Raw Green Mango Chutney (Ambuli Chutney)

There is something intriguing about enjoying the season's first produce of Mangoes. Specially my Indian roots remind of the times when mango trees bear flowers during late winter and early spring and leave around a deep redolent wild scent during twilight time. A wait time of few weeks and the trees in every neighborhood bear the most delicious sight one could enjoy - bunches of young raw green mango. If you are lucky and have a kind neighbor, one can also hope for a motley share of season's first Raw Green Mango (Ambuli). Not to forget the riper ones which fetch a sky rocketing price in the local market. And then, finally there is nothing more precious than having the bragging rights to say that you ate the season's first crop of Mangoes which were bought at Rs. 500/- for a dozen.

I got a young green mango and had my heart set out on making some spicy pickle out of it. Just then I remembered my Ma's - Raw Green Mango Chutney also known as Ambuli Chutney, Ambuli implying a raw green mango in Konkani, Tor in Goan Kokani. The one I got was semi-ripe hence my chutney turned yellowish green. The taste was the same - spicy, salty and tangy. If you get a fresh mango which is very young, your chutney will be super tangy with light green hue.

A tiny primer on selecting mangoes for chutney and pickles -
- Do not pick mangoes with reddish green tinge, they are not suitable for pickling. Pick the ones which are plain green.
- The harder the texture of Mango, the better they are suited for pickling and chutney.
- If you are planning on making pickle or chutney, use them soon else they will ripen fast ruining your recipe and plans.
- Do not keep raw green mangoes with rest of the fruits. The gases emanating from rest of the fruits could ripen the young green mango pretty fast.
- If making chutney, peel the mango else your chutney will be bitter.

I am writing this because I learned the hard way round. Considering the expense and labor, its worth to be educated. Thus chutney recipe is fairly simple but a personal favorite of our family. Pairs well with Rotis/ Rice/ Paej.

~ Ambuli Chutney ~
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Processing time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Raw Green Mango (