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I saw a recipe for cilantro mango chutney on Talimpu foodblog and immediately wanted to try it, because I love mango thokku. I had to wait a few days before I could get the star ingredient for this recipe, of course, but thereafter everything was quicker than quick – a nearly unprecedented turn of events on this blog. (The main reason for the promptness being, of course, that raw green mangoes don’t stay raw for long.)
The chutney was far too sour and not hot enough for my tastes - my fault for using two mangoes rather than one, plus not having enough coriander leaves to offset the extra mango. So I had to resort to frying some red chilli powder in extra oil, then mixing the chutney in it, frying it all for a few more minutes before trying it again. This time around it was perfect – spicy-hot and sour and redolent with the coriander.
Like regular mango thokku except – and I feel obliged to point this out - different. Thanks for your original recipe, Raji!
Recipe for: Green mango and coriander thokku (chutney)
Ingredients:
2 green (unripe) mangoes, cubed
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 green chillies (or to taste), chopped
1-1/2 cups chopped coriander
1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste, optional)
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, green chillies, urad dal and red chilli powder (if using), and stir-fry for for a minute or two, till the dal turns a light brown and the mustard seeds have popped.
2. Add the green mangoes and fry them for 4-5 minutes, till they soften.
3. Add the coriander and fry till the leaves wilt.
Remove from the heat and let cool.
4. Grind to a fairly smooth consistency. This is good as a sandwich spread or as a side with idlis, dosa and chapaties.
RECIPE: GREEN MANGO AND CORIANDER THOKKU (CHUTNEY)
Ingredients:
2 green (unripe) mangoes, cubed
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 green chillies (or to taste), chopped
1-1/2 cups chopped coriander
1 tsp red chilli powder (to taste, optional)
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, green chillies, urad dal and red chilli powder (if using), and stir-fry for for a minute or two, till the dal turns a light brown and the mustard seeds have popped.
2. Add the green mangoes and fry them for 4-5 minutes, till they soften.
3. Add the coriander and fry till the leaves wilt. Remove from the heat and let cool.
4. Grind to a fairly smooth consistency. This is good as a sandwich spread or as a side with idlis, dosa and chapaties.
Unripe mangoes are difficult to come by in my local Tesco or Asda - well, let's say, those that are deliberately unripe, that is. I've had a couple of mangoes from there which were supposed to be sweet but weren't - but that's another story.
I love pickles - or oorugai - as they are known in Tamil. "Pickle" doesnt quite convey the correct meaning in English, because pickles as they are known in the western world are never chilli-hot... they're usually vinegary. Oorugai arent exactly relish, either, because relish is usually sweet-sour and, again, fairly vinegary. There isn't an exact translation from the Tamil to English. Or, for that matter, from the Hindi achaar either.
Oh well.
Anyway, pickle-making in India can be a long-drawn-out, complicated affair. Especially if you're from Andhra Pradesh, which makes the most wicked ones imaginable. If you know a good Andhra cook who makes authentic avakkai and is willing to share the finished product with you... consider yourself blessed.
Almost any vegetable can be made into pickle, Indian-style, but mango pickle is my personal favourite. I love it any way - grated and cooked into a gooey mess with red chilli powder and various spices (thokku); cut into small pieces with skin on, tossed with chilli powder and salt (molaga mangai) for instant gratification; salted, sun-dried, mixed with a fantastic combination of powdered spices and condiments, Andhra-style (avakkai); shredded and made into a sweet-sour relish that's heavenly with parathas (Chhundoo) North Indian style - I'll eat it all.
But since I dont have the patience nor do I get the strong sunshine necessary for sun-curing pickle, I made up my own recipe for instant "avakkai", a sort of amalgamation of various recipes I've read or been told about. It's beautifully simple, and it only needs an hour or so before it's ready to eat. Actually I didnt bother waiting the hour and it tasted just as yummy anyway.
Recipe for: Quick mango avakkai
Ingredients:
Unripe green mangoes, seed discarded and cut into small pieces - 2 cups
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
3 tbsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
4 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1-1/4 cups cooking oil
Method:
1. Mix the cut mango pieces with the salt and red chilli powder, and set aside for about 10 minutes. Use a heat-proof bowl for this.
2. Blend the fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds together into a fine powder. Use a spice grinder or coffee grinder for maximum effect. Mix the powder with the mangoes.
3. Heat the oil until a droplet of water flicked into it splutters. Pour the oil over the mango-spice mixture and stir until well-blended.
This pickle is ready to eat at once but it will taste better for sitting a couple of hours to let the spices mellow a little. Stir well everytime, before eating.
This should keep well for about a week without refrigeration, as long as you dont use a wet spoon to stir it.
