Mahanandi

Usha’s Pickle Digest
by Usha Prabakaran

Published in 1998 by the author’s own Pebble Green Publications in Chennai, India.

It was late April and I was browsing the cookery shelves of a bookstore in Mumbai. Like all avid collectors of one thing or the other, I have learnt to quickly pick grain from chaff. My expertise is, of course, aided by the fact that the food-and-drink sections of all mainstream bookstores in India look alike: piles of publications from serial cookbook writers and compilers, a few guides to eating in city XYZ, coffee-table tomes from foreign publishers, and “chef’s series” pocket books. I rapidly scan the spines of these books, eyes peeled for the unusual or the local. That day, however, I flipped through “Cooking in Six Minutes” by one of the aforementioned copious authors. A few books down the shelf, I came across “Cooking in Three Minutes” by the same author. I wondered how far this series would go, and sure enough, out tumbled “Cooking in 60 Seconds”. Just like all problems of this world can be solved if you smile and think positively, so will you be relieved of your kitchen burdens if you think of cooking as the time that a pot spends in contact with the stove. Maybe it was the blistering summer heat or maybe I had looked at one cookbook too many, but I suddenly felt weary of the pervasive silliness of the food publishing world. For an antidote, I turned to two things: slow, sun-cooked pickles that would take days or weeks before they were ready, and a cookbook narrow in its focus, yet unmatched in range and depth.

Usha’s Pickle Digest is the definitive book for Indian pickles; the first and probably the last word on vegetarian pickles, unless the author publishes a second volume. There is not much I can say about the Digest or about Usha that has not already been said elsewhere. One vaguely knew that India has a vast repertoire of traditional pickles, but one did not know that a thousand pickles across 131 ingredients are within the realm of possibility. One had heard of mango pickles, lemon pickles, chilli pickles, tomato pickles, even okra pickles; but pickles made out of coconut, kokum, hibiscus flowers, artichokes, sugarcane, pomegranate, or spinach were beyond our imagination. All the recipes rely only on natural preservatives such as salt, oil, vinegar, and spices. The life of each pickle is indicated at the end of the recipe. There is also something very satisfying about the meticulousness with which the recipes have been titled and indexed for easy access. Even if pickles do not tickle your culinary fancies, the book offers plenty – an extensive glossary of ingredients in ten languages along with botanical names, methods to detect adulteration, buying and storage guides, and several other practical kitchen tips.

The best part of this book for me personally, however, is the profound sincerity of purpose underlying this work. The Digest was published neither for fame nor money. Usha’s patent enthusiasm and desire to share the results of her pickling research is the driving force of this book. We tend to romanticize secrecy in the culinary arts. Prized recipes and techniques are either kept shrouded in mystique or published omitting an ingredient here or instruction there. Clearly, the recipes and kitchen wisdom in this book have been developed through years of diligent and sustained effort. That she went the several extra miles to present her knowledge in a clear and forthcoming manner indeed commands our respect. It is also why we keep rummaging tons of chaff in search of a few precious grains.

Recipe: Sambaara Mango
Adapted from Usha Prabakaran’s Usha’s Pickle Digest

Ingredients:
500 grams cut raw mango, small pieces
75 grams salt (use kosher or crystal salt)
35 grams chilli powder
10 grams fenugreek seeds
10 grams cumin seeds
5 grams asafoetida
200 ml sesame oil
5 grams mustard seeds
A few sprigs curry leaves

Method:
Sprinkle salt on the mango pieces and marinate for a day. Next day, remove the mango pieces from the resulting juices (“salt water”). Reserve these juices in a refrigerator.

Place the mango pieces on a steel tray or thali and sun-dry for four days (till the mango pieces are three-fourths dry).

At the end of the fourth day, roast in a little oil the fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, and asafoetida and grind to a powder. Combine with the chilli powder and add this spice-blend to the dried mango pieces.

Heat the sesame oil, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves, and allow to crackle. Pour in the salt water and an equal volume of plain water. When the mixture begins to boil, stir in the mango mixture. Let it come to a boil again, and then remove from heat.

The pickle is ready to use after five days. It lasts for six months.

