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 compliments 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 a wonderful cookbook that tackles both the traditional cuisine from the region, some dishes from the Raj period, the famous street food of Kolkota, and some dishes from the influence of the Chinese.

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 in 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 the rice flour. Stir continually and cook for 4 more 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 cool in the fridge for at least 6 hours, but overnight is preferred.

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