Amchur

A spice made from fruit of mangos that have been harvested when they are green, prior to ripening. Light tan in color, the mangos are cut into slices and dried to be provided as whole, dried pieces of the fruit or ground into powder. Commonly used in the preparation of East Indian foods, amchur provides a citrusy acidic taste that is somewhat sweet to spicy in flavor. It is often used to enhance the flavor of curries, chutneys, marinades, dipping sauces, soups, stews, fish, poultry, and meats. When used in the powder form, it is typically providing a tart or sour flavor to the foods while the whole slices serve to provide a spicier flavor. Amchur can also be used like many citrus marinades, to tenderize and add flavor to meats prior to cooking or grilling. Although it is similar in use to other citrus tenderizers such as lemon or lime juice, the amount of amchur required for tenderizing is significantly less. For recipes the amount of amchur equals a 1 to 8 ratio to other juices, so for every 8 teaspoons of other juices in a marinade, it will only require 1 teaspoon of amchur. Other names used for this spice include amchor, amchoor, aamchoor, aamchur, umchoor, green mango powder, dried mango powder, and manguey.