I don’t mean to sound like a party pooper but is the Kairi Panna made of mineral water?” asked Kiran Uttam Ghosh, as she walked into Khandani Rajdhani on Thursday, looking summer-cool in a yellow dress. Madhu Neotia was sitting at a table sipping on a tumbler of Kairi Panna, with glasses of Smoked Chhaas and Mango Lassi lined up. 

“Yes, it is, you can safely drink it,” smiled Manjri Agarwal, handing her a glass, as KUG mouthed a “Yay!” A few sips later, and everyone was talking about the king of fruits —mango. The Park Street thali restaurant has adeptly woven the flavours of the season’s favourite fruit into the Aamlicious Festival, on till end-May. And Madhu and Kiran were there to sample some of these innovations as Manjri, restaurant owner and a friend of the fashion designer and foodpreneur, played host. t2 joined the ladies for a food chat:

Fajeto 
Or what we know as mango kadhi, tastes best with steamed rice or khichri. This was everyone’s thali favourite. Talking of kadhi, what’s the one thing Madhu has loved eating at Kiran’s home? “Kiran’s Sindhi curry is divine,” said Madhu, who called the designer a “food stylist”. A lesser-known fact about Kiran’s parties at home? She serves water in wine decanters and wine glasses. It was Kiran’s turn to think of something she loved at Madhu’s home. “The Marwari thali is just yum,” said Kiran.

Mango Dal Dhokli
“I would have never thought of adding mango to dal dhokli,” said Madhu whose favourite mango variety is Langra. “The dhokli (or the dumpling strips in the Toovar dal) are made from wholewheat flour,” added Maharaj Khanga Ram Choudhury, head chef of the outlet.

Aamras
Good food combos are like good friendships. Just like this aamras met a fried puri and got along like sea salt and dark chocolate, Madhu and Kiran met many years ago at Sophia College. “I was sourcing for a project and I asked the lady-in-charge to introduce me to their best student,” said Madhu. Guess who it was? Kiran!

Kairi Samosa 
These mini samosas come filled with the deliciousness of raw mango.  “Mango contains pepsin, which makes you crave more,” said Manjri. No wonder everyone ate more than one of these!

Mango Lassi, Kairi Panna and Amrakhand 
“Mango is like chocolate. It has a feel-good factor to it. It just makes you so happy!” said Kiran, as she sipped on the Kairi Panna. The Mango Amrakhand or yogurt-based sweet dish was another favourite.

Their summer diet: 
Madhu: Two bottles of bel ka paani, coconut water, chhaas (plain, no salt added), no tea or coffee.
Kiran: Lassi, “lots and lots of it”, room temperature mineral water and her all-season favourite drink — milk! 

If you could be reborn in a different country, it would be... 
Madhu: Anywhere cold! Some place in Europe. 
Kiran: Thailand, I just love the food there. 

Your favourite mango variety:
Madhu: Langra. 
Kiran: Himsagar. 

If you create an after-meal that’s not paan, it would be:
Madhu: Has to be something lemon. 
Kiran: I tried this mix of coconut, peanut, ginger and lemon rind at Benjarong once, which was really nice. 

Text: Karo Christine Kumar
Pictures: Pabitra Das