Notes:
I have presented the ingredients as originally provided in the book. When I prepared this pickle, however, I had neither measuring cups/spoons nor a weighing scale handy. I kept tasting throughout the process. You can adjust the spices according to your taste and the tartness of the mangoes, but please do so in a way that maintains the balance of flavours. The primary tastes in this pickle should be sour, chilli-hot, and salty.

Text and Photographs: Veena Parrikar

Previously in the Cookery, Indic Series:

Introduction
Salads for All Occasions – Vijaya Hiremath
Cooking with Green Leafy Vegetables – Shyamala Kallianpur
Regional Rustic Recipes by Manipal Mahila Samaj

Grated, Green Mango Pacchadi

Ugadi is just around the corner. So, it’s mango time at my home and I made thurumu pacchadi in advance for festival day meal on Ugadi. The preparation took about 20 minutes. Very easy, a delight to the senses, I like this pacchadi very much.

Maamidi Thurumu (Maamidi = Mango, Thurumu = Grate)

Preparation:
(makes about two cups of pacchadi)

Green, Unripe Mango:
Take one extremely firm, unripe mango of medium size. Wash. Lightly peel and remove the skin. Using a grater, grate the mango until you reach the seed on all sides, like shown in the photo above. Mango gratings came about two cups for me.

Methi – Mustard Seasoning:
Heat a cast-iron skillet. Add and dry-roast without oil:
one teaspoon each – methi seeds and mustard seeds to two minutes.
4 Indian variety, dried red chillies to pale brown.
Take them all in a mixer or spice grinder. Add half-teaspoon salt. Grind to fine powder.

Popu or Tadka:
In a tiny pan, heat a teaspoon of peanut oil. When oil is hot, add and toast in this order, constantly stirring:
6 half-inch pieces of dried red chillies to pale brown
8 curry leaves to golden
¼ teaspoon of urad dal to red color,
A pinch each – cumin and mustard seeds
When seeds start to pop, add a pinch of asafetida (hing, inguva)

Putting Together the Mango Turumu Pacchadi:

1. Take mango gratings in a vessel. Add the methi–mustard seasoning. Combine well.

2. Add the toasted tadka ingredients to the mango gratings. Mix thoroughly.

3. Store the pacchadi in a clean jar. Stays fresh for two to three days upto a week, and traditionally we do not refrigerate. Just don’t use wet spoons.

Mango turumu pacchadi tastes wonderful when mixed and eaten with rice and dal or sambar.

Mango Thurumu Pacchadi for Ugadi

Recipe Labels:
Amma, Traditional India-Vegan, Vitamin and Mineral Rich food

Green, Unripe Mango (Maamidikaya)

Source : Amma, India.

A showcase example of traditional raw cuisine with unripe mango.

Sweet, Sour and Spicy.

Centuries-old method. Still prepared to this day in old-ways. Still excellent.

A Pacchadi, with a piquant freshness.

That is Maamidi Thokku Pacchadi. My tribute to the artisans of yesteryears.

Maamidi Thokku Pacchadi

Artisan Food : Aim and Purpose

Details:
Artisan Food: Mango Thokku Pacchadi
Ingredients: Unripe Mango and tadka ingredients
Equipment Needed: A good-sized, stone mortar and pestle
Skill level: Willing to work upper-arm muscles for 5 minutes
Labels: Amma, Authentic Andhra, Vegan, Raw Cuisine
Price: $2.00
Format: PDF

How it Works: After payment via Paypal, PDF file will be emailed to you to download the recipe. For any questions about the recipe or the download process, please email me at mailmahanandi@gmail.com .

Click Here to Purchase

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“Artisan Food ~ Revenue through Recipes” program aims to raise money, however small the amount, to support the children at Swami School at Nandyala. This will also lend a sense of purpose to my food blogging, and help me feel like I am accomplishing something through my activity in this Web world.

Previously in Artisan Food:
Avocado Annam
Chestnut-Lentil Soup

Artisan Photo Gallery

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~ Indira

Green, Unripe Mango and Vadu Mango ~ For this Week’s Indian Kitchen

~ Indira

Photo Purchase Keywords: Mango, Moong Dal (It takes money, time, effort and energy for food photography. Please don’t photosteal. Click on the links and purchase the photos legally to digital download and to print. Thanks.)

Lovely to look at, even lovelier to consume, mango-moong dal has a richness all its own without the need of too many ingredients. The unripe mango’s intense ruchi makes this dal just the side of heaven particularly if you happen to be a fan of khatti (tangy/sour) taste.

