In our country guava is mostly eaten as a ripe fruit. Eating sliced ripe guava, or using it in jam, jelly and other sweet dishes, is familiar. But many may be surprised to learn that guava is not only for eating as fruit. In many countries raw or half-ripe guava is cooked in various ways, producing unusual spicy, sour and sweet dishes.

One such unusual dish is a sweet-and-sour guava curry. The name might make you wonder whether guava can really go into a curry, but cooked once, this novel blend of flavours can be quite enjoyable. The guava's own mild sweetness mixes with spices, heat and sour ingredients to make a delicious dish.

First wash the guavas well and remove the seeds if they are hard, then cut into pieces as you like. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add cumin, fenugreek seeds, ground fennel, ground coriander, turmeric and red chilli powder and stir briefly to fry the spices well. Then add chopped ginger and the guava and mix well with the spices. Stir for a while, add 1 cup of water, cover the pan and cook on low heat.

When the guava softens, lift the lid and check that it has not turned completely mushy. Add amchur (dried mango powder) to taste; if you have none, use lemon juice. Add sugar, stir everything well and cook for a few more minutes. You can adjust the heat, sourness and sweetness to your liking.

Finally scatter chopped coriander leaves over the top. Turn off the heat and keep the pan covered for a few more minutes so the aroma and flavour of the spices blend with the guava. Then serve the sweet-and-sour guava curry, garnished as you like. The unusual dish goes well with hot puri, paratha or roti.

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