Amchur: Process and usage

Amchur is a dehydrated product made from raw green mangoes. Traditionally Amchur is an Indian spice made from raw green mangoes that are cut, sun-dried, and pounded into powder. The basic objective of drying green mangoes was the removal of water to reach a level at which microbial spoilage can be avoided.

Usually, the dropped immature mangoes are dried in direct sunlight for preparation of amchur. Sun drying takes 16–18 hours for complete drying.

Amchur is also sold as dried mango slices, which practically fits the category.

Amchur is rich in iron content, vitamin A and vitamin E. Amchur is also rich in citric acid. It combats acidity and improves digestion to the flavor to curries, chutneys, soups.

Generally, Amchur is used as an acidulent in place of tamarind especially in North Indian states. It is widely used to give a sour and tangy taste to dishes. Traditionally, amchur is used for the preparation of pickle, chutney and sauces etc.
Amchur: Process and usage

What is amchur?

Amchur slices are raw mango slices that are dried and preserved and are used to add sharpness to some dishes in place of tamarind or lemon juice.

It is also used as a souring agent in snacks or meat tenderizing in Indian cooking.

Slices are used in gravies, curries and chutneys and launjis. It is essential flavour in chaat masala. Chaat masala is a popular spice bend used mostly in the northern part of India, is usually made by grinding amchur, dried ginger, black pepper and coriander.

Amchur slices that are powdered are easier to use in cooking as the flavour disperses evenly in the dish. When cooked, the powder gives a mild, sweet, and tangy flavour.

In north India amchur is used as souring agent in samosas filling, and some vegetables like okra, butter gourd and yams.
What is amchur?