Raw mango in a sweet tamarind sauce (Pachchi mamidikaya pulusu)

At the heart of Andhra cuisine is a type of curry called the "pulusu", meaning sour. Andhra cuisine uses a number of souring agents: tamarind is the most common, along with roselle (gongura) leaves, lime, dried green mango (aamchoor), and buttermilk. These curries are usually vegetarian and are made with vegetables or lentils.

This is a lovely curry that highlights the sourness by using both tamarind and green mangoes. The sweetener is jaggery for an earthy sweetness, and it is loaded with chillies. This dish is finished with a beautiful temper of spices; it is bold, complex and wonderful. This is the pop on the table, and the flavours of the other dishes are alive.

This is a wonderful cookbook packed with traditional dishes. Archana Pidathala wrote it as an ode to her grandmother's cooking. This book is so much more than a collection of recipes; it brings to my table a history of the cuisine and people. Wonderfully written and featuring beautiful photographs, this cookbook fills a gap on my bookshelf for a cuisine I know little about.

For more delicious and spicy dishes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the spice paste:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

10 dried red chillies

3-4 tablespoons water

For the temper:

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon dehusked, split black lentils (urad dal)

1 teaspoon dehusked split chickpeas (chana dal)

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 dried red chillies

A pinch of asafoetida

3 onions, finely diced

10 cloves garlic, minced

20-3 green chillies, minced

2 tomatoes, minced

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

10-12 curry leaves

Salt, to taste

2 tablespoons tamarind extract

3 tablespoons jaggery

150 grams green mangoes, totapuri if available, wedged and seeds removed

1/2 cup water

Cilantro, to garnish

To make the spice paste:

Individually, roast all the ingredients until each is aromatic. Cool completely. Grind to a smooth paste with the water in a small blender. The paste should be thick and very smooth. Set aside.

Start with the temper:

Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large pot, then add the mustard seeds. They will pop in 20 seconds. Add the urad dal, chana dal, cumin, red chillies and asafoetida in order, giving the pot a quick stir. Make sure not to burn the spices.

Add the onions, garlic, and green chillies, and fry until the onions are a light golden colour, about 5 minutes. Add the spice paste and fry until the oil separates from the paste, forming small bubbles and a lovely, cooked aroma, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric, curry leaves, salt, tamarind, and jaggery and cook for 12-15 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down. If the paste is too thick and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a touch of water.

Add the mango wedges and water, and cook for 5 more minutes until the skin of the mango is cooked through and soft. Taste for salt, the curry should be bold, spicy, sweet and tangy.

Serve ho garnished with cilantro.