjoyed through the year,' says Hashmi. The evening will take a musical turn with a mix of ragas and folk songs by Dholak Rani, led by vocalist Shivangini Yeashu Yuvraj. The musical collective, rooted in the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, will evoke the emotional landscape associated with the mango. 'Bazm-e-Aam' will then culminate with a five-course 'Aam menu' curated by Sadaf Hussain. The chef-food historian will be presenting the dishes in their traditional avatar, while focusing on different regions of India. So, the menu features dishes and relishes such as the aam kucha (raw mango chutney) from Bihar, a mango and mutton keema dish called achraj from Lucknow. Some other dishes include aam kathal ki sabji from Bihar, a chutney and salad from Manipur and a Gujarati-Parsi dish known as ras-no-fajeto, and aam ki kheer from Rajasthan. 'I want to explore the social fabric and use food as a conversation starter. There are so many varieties of mango, but we can use these differences to celebrate diversity,' adds Hussain. Bazm-e-Aam will be held on 14 June at the India International Centre, New Delhi, 7 pm onwards. Deepali Dhingra is a Delhi-based culture writer.
