Most of us enjoy aamsatta (mango leather) to some degree, and its sour, spicy and sweet flavour livens up the palate. Make aamsatta right now with any mangoes knocked down by the Baishakh storms. Rokeya Sultana explains how.

• 1 kg mangoes
• Half a cup of water
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• Half a teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon panch phoron powder
• 1 teaspoon black salt (bit lobon)
• Mustard oil, as needed

First peel the mangoes and cut them into small pieces. Then boil them with a little water, making sure not too much water is left. While still hot, mash the boiled mango through a sieve. Heat a pan, pour in the boiled mango pulp and the sugar, stir well, add all the remaining dry ingredients and keep stirring constantly over a medium flame. Grease a large steel plate with mustard oil.

As you stir, when the mixture turns sticky, take it off the heat. Pour it from the pan onto the plate and tilt the plate a little so it spreads evenly. Now leave it in strong sun for 2-3 days in a row to dry. After two days you will see the aamsatta has turned a dark brownish colour. Then cut it with a knife and store it in a glass jar. To keep it good for a long time, put it out in the sun from time to time.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.