Yellow moong dal, Green mango, and regular seasoning – that’s all one need to prepare mango-moong dal. A long-standing family favorite, most commonly served to break the fast, this healthful treat is my contribution to talented Suganya’s Healthy Eats Event.

Yellow Moong Dal and Unripe Mango (Pesara Pappu and Mamidi Kaya)

Recipe:
(for two, for one or two meals)

Half cup yellow moong dal
1 unripe mango – lightly peel the skin, discard the seed and cut the white part to half inch chunks. About a cup.
½ teaspoon chilli powder
4 cups of water

Take them all in a pot or pressure-cooker. Steam-cook until the dal reaches falling-apart stage. Then, with the back of the spoon, gently mash the dal to coarse consistency.

Now, infuse the dal with the ancient natural vitamins, also known as popu or tadka.

1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 sprigs curry leaves
4 garlic cloves, slivered
¼ teaspoon each – cumin and mustard seeds
Pinch – Hing (Asafoetida or Inguva)

Heat oil in a vessel until a curry leaf tossed in it sizzles. Lower the heat to medium. Add curry leaves and garlic. Toast to pale brown. Then add the cumin, mustard seeds and hing. When mustard seeds start to pop, add the cooked mango-moong dal. Stir in salt to taste. Mix. Serve warm. Great on its own and also with rice or roti for anytime of the day.

Mamidi Pesara Pappu with Roti ~ Dedicating Our Meal to the Memory of Sreemathi Parigi Subhadra Krishna Rau. May She Rest in Peace!

I just learned the sad news that Pedatha has passed away. Pedatha was a sweet and kind person with gentle nature of yesteryears. I have never met her, but Pedatha has written a personal note in response to this interview. The affection in her words, I will always cherish that. She will always remain very much alive in the memories of those who loved, respected and treasured her.
My deepest condolences to the family!

~ Indira

I mentioned few times here on Mahanandi that I do not know much about the cuisine of Telangana, one of the three regional cuisines of Andhra. One reader picked up on that and mailed me her family recipes from Telangana region. It is surprising and very encouraging to see such passionate sharing of family heirlooms. Thanks Vijaya! Among her recipes, Palakura Pullakura with spinach and unripe mango caught my attention. This recipe is different from the preparations to which I am accustomed. No toor dal, but moong dal and chana dal used together. I have never heard of this combination before. I wanted to try this for JFI-WBB: Greens and made it for lunch.

To my delight, it came out exceptionally well. The combination of moong dal and chana dal worked. Who knew? The pleasant, mild taste of spinach balances and complements the sour and strong taste of raw mango. I can certainly give an A+ to this recipe. Long live Telangana cuisine, may it be part of Andhra Pradesh forever!

Spinach and Unripe Green Mango

Recipe:

Half cup each – moong dal and chana dal
One or about 1 cup – unripe mango pieces
One bunch spinach – washed and chopped
10 to 12 green chillies (small Indian variety) – finely chopped
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt

For popu or tadka:
1 tablespoon oil
¼ tsp each – chopped garlic, dried red chilli pieces, curry leaves, hing, cumin and mustard seeds

I roasted the moong dal first to light brown color, because I prefer the roasted taste to plain. Then took them in a pressure cooker. Added chana dal and washed the dals together once.

Next, I added the unripe mango pieces, spinach, green chillies and turmeric along with about 4 cups of water to pressure cooker. Covered and cooked for one whistle. The recipe instructions say do not cook more than one whistle, maintain chana dal integrity. So to do that, I turned off the heat after one whistle and waited for the valve pressure to get released. Once the valve pressure cleared, I opened the lid and added salt. Mixed and Mashed the dal lightly.

Time for the final step – popu or tadka. Heated the oil in a pan and toasted the popu ingredients listed above one after another in the order written. When mustard seeds start to jump around, I added the mashed dal to the popu and mixed everything thoroughly.

I also fried some papadams, sundried yogurt chillies and pumpkin vadiyams (courtesy of my blog neighbor Mythili of Vindu who returned from India trip recently.) to accompany the dal and rice. Served hot with rice and little bit of ghee, and a cup of yogurt on the side, our meal today was heartwarming and fulfilling. Thanks Vijaya for this family recipe and thanks Mythili for the tasty vadiyams. Here is to the power of sharing!

