How green mango is used in Indian and Thai cuisines, and its medicinal properties
The unripe fruit is shredded in Thai green mango salad and, when dried, adds a sour and fruity zestiness to Indian curries and chutneys
While few people would turn down a juicy, ripe, sweet mango, an unripe one – hard and tart – needs a bit of work to appreciate.
In Thailand, unripe mango is made into what is known as green mango salad (although the colour of the fruit does not necessarily indicate its ripeness; unripe mango can also have a yellow to reddish tint). For this dish, after being shredded, the mango is mixed with fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, chillies and other flavourings.
In Indian cuisine, unripe mango is made into a spice called amchoor (or amchur). The fruit is peeled, sliced and sun-dried, and sometimes ground into a pale beige powder.
It tastes intensely tart and is used to add a sour and fruity zestiness to dishes. According to many Indian food websites, amchoor also works as a tenderiser on meat.
In alternative medicine, amchoor is said to be an antioxidant, promote digestion, alleviate anaemia and work as a laxative.