Fruits · Fresh fruit

Raw green mango

Hard, unripe green mango with sour, crisp white flesh, used for pickles, chutneys, dals and cooling drinks like aam panna.

Also called: green mango, unripe mango, kairi, kacha aam, keri, mangai, totapuri mango

Around the world: कच्चा आम, कैरी (hi) · কাঁচা আম (bn) · மாங்காய் (ta)

A kind of mango

9 recipes with it

What it is

A mango picked before it ripens: the skin is bright green, the flesh pale white to cream, firm and crunchy, and the taste sharply sour rather than sweet. It is sold as kairi, keri or mangai in South Asian markets; varieties grown for pickling, such as totapuri, are especially firm. Dried and powdered, it becomes amchur; left to ripen, it becomes ordinary sweet mango.

Mangifera indica (unripe fruit)

How it’s used

Cut into chunks for oil pickles (aam ka achar, avakaya)
Grated into sweet-sour chutneys and thokku
Simmered in dals, sambar and fish curries for sourness
Boiled or roasted for aam panna
Sliced thin with salt and chilli as a snack or in salads

Characteristics

Taste: Very tart and slightly astringent; a little sweetness near the seed as it matures.
Texture: Crisp and dense when raw; softens to a pulp when boiled.
Appearance: Firm, uniformly green skin; white flesh around a soft, pale stone in young fruit.
When cooked: Breaks down quickly when cooked with sugar or in dal; holds its shape in oil pickles.
Sold as: fresh
Cooking uses: Usually eaten raw, Commonly cooked
Common in: Indian, South Indian, Bengali, Gujarati, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Sri Lankan

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep whole in the fridge vegetable drawer for a week or so; at room temperature it slowly starts to ripen and sweeten. Discard if soft, wrinkled or mouldy at the stem.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Gluten-free
Nut-free
Soy-free
Caffeine-free

The sap near the stem can irritate sensitive skin; wipe it off and wash the fruit before cutting.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy: 60 kcal
Protein: 0.82 g
Carbohydrate: 14.98 g
Fat: 0.38 g
Fibre: 1.6 g
Sugars: 13.66 g

USDA FoodData Central: Mangos, raw (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Amchur (dried mango powder) — In dals and curries use about 1 tsp amchur per small raw mango; you lose the fresh texture.
Tamarind — For sourness in cooked dishes; darker in colour and flavour.