Milk and ripe mango pudding (Aam kheer)

Mango season rocks in India. Mangoes ripen and flood the market in the peak of summer and flood the markets. It is used in everything, from drinks to curries to desserts, and almost every restaurant and home has seasonal mango recipes on the menu.

Here is a lovely, delicate dessert. The thickened cream is loaded with sweet mango, and the scent of cardamom complements the flavours. This is an easy recipe to make, but one that highlights the freshness of the mangoes and the seasonality on your table.

This is an excellent cookbook that encompasses both traditional cuisine from the region, dishes from the Raj period, the famous street food of Kolkata, and dishes influenced by Chinese cuisine.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cream

1 teaspoon ground green cardamom seeds

1/4-1/3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon rice flour

2 large ripe mangoes + 1 for garnish

Peel and cube 2 of the mangoes into small dice. Take 1/4th of the diced mangoes and mash them into a purèe. Set aside. For the additional mango, peel and cut into long slices.

Heat the cream on a low flame. Add the sugar and the ground cardamom and mix well. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Never boil the cream as it may split. Sift the rice flour into the cream using a fine-mesh sieve while stirring the cream continually. You need to use this technique, or you will form lumps of rice flour. Stir continuously and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and taste for sugar and cardamom. Adjust as needed.

When cooled to room temperature, mix in the mango purèe and pieces. Pour into a 71/2-inch serving mould. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but overnight is preferred.

Before serving, arrange the mango pieces on top and serve chilled.