Palakura Pullakura with rice and ghee with a Side Snack of Sundried yogurt Chillies and Pumpkin Fritters

Before moving to US, we lived for about 2 years in Hyderabad, India. The capital city of my home state, Andhra Pradesh, lately known as Hi-Tech city, Hyderabad, has its own unique cuisine. A mishmash, a culinary amalgam influenced by people who migrated to this city from small villages, towns all over Andhra and from out of states on jobs, business and to work in political bureaucracy. Foodwise, you can get everything and anything there, almost:). Strong personalities and strong flavors are needed to survive in that city.

One such bold flavored recipe that I learned from a Hyderabad native, is this mango~sesame curry. Unripe mangoes are cooked in jaggery flavored sesame sauce. 3 strong flavors, unbeatable taste, perfect side dish for subtly bland naans/chapatis and puris.

Jaggery, Roasted Sesame Seeds, Unripe Mango ~ Three Strong Flavors

Recipe:

2 green, unripe mangoes – peeled, seed removed and cubed into bite sized pieces
1 cup sesame seeds – lightly roasted and powdered
¼ cup of jaggery – powdered
1 teaspoon of each – red chilli powder, salt and turmeric
For popu or tadka:
1 teaspoon of peanut oil
½ teaspoon of each mustard seeds, cumin and few curry leaves.

1 Heat peanut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add and toast cumin, mustard seeds, curry leaves.

2 Add mango cubes to the pan, stir in sesame powder, jaggery, chilli powder, salt and turmeric. Add about 2 cups of water and mix thoroughly.

3 Cover with lid and cook on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the mango pieces soften and the sesame sauce comes together into medium-thick mass. Have a taste and adjust the salt, sweet, spicy levels to your taste. Cook for another couple of minutes and turn off the heat.

Serve warm with chapatis/naans or with puris and enjoy this unique curry of zinging taste.

Mango-Sesame Curry with Puris

No other fruit is as delicious and magnificent as mango. Now is the mango season in India and I thought mango would be the right ingredient to start the JFI. I was little bit nervous and was not sure how the response is going to be, since this is the first time I am hosting an event in my blog. The responses I received showed how dear this fruit is to all of us. Mango is not just a delicious fruit; most of us also have very fond memories related with it. That might be the mango tree in the back yard, or might be one of those summer vacations at grand parents’ house where we enjoyed the fruits, or might be the avakaaya preparation that we did with mother… so many precious mango memories!

I would like to thank all the participants, fellow bloggers and readers for your exhilarating enthusiasm, participation and interest. I am humbled to receive such a vivid variety of recipes for this event. Each one of these entries is excellent and I enjoyed them all and am sure you’d do too.

Following are the entries that I received for the JFI ~ Mango event.

Recipes with Green, Unripe Mango

Ambe Dal By Nupur of One Hot Stove Grated Mango, Chana Dal, Coconut, Cilantro and Tadka

Mango-Spinach Dal By Mythili of Vindu Mango, Spinach, Toor dal, Chilli Powder and Tadka

Mamidikaaya Chutney By Lakshmi of Flavors of Indian Rasoi Unripe Mango, Ginger, Chilli Powder

Mango Tokku By Menu Today Grated Mango, Gingelly Oil, Jaggery

Raw Mango Raita By Shilpi of Memoirs From My Kitchen Unripe Mango, Yogurt and Tadka

Vadu Maanga Pickle By Srikala of Mango Mirattals Whole Tender Mangoes, Mustard and Red Chillies

Uddamethi By Ashwini of Food For Thought Unripe Mangoes, Black Gram, Fenugreek

Mango Thokku (Grated Mango Pickle) By Karthi Kannan of Kitchenmate Grated Mango, Gingely Oil, Chilli Powder

Mamidikaya Pachi Pulusu By Love2Cook of Cooking Medley Unripe Mango, Onion and cilantro

Methamba – Sweet & Savoury Mango Relish By Vaishali of Happy Burp Mango Cubes, Jaggery, Chilli Powder

Mamidikaya Putnalu Pachadi By Santhi of Me and My Kitchen Mango, Dalia, Red Chillies and Jaggery

Aamer Chatni (Green Mango Chutney) By Sury of Lima Beans and Delhi Chaat Mango, Sugar, Ginger and Panch Phoron

