PHURR's Summer Menu Reimagines Hapus Mangoes as a Savoury Star

As temperatures rise this summer, PHURR is taking a bold culinary detour with its latest offering—a limited-edition menu centred on Hapus mangoes from Maharashtra's Konkan region. Rather than defaulting to the familiar realm of sweetness and nostalgia, the restaurant has chosen to examine the fruit through a savoury prism, weaving together heat, smoke, umami, and textural contrasts across entirely vegetarian offerings.

The collection opens with Alphonso Khakra Bites, a dish that pairs a sweet mango salsa with the sharp kick of Thai chilli, cumin-dusted khakra, and crispy sev. Following this is the Aamram Paneer Tikka—paneer that has been soaked in a mango-tinged tandoori marinade and then clay-oven roasted to develop rich, smoky undertones.

The menu's most compelling creation is arguably the Chilli Garlic Dragon Mango, which features ripe mango that has been crisped through deep-frying, then tossed in a fiery chilli-garlic sauce and served over a bed of braised mashed potatoes. The Thai Red Mango Curry rounds out the savoury selections, combining coconut milk, fresh basil, assorted vegetables, red curry paste, and ripe mangoes into a dish that plays creamy richness against spicy notes.

The experience concludes with Mango Sticky Rice, the traditional Thai preparation known as Khao Niao Mamuang. This features glutinous rice that has been cooked in coconut milk, plated alongside ripe mango slices and roasted black sesame seeds.

Rahul Lunawat, one of the restaurant's co-founders, explains the conceptual motivation: "The idea was never to make another seasonal mango menu. We were more interested in understanding how Alphonso mangoes behave when placed against smoke, fermentation, chilli heat, and savoury cooking techniques."

Throughout its limited summer run, the menu showcases the Hapus mango across a spectrum of savoury applications and culinary traditions, demonstrating the fruit's capacity to move well beyond the realm of conventional summer sweets and drinks.