Translated from Kokborok by Manisha Debbarma
One of the biggest reasons people in India wait for summers- it’s mango season! All kinds of desserts and food items with mango in them are cooked across the country to make most of this delicious fruit for a few months. In Tripura’s villages, too, mango is a favourite and one of the most beloved food items people make here is the mango bar.
How A Mango Bar Is Made
Mango bars are usually made in the month of April since that’s when mangos start to grow. For this dish, it’s the green mangos that are required. Here is how it is prepared!
To make a mango bar, one needs mango, sugar and red chilly.
The mangos are first cut into small pieces and boiled. Sugar is added according to taste and then some chillies are added. After adding chillies, they are cooked for 30-45 minutes. This mixture is then stirred until it turns into a paste. After it is cooked, it is left to cool down for 5-10 minutes.
The paste is then poured out into a plate and spread evenly. The plate is covered with a piece of cloth and dried in the sun for 2-3 days. When it is dried, it is cut into slices. The mango bars are ready to be consumed!
Mango bars are cooked across the country, but the recipes vary. They also vary from village to village in Tripura, every community likes to give it their own twist of taste.
Mangos are also known to have numerous health benefits and are good for the body in the summer heat. They are known to aid digestion, prevent heatstroke and boost immunity!
Now that summer is just a few months away, try this recipe and tell me what you think and let me know how mango bars are cooked in your village/ community!
This article is created as a part of the Adivasi Awaaz project, with the support of Misereor and Prayog Samaj Sevi Sanstha.