Vendhaya Manga By Menu Today Unripe Mango Pieces, Red Chilli Powder, Hing

Green Mango in Jaggery Syrup By Anthony of Anthony’s Kitchen Green Mango Pieces, Jaggery

Raw Mango – Methi Chutney By Padma of Vantalu Unripe Mango, Methi seeds, red chilli powder

Mango Pickle (Aavakaaya) By Tanuja of Kodalis Kitchen Unripe Mango, Fenugreek, Mustard and Red chilli powder

Mango Curry By Bilbo of Smorgasbord Unripe Mango, Green Chillies and Tadka

Cut Mango Pickle By Smitha of Andhra Food Network Unripe Mango, Tamarind and Tadka

Recipes with Ripe Mango

Mango Sago By Rokh of Tham Jiak Mango, Sago Pearls and Milk

Mango, Coconut and Ricotta Tartlets By Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything Atleast Once Mango cubes and Puff Pastry

Mango Gazpacho By Mika of The Green Jackfruit Mango, Orange Juice, Evoo and Peppers

Mango-Pineapple Salsa by Barbara of Tigers and Strawberries Mango, Pineapple, Shallot and Bell Pepper

Mango Cake By Revathi of En Ulagam Mango, All Purpose Flour, Egg Whites and Raisins

Mini Mango Cheesecake By Saffron of Saffron Hut Mango, Cheesecake Mix, Walnuts and Milk

Maampazha Pulisseri By RP of My Workshop Mango, Yogurt, Coconut and Tadka

Mango-Ginger Chutney Rosie –What’s The Recipe Today Jim? Mango, Onion, Ginger and Garlic

Simple Mango Mousse By Ilva of Lucullian Delights Mango, Fresh Cream and Gelatin

Johnny Cake with Mango-Rhubarb Sauce By Linda of Out Of The Garden Mango, Rhubarb Stalks and Cornmeal

Mango Chaat By Gini of Salt and Pepper Mango, Grapes, Peanuts and Chaat Masala

Mamuang Kao By Susan of Porcini Chronicles Mango, Thai rice, Coconut milk, Sugar

Mambazha Kutan with Soy By Vidya of Today’s Menu Mango, Coconut, Soy, Buttermilk and Spices

Mango, Corn, Jicama Salad By Gabriella of Reluctant Housewife Mango, Corn, Jicama and Vinaigrette

Mango Pancakes By Nandita of Saffron Trail Fresh Grated Mango, All purpose flour, ginger, all spice and buttermilk

Mango Cupcakes By Marie-Laure of Ô Délices Mango, Millet, Milk and Coconut

Mango Tofu Curry By Mandira of Ahaar Ripe Mango, Tofu and Veggies

Recipes with Mango Puree/Pulp

Rice Pudding with Mango By Santhi of Me and My Kitchen Mango, Basmati Rice, Milk and Cardamom

Mango Creme Brulee By Yum of Record of What I’m Eating Mango, Heavy Cream, Egg Yolks and Chilli Powder

Mango Mousse By Archana of Spicyana Mangoes, condensed milk, Eggs and Whipped Cream

Spiral Mango Pastries By Gattina of Gattina Mango Puree, Macadamia Nut and Ricotta Cheese

Mango & Glutinious Rice Kuih By Puspha of Pusiva’s Culinary Studio Mango, Glutinious Rice, Coconut Milk

Mango Payasam By Ramya of Cooking Within My Grasp Mango, Milk, Sugar

Aam Ki Lassi (Mango Lassi) By Priya of Sugar and Spice Mango, Yogurt, Sugar and Orange Juice

Mango Crème Brulee By RP of My Workshop Mango Puree, Egg Yolks, Heavy Cream

Mango Pie By Vee of Past, Present and Me Mangoes, Creamcheese, Gelatin

Mango – Cracked Wheat Cake By Arjuna of Krishna&Arjuna’s World Mango Pulp, Cracked Wheat, Butter

Mango Pudding with Coconut Sago By Sam of Sweet Pleasure Mango Puree, Milk, Heavy Cream, Gelatin, Coconut Milk, Tapioca Pearls

Mango Pudding By Nandita of Saffron Trail Mango Puree, Evaporated Milk, Sugar and Gelatin

