Simply a-peel-ing: Where mango is king in every bite

Announcing the mango season with a unique menu, Le Meridien here has come up with summer specials that celebrate the king of fruits and rich flavours.

Baldeep Reehal, executive chef at Le Meridien, has turned his favourite fruit — count 90 per cent fellow Indians in as well — into an innovative mango inspired all-course menu with curries, snacks, savoury ‘chaats’, salads, desserts and beverages for the ones who go all out for their love of mango.

“Mango is probably the most popular fruit in our country. It is rich in texture and highly versatile as an ingredient. So, we have the created a healthy and flavourful mix of appetisers, main course dishes and side dishes that would work for all palates,” said Reehal.

“We have dishes with usual favourites such as an ‘aam panna’ sparkler with smoked cumin; a raw mango tangy summer chiller; the classic ‘aam chutney’ turned into pearls (spherification style), served on a crisp ‘papdi’ with spiced yogurt or mango hummus, giving a twist to a widely popular dish. For healthy bites, one can dig into the mango and avocado ‘chaat’, a fusion of avocado, microgreens, chili-lime dressing, and ‘sev’; or the tangy comfort of a South Indian-inspired ‘rasam’ with a hint of ripe mango, tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves,” the chef added.

Chefs like working with mangoes as they offer full spectrum of flavours – sour, refreshing twists to appetisers and beverages; and rich, aromatic balance in curries and gravies.

Using them in Mexican food as the core of salsa or adding them to Indian Punjabi fusion gravies or rice dishes such as mango saffron ‘pulao’, ‘aam pudina parantha’ with ‘paneer’ or veggies elevates a conventional dish while offering the best of the season’s taste. For dessert, one can clean the palate with a mango sorbet, or gorge on a delicious mango ‘rasmalai’ cheesecake, a mango ‘kulfi’, and more.