Aam er Laundho Recipe

The recipe (or recipes I should say) being presented today are a bit special. How we usually approach Moni Dadi’s recipes is that Ms. Shortcut Sokhina is the one who prepares the food, and I am the one who assists and does the tasting. And on occasions, I am the one preparing the food if I believe it to be an easy one to cook. But today Moni Dadi’s granddaughter prepared the food items from Moni Dadi’s recipe book. It was her ,Dadi’s granddaughter Sunita apu, first time making something from this recipe book. So she wanted it to be a special evening. So she invited 3 of her friends and they together made 4 items from the recipe book. Without pre-planning the menu, she whipped up the four dishes, Deshi Beef Roast, Alu Shim Posto, Chicken with Coconut Milk Soup, Aam er laundho, each bursting with flavor. And to her surprise, they not only tasted excellent with Polao, but each one complemented the other.

Of the four dishes, Aam er laundho is the most unique dish without a doubt. It might even be the most unique dish in Moni dadi’s recipe diary. Me being unfamiliar with one of Moni Dadi’s dishes is pretty common, but even Sunita Apu did not know what Aam er laundho is. And thus the natural gut reaction is to google and dish, and nothing. So I am assuming this dish was invented by Moni Dadi herself or we are spelling the dish horrendously wrong. And that you did not come to this recipe from a Google search. 

None of the cooks in the kitchen that night knew what Aam er laundho is. So Sunita Apu even went as far as to ask her family members. They did not have answers either. So the cooks just trusted Moni Dadi and got to cooking. Unlike the Shim Alu Posto, they did not tamper with the recipe of the dish, they followed it to the tee. But they did have a laugh about adding sugar in both of the dishes. 

Under the assumption that most of you stumbled upon Aam er laundho, instead of knowing what it is, and intentionally looking for it, I will try my best to describe the dish. The most direct comparison would be with a Chatni. You can call it Aam er Chatni as well, and you would not be wrong. The dish even looks very similar to the Aam er Chatni my mother makes. Moni Dadi does have another Am er Chat recipe, but they are completely different. From the pictures you can see that the Aam er laundho has gravy, but the Aam er Chat was more like a sweet and sour snack. 

Aam er laundho is a side dish, works best as a dessert, so it is a mango dessert. Particularly at the end of a dawat, or a meal with rich indian sub continental cuisines. Sunita Apu had Aam er laundho after a full course meal with Polao. And she said that Aam er laundho should be served with Polao, preferably not with Bhaat or boiled rice. She made and ate the dish, so her suggestion holds more weight.

But, strictly based on pictures of the dish, I think Aam er laundho, or mango dessert would taste good with Bhaat. And not as a dessert after you eat Bhaat, but mixing it with Bhaat. The gravy of the dish looks appealing, and I feel like the sweet taste would go well with Bhaat. But again, this is a speculation on my end, and having Aam er laundho with Bhaat would be an acquired taste. 

That being said, I don’t think Aam er laundho, or mango dessert would taste good with Ruti or paratha. I could be wrong and it could be another acquired taste. And speaking of taste, the taste of Aam er laundho will depend on the mangoes you choose to use. Adjust your amount of sugar based on it, or your taste.