Kesar Mango Cheesecake By Rainee of la_pgal Mango Pulp, Tofu, Green Tea Fresh Mango and Cherry Topping

Sweet Mango Bobbatlu By Vineela of Vineela’s Cuisine Mango Pulp, Jaggery, All Purpose Flour and Ghee

Mango Payasam By Sailaja of Sailu’s Food Mango, Milk, Rice and Cardamom

Mango Shrikhand (Aamras) By Manasa of Sanjose, CA Mango Pulp, Yogurt, Sourcream and Sugar

Recipes with Dried Mango

Mango-Almond Oatmeal Cookies By Baking Fairy Dried Mango, Oatmeal, Almond

Some of My Recipes with Mango

Mango Pulihora (Mango Rice) By Indira of Mahanandi Grated Unripe Mango, Rice and Seasoning

Mango Dal By Indira of Mahanandi Unripe Mango, Toordal, Chilli Powder and Tadka

Mango Halwa By Indira of Mahanandi Mango Cubes, Semolina, Sugar and Cardamom

Fruit Tart with Mangoes By Indira of Mahanandi Fresh Mangoes, Strawberries, Cherries, Tartshell and Walnuts

Yogurt Rice with Mangoes By Indira of Mahanandi Mango cubes, Rice, Milk and Yogurt Culture

Homemade Mango Jam by Indira of Mahanandi Mango, Sugar and Lemon Juice

Mango Memoirs – Short Essays

‘‘Every summer in Madras was filled with the sumptuous, succulent, luscious king of fruits, the intricate and sweet mango,’’ Maitri remembers. ‘‘How I love thee… How many white T-shirts I have stained with your inimitable juice,’’ she asks in mock humour.”
– Mango Fool by Tilotamma of “Apropos of Nothing“.

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‘‘On the courtyard of my mother’s house in a quiet sunny seaside town of Cherthala (Kerala), stood a large, shady mango tree, on which, as kids, we used to have swings for Onam, and other celebrations. Come April- May, that blessed tree is all drooping down with a heavy load of mangoes, with the finest form and color.”
–In a Mango Mood by Archana of Spicyana

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‘‘When I was a kid, we had 4 different kinds of mango trees in our compound. We never had to buy a mango. Baby mangoes, sour mangoes, unripe, ripe, sweet mangoes were all lavishly available during the season. We, the kids, loved to eat baby mangoes with salt. I remember taking baby mangoes in my schoolbag to distribute among my friends.”
– Mango Adventures by RP of My Workshop

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‘‘The story goes like this … Sage Naradha once brought a Mango Fruit as an offering to Lord Shiva and there was a fight between Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga as to who would get the fruit. Lord Shiva told them they have to go around the world thrice and whoever comes first would get the mango . Lord Muruga at one flew in his peacock around the world. Lord Ganesha cleverly went around his parents thrice indicating that they were his universe. So he won the Mango Fruit.”
– Food of Gods by Priya of Sugar and Spice

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‘‘We will replace our full-fat buffalo milk, that we grew up on, with 2%. We will melt unsalted butter and pretend that it is asli desi ghee. Heck, we will even pretend that tofu is a vegetable. Eventually, we will get used to all of that and stop craving for the original. One thing we will never be able to replace or stop missing is the indian mango.”
– For Jihva by Vee of Past, Present and Me

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‘‘I remember how those mangoes tasted: rich and ripe, filled with honied juice and a heady flavor that was unlike any other fruit in the world. Grandpa would liken them to bananas mixed with peaches and cantelope melons, but I never thought he was right. There was nothing that tasted like them, nothing. They were sweet, like the scent of honeysuckle in high summer, and they were smoother and butterier than a peach. They were so good, I always thought that people who said that the fruit Eve tempted Adam with was an apple were dead wrong. “
– It Had to Have Been a Mango – By Barbara of Tigers and Strawberries.

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Thank you for participating and see you all again on June 1st at Baking Fairy’s “JFI-Strawberries” event.

Best viewed in *Internet Explorer* browser.
So, what are your favorites? If you try any recipes from this JFI-Mango roundup, let me know how you like them. Thanks.

For this weeks’s Indian Kitchen:
Mango Juice
Mango Pulp
Slice of Fresh Ripe Mango
Slice of Unripe Green Mango
Dried Mango Pulp Cubes
Amchur Powder (Dried, Unripe Mango Powder)

Looking forward to receiving your entries via email, for tomorrow’s JFI ~ Mango event.

