This silky vegan mango curry is a delicious memory of growing up in India's sultry summers.
Each year, when summer rolls around, which is right about now, Indian markets are overwhelmed with a flood of mangoes, which every Indian knows as the "king of fruits". Mountains of mangoes in every shape and size add brilliant orange color to an already colorful mileu and their heady fragrance hangs thick in the air. No matter how much of this delicious fruit you eat, it seems you can never have enough.
But mangoes are not just eaten as a fruit in India. Raw mangoes are pickled or curried and ripe mangoes are often cooked up into sweet -- and more rarely savory-- dishes. It's one such savory dish I have for you today: a mango curry that goes, in my native tongue Konkani, by the name "Ambya Sasam."
My mom would cook up this mango curry several times each summer, and we couldn't wait to devour it. She would always use a certain kind of mango, round, with a softer flesh than your average mango, for this curry. I made it with champagne mangoes, and it was still delicious.
You do want a really sweet mango for this vegan mango curry -- don't get tempted into throwing in a half-ripe fruit. It's the chemistry of the sweet mango with the spices that makes this curry so special.
My mom would put in the whole, peeled mango, seed and all, into the curry, and we would have a great time slurping the flesh off the seed as we ate the curry. I didn't add the seed, but do so if you don't mind getting a little messy-- it's really fun.
I also used coconut milk instead of fresh coconut to add a little more sophistication (and make my life easier).
Here's the recipe for the vegan Mango Curry, and trust me, it's fabulous. Better still, it comes together in no more than 20 minutes which, in my book, makes it an all-round winner. Serve it up with some bitter gourd subzi and rice for a delightful dance of flavors.
Looking for curry recipes?
- Fresh Turmeric Root Curry
- Vegan Thai Green Curry
- Creamy Cauliflower Curry
- Lotus Seed Curry
- Mushroom Matar, Mushroom and Peas in a Creamy Sauce
Looking for mango recipes?
- Vegan Mango Kulfi Popsicles
- Vegan Mango Lassi
- Vegan Mango Cheesecake
- Vegan Mango Cupcakes with Mango Buttercream Frosting
Vegan Mango Curry Recipe
Vegan Mango Curry
Ingredients
- 3 ripe, sweet mangoes (any mango with sweet, orange flesh is fine. Make two clean cuts on either side of the seed. Make criss-cross cuts in each slice of mango, the way you would to dice an avocado, and slide them off the skin with the help of a spoon, again just like you would an avocado.)
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk (If you're using fresh coconut milk, use two cups of the first extraction and skip adding any water.)
- 2 dry red chili peppers (like arbol or Kashmiri chillies)
- 1 ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing, optional)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 teaspoon sugar (grated jaggery is a more authentic ingredient here-- use it instead of sugar if you have it)
Instructions
- Grind together the coconut milk, ½ cup of the mango flesh, chillies and ½ teaspoon mustard seeds. Set aside.
- Heat the oil and add the remaining mustard seeds. When they sputter, add the curry leaves, turmeric and asafetida, if using.
- Add the mangoes and the ground coconut milk paste. Add a cup of water and stir the jaggery or sugar. Add salt to taste.
- Heat through until the coconut milk barely simmers. Turn off the heat and serve hot or warm with rice.
Nutrition
Angelina
Wow using mango as natural sweetener is brilliant! It's so simple yet so yummy! Thanks for sharing! =^.^=
Marlis
This recipe is great. We can't eat spicy food so I didn't use any chili peppers and we didn't have any curry leaves and I used a bit of curry powder instead. Turned out really well, thank so much!
Anita Sharma
Hello, this looks amazing do the mangoes brown at all when you cook them. I have raw majors that are just about to ripen. I'm thinking of trying with a mixture of ripe and slightly raw.. so savory and sweet. I remember cooking with mango a while back and they turned brown while cooking, would love your thoughts.
Thanks!
Anita
Vaishali
Hi Anita, I used champagne mangoes and they didn't brown. Not sure how other mangoes would do, but from what I remember when my mom made this, the mangoes didn't brown--she used some Indian variety that's very soft, not sure what it's called.
B S Ranganath
I tasted mango curry only once in my lifetime when N S DESHIKACHAR offered it when I was a civil engineering student in Hassan city, Karnataka-India.
Going through recipe over here, I'm preparing to give it a try in our home kitchen today.
Shakila
Wow lovely curry I prepared today it was really yum I did not used coconut milk but I used grated coconut it turned out ?????? Thank you ?
