How to preserve Mangoes to make Pulisheri/Sweet Mango curry

I love Mangoes,now who doesn't isn't it?Really the King of fruits who makes an appearance once a year(most other fruits are available throughout the year,but not this one!)If you ask me to pick a favorite,I really don't have one.I love them all.Having them as is or making smoothies or even better making savory/sweet curries..so many choices.

Mango Pulisheri/Sweet Mango curry is a unique Kerala dish.Usually served for weddings and occasions during summer season this one is a star in all its avatars.Even though Pulisheri can be made with Pazham/Nendran Banana or Pineapple,this one is a class apart.

I still remember having this Pulisheri at my friends place wondering how she made it with mangoes as it wasn't the season.That's when she told me she made it using preserved mangoes.Her mom preserves a large batch and packs it in individual containers and it stays good frozen up to a year!!I was too engrossed in the curry to even bother asking for the recipe :)

Last year I saw this wonderful method of preserving the mangoes at Veena's Curry world.It looked so easy and doable.I couldn't make it last year but this year while I was in Ernakulam,my aunt got some wonderful "chandrakkaran"(a variety of mango perfect for making pulisheri) mangoes from her friend's home.Fresh,organic and delicious mangoes..we had some fresh and the rest got preserved.

It is a simple procedure actually.The mangoes are cooked with some spices and then cooled down and frozen.It stays good for up to a year and can be used for making Pulisheri or any similar curry using sweet,ripe mangoes.

So here's how we made it.

Choose ripe but firm mangoes.Small size mangoes work best for this method.Wash and scrub the mangoes well and wipe with a clean towel.Peel the skin and keep aside.We used around 40 small mangoes.

Pour some warm water over the peels and let it rest for a while.Squeeze as much pulp as you can from the peels.Add more water if required.

Make a paste with about 8-10 green chillies and keep aside.

Into a kadai add the mangoes,1 tbsp red chilly powder,1/2 tbsp haldi powder,green chilly paste and a few sprigs curry leaves.

Add about a liter of water(we added the pulp from the peels)and switch on the flame.

Let it come to a rolling boil.

Then simmer and cook till the water is absorbed by the mangoes-almost 15-20 minutes.

Do not dry it off completely as the mangoes absorb more water as it cools down.

Switch off the flame and let it cool down completely.

Once it is cool,transfer the mangoes to ziplock pouches/containers and freeze.I added about 7 mangoes in each as it is easier to store that way.

We couldn't wait and made a Pulisheri immediately as the mangoes were perfect and smelled amazing:)