I started out my weekend with a plan. The plan was to prepare the famous Andhra mango pickle, ‘avakaya’, for next week’s JFI. You know about pickles. To prepare and present it, you need to make it at least one week in advance. So, I went to Pittsburgh and picked out the greenest mangoes available at one of the Indian grocery stores. The mangoes were very green and hard and so I was confident that they were unripe. On Sunday, I was in full pickle making mode. Cleaned out the kitchen, dried out any signs of moisture from counter tops and prepared all the essentials – mustard seed powder and red chilli powder. I was all ready to make pickle. But alas…

As often happens with the best laid out plans, things went awry. In this case, green, hard and thought to be unripe mangoes, when cut open, were ripe inside. The flesh was pale yellow and the taste was not very sour. I had to drop my plan to make pickle. Instead of going down the path of questioning my life in US, where I can’t even prepare my favorite pickle, I picked up my spirits and quickly found a use for my not so green, not so ripe mangoes. I remembered Mika’s comment about her way of preparing mango rice with coconut and also her recently blogged mango rice recipe. I had all the ingredients, including a fresh, decent coconut. Viola… the life in US looked much better.:)

I tried out the mango pulihora with coconut and mustard powder. Between the tangy sweetness of mango+coconut and the sharp, zesty flavor of mustard+chillies, the taste of pulihora was so unique and irresistible. I was glad that I tried this recipe, this one is a keeper. Thanks Mika.

Fresh coconut, Green Unripe Mango, Mustard Seeds and Green Chillies

Recipe:
(steps written in order of preparation)

Cook Rice:
1 cup of rice in 2 cups of water.
(I prepared it with Sona Masuri Rice)

Finely Powder:
2 teaspoons of mustard seeds – using a spicemill or coffee grinder

Make a Paste:
1 medium sized green unripe mango – peeled and cubed
½ cup of finely chopped fresh coconut
8 to 10 small green chillies

Grinding the mango, coconut and green chillies

Heat and Toast:
1 teaspoon of peanut oil, in a big sauté pan.
¼ cup of peanuts to golden brown color and remove.

Do the Popu or Tadka:
Add another teaspoon of oil or ghee to the same pan. Do the popu by toasting one teaspoon of each – cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, few pieces of dried red chillies and curry leaves.

Sauteeing the ingredients

Add and Sauté:
To the popu, add the
Mustard seed powder,
Smooth mango-coconut-chilli paste,
1 teaspoon of turmeric and salt.

Stir and sauté this mixture for 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat, until the mango paste leaves its raw smell. Don’t overcook, that would kill the precious mango flavor completely. Stir in the toasted peanuts that were kept aside. Switch off the heat.

To this sautéed mixture, add the cooked rice. Mix thoroughly and serve. The pulihora should taste little bit tartly because of unripe mango, sweet due to coconut, spicy strong because of chillies and mustard powder.

Mango-Coconut Pulihora

Mango Pulihora – Andhra Style

Rice mixed with grated unripe mango is a festival rice that is specifically prepared on “Ugadi” – The Telugu New Year celebration, in our homes.

Here is the simple, 4-step preparation process of festival rice – in images:

Step 1:
Peel the skin and grate the unripe mango. Measurement is: for 1 cup raw rice – 1½ cups grated mango to 2 cups. (Adjust the quantity to suit your tart/tangy preference.)

Cook the rice (preferably ‘Sona Masuri’). Maintain the grain integrity, don’t cook to mush.

Step 2:
In a skillet, heat peanut oil or ghee. Add and toast the listed ingredients below. One by one, until pale gold, in this order:

Cashews
Peanuts
Chana dal (presoaked in water for about 30 minutes beforehand)
Slit green chillies -brown them for better taste
Curry leaves and few pieces of dried red chillies
Mustard seeds and cumin

At the end, bring all these toasted ingredients, sprinkle turmeric and asafetida. Stir to mix and saute for another two minutes. (See the photo above)

Step 3:
Add the grated mango to the pan. Stir to mix with other toasted contents in the pan. Cook it on medium-high just for two minutes and switch off the heat. (This is done to remove the raw smell of grated mango. Do not cook the mango gratings more than two minutes, that would kill the precious mango flavor.)

