Raw Mango Pachadi

 

A very Happy Ugadi, Tamizh Puthandu nal vazhthukkal , Happy Baisakhi, Happy Pohela Boishakh, and Wish you Happy Vishu to all readers!

New Year – Several names for the same event, many customs, happy celebrations, delicacies, it sure is happiness all around.

It is summer in several parts of India already. Our city is going through mid – summer too. The best part of summer is the arrival of mangoes in India. Raw, ripe, fragrant, in all sizes, mangoes are consumed in so many forms through summer. Apart from eating mangoes just so, they are also cooked into several delicious dishes. Each region of India has their own varietals of mangoes and several delicacies prepared with them too.

Raw Mango Pachadi is one such – hot, sweet, tangy, spicy, slurpy, all flavours in one dish. I never tire of making this simple pachadi during summer. Any variety of mango which has a small seed and plenty of flesh is good for the recipe. I normally use ‘Totapuri’ mango.The pachadi becomes part of lunch menus as well as festive menu at our home during this season. So I would love to share this much loved recipe with all readers on this Happy New year’s Day. Try it out and enjoy as much as we do.

You Need

1. Raw mango, 1 medium – Peel skin, shave out pulp, discard seed. Measure 1 cup heaped of pulp shavings. Taste a wee bit of the cut mango. That will decide how much jaggery is needed.
2. Jaggery -  If mango is super – sour, use equal volume of jaggery and mango. Else use up to 3/4 cup jaggery per cup of mango.
3. Salt – 1 heaped tsp (again, depends on how sour the mango is)
4. Turmeric powder – a pinch
5. Fresh drinking water – 1 cup

For seasoning

1. Any vegetable oil – 1 tbsp
2. Fenugreek seeds ( methi seeds) – 1/2 tsp
3. Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
4. Red chillies – 6-8, broken into 3 bits each
5. Curry  leaves – 5

To Assemble

1. Take the mango pulp shavings and water in a slightly thick bottomed pan, set on boil. Once the water boils, cover and simmer  for 5 minutes. Stir once in between, check for water. Add more if needed. The mango should have cooked through by the end of 5 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add fenugreek seeds, mustard, broken red chillies, curry leaves. Let sizzle.
3. Add mango pulp, the measured jaggery, salt and turmeric powder. If your jaggery is big and lumpy, pound it to smaller chunks and then add. Allow the jaggery to melt and blend in with the mangoes. 
4. Give a quick mix, cover and keep for flavours to infuse.
5. Serve with festive lunch of steamed rice, sambar, other curries.
6. Or just use as dipping sauce for samosas, smear onto chapatti and roll it up, or as dip for crudités. When using as a dip, squeeze out the red chillies, discard the curry leaves and then use.