Sanchi
I'm new to cooking my own meals and this curry has turned out far more delicious than anything I have whipped up!
I hadn't tasted mango curry before, yet I felt nostalgic about my childhood summers. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Vaishali
So good to know, Sanchi! Thanks.
Annastasia
Thank you for this recipe. I'm new to using curry leaves. Do you recommend dried or fresh? I'm excited to try this!
Vaishali
Always fresh curry leaves please! The dry have no flavor.
Ellen Lederman
Vaishali, I'm so glad you posted this again---I had forgotten about this, but the day you posted it I saw some mangoes on sale, so happily made it again. Made it exactly as is (I'm not sure how you tweaked it from the original recipe, but it was just as good as I remembered). My only tweaks was not adding a full cup of water--just half a cup since I like a thick sauce and adding some adzuki beans because that made it seem more like an actual dinner entree to me than just mangoes. Love this! Thank you.
JN
OMG, I just made these with light coconut milk (I only had that) and the Atulfo mangoes (as you said it was ok).
It is so simple, so easy, SO DELICIOUS!!!!!!! I added some steamed tempeh in it so it can be a meal by itself. Forgot to add the sugar but it seems to be so good!!!
OMG, I am jumping with joy because someone like me, who cannot cook, you have made me feel like I can cook! THANK YOU for this so easy, so flavorful, so delicious recipe that needed no prep time! Best thing!!!
Antri C. | Beauty Blogger & Reviewer
It looks amazingly delicious! I am a vegetarian and I love that kind of dishes... Your blog is such an inspiration for me... Just save for later this recipe on my Pinterest board "healthy meets tasty" Keep up babe the good work! 🙂 xoxo
Lanie
Vaishali, this mango curry is out of the world. I've tried versions from other blogs before that have tofu or beans added to them and the mango flavor doesn't quite come through. This is perfect. Thanks for a wonderful recipe that's going to be a regular in our home.
Ciruli Brothers, LLC
Wow, this looks amazing! Will definitely add to the bucket list. Thank you!
anthony stemke
Holy cow, I made this yesterday and we loved it. I had no curry leaves, used 2 bay leaves. Thanks for this recipe
Vaishali
Hi Anthony, so thrilled you tried it-- and liked it. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Priya
Am coming to ur place Vaishali, mango curry is just simply out of the world.
Vaishali
Priya, please do! You have a standing invitation.
Nisha Tiwari
HI VAISHALI,
WE HAD A GOAN NEIGHBOUR AT OUR PREVIOUS HOUSE AND THE AUNTY HAD TAUGHT MY MOM TO MAKE A SIMILAR TYPE OF CURRY CALLED "KACHYA KAIRICHI AMTI", WHICH IS MADE BY USING RAW MANGOES AND LITTLE OF RAW RICE PASTE TO THICKEN THE GRAVY.
URS TOO IS LOOKING YUMMY............
GOT TO TRY THIS TOOO
NISHA.
Vaishali
Hi Nisha, that raw mango curry sounds amazing. I wish I could get kairis here.
Kelsey M
Wow this is perfect timing! The grocery store just had a sale on mangoes and I currently have a bunch at home! I have lots of curry spices at home but no curry leaves...I'll have to see what I can adjust for that. Can't wait to make it!
Vaishali
Kelsey, just leave out the curry leaves. It should still be delicious. 🙂
Ranjani
Perfect seasonal recipe..
Vaishali
Thanks, Ranjani, it is very seasonal, isn't it?
Pallavi Kulkarni
oooh, my mouth is watering already. Vaishali, can I use Atulfo mango? I have those on hand
Vaishali
Pallavi, yes, ataulfo would be perfect. Hope you try it! 🙂
Pallavi Kulkarni
Making it now! Slurrrrp!
Vaishali
Lovely, hope you love it as much as I did!
Rosemary Thomas
Thank you,thank you, Holy Cow. I have a daughter that is vegan and also gluten free. It is so nice to be able to cook so many wonderful things from your site. I am new to indian cooking and I am finding every thing very good.
Vaishali
Rosemary, welcome to Holy a Cow! And many thanks for your kind words.
Sharmila
Ripe mangoes and coconut milk! I won't need anything else to add to it. Am so making it this time as soon as we start getting ripe mangoes.
Vaishali
Sharmila, yes it is such a simple recipe but almost magical with all the flavors. Hope you try it.