Step 4:
Add salt and mix this toasted mango-peanut mixture with cooked rice thoroughly with a big spoon or with your right hand. Serve hot.

Celebrating Ugadi Festival with Maamidikaya Pulihora

Ingredients:
(For two)
1 cup rice (uncooked, raw)
1 to 2 cups grated green mango (quantity needed depends on how sour the green mango is)
6 to 8 Indian or Thai variety small-sized green chillies – Cut into 2or4 pieces lengthwise
¼ cup of cashews and peanuts combined
1 tablespoon of chana dal (soaked in water for ½ hour)
1 teaspoon each – cumin and mustard seeds
10 curry leaves, and 4-6 small pieces of dried red chilli
½ teaspoon of turmeric
Pinch of asafetida
Salt to taste or ½ teaspoon

We celebrate Ugadi (New Year) festival on 30th of March this year, and Ugadi is all about mangoes traditionally. Back in India, we decorate our houses with mango leave garlands; at home we prepare recipes with unripe mangoes. You see, by March and April, the bazars are usually flooded with mangoes. First the unripe mangoes in a beautiful shade of pure green, then golden yellow colored ripe mangoes make an appearance at local ‘ritu bazars’ tantalizing the senses. No wonder, we celebrate mango season with a festival.

But here, where I live, green mangoes are hard to come by. I had to travel 100 miles, paid humungous amounts, just because I couldn’t resist a beautiful tradition and I’m very lucky to get them. With the green mangoes I purchased, here is one, an original Andhra recipe – ‘Mango dal’. Green mango cooked with toordal. Little bit tart, fruity with a hint of caramel undertones from mango and earthy nutty smoothness because of toor dal – is a taste that one will never forget.

Green mango, Chilli Powder, Turmeric, Toordal and onion – Ingredients for Mango dal

Recipe:

1 green mango
1 medium sized red onion – sliced into big chunks
4 fistfuls of toor dal (¾ cup)
1 teaspoon of chilli powder
¼ teaspoon of turmeric
½ teaspoon of salt or to taste

Popu/Tadka
1 tsp of peanut oil or ghee
1 tsp of each – mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, chana dal
4 to 6 dried red chilli pieces and curry leaves
2 garlic cloves – finely chopped

1.Wash green mango thoroughly to remove any pesticide sprayings. Dry it with a towel then cut it into small cubes. I don’t like to peel the mango skin for this recipe. The tough outer skin of mango, imparts kind of tarty flavor to the dal, so following the tradition, I keep the skin. Scrape any white flesh attached to the seed with a peeler and then only discard the seed. (see this photo for the stripped seed.)

2. Take toordal, mango, onion, chilli powder and turmeric in a pressure cooker. Add one and half cups of water. Close the lid and pressure cook until 3 whistles or until you are sure the dal is soft and mushy. Turn off the heat and wait for the pressure to go off.

3. After all the valve pressure is released, remove the lid. The contents usually are cooked soft by now, add salt and with a wood masher or whisker, mash the dal, until all the toordal turns into fine mush.

4. In a vessel, heat peanut oil or ghee, Toast the popu ingredients in this order. First add dried red chilli pieces, garlic and chana dal. Then urad dal and curry leaves, finally add and toast cumin and mustard seeds.

5. Remove the mashed mango dal from pressure cooker and add it to the popu in the vessel. Stir to mix and cover the vessel with a lid so that the dal could absorb the flavors of popu

Serve with rice and ghee, a dry sauté curry by the side and some papads for a memorable meal.
My preference: Mix mango dal with rice and ghee thoroughly. Shape the mixture into small rounds and have them with papads preferably sago (sabudana) papad.

(Maamidikaya pappannam mudda on a saggubiyyam vadiyam)
Mango dal mixed with rice&ghee. Shaped into round ball & placed on a deep fried sago(sabudana) papad.

For mango dal, we in our homes, use only chilli powder. Do not substitute it with green chillies.
Sago (sabudana) papads are available in Indian grocery shops and green unripe mangoes- during spring and summer seasons.

Maamidikaya (Unripe Green Mango) ~ For this week’s Indian Kitchen.

(Cut Green Mango and on the side is seed of the mango)

Recipes:

Mango Dal
Mango Rice