Mango chicken curry is a dish common in India and some Asian countries. It consists of a spicy curry sauce made from coconut milk, fried chicken and mangos. The mangos provide a pleasant, slightly sweet counterpoint to the spicy curry sauce. In Asian countries outside India, the dish may take on a sweet-and-sour characteristic rather than a spicy one. The dish can be served over rice or with Indian breads such as naan.
The basic Indian mango chicken curry consists of several separately prepared parts that comprise the unique flavor of the meal. The first part of the preparation involves mixing spices and fried onions into a paste. The chicken and mango are marinated in part of the mix. The remaining mix and some more spices, such as mustard seeds, are quickly fried in a pan. Coconut milk is added to the pan and brought to a boil before the chicken and mango are added and cooked through.
The dish will end up with a spicy flavor that is mitigated by the sweetness of the mango, although it will still be very spicy. Since it has a curry sauce, it can be served over rice so the curry runs down and flavors the rice. The rice also will help to relieve some of the additional heat. Indian breads can be used to the same effect, especially if the dish is eaten in a traditional fashion, using the bread as a utensil.
One of the main ingredients in a mango chicken curry is the mango. Unlike a mango that will be eaten as a fruit, it is desirable to have this fruit hold its shape while the dish is cooking. One way to do this is to choose a mango that is just a little under-ripe. An under-ripe mango is much firmer than a ripe mango, which could fall apart in the dish, leaving a kind of mush.
An Asian variation of mango chicken curry uses some alternate ingredients to achieve a very different taste. The addition of soy sauce, vinegar and brown sugar while cooking will create a sweet-and-sour effect in the dish. Instead of the mango relieving the dish's hot spiciness, it will caramelize and make the dish sweeter. The appearance of Asian mango chicken curry also is different, because the curry sauce will look more like a glossy glaze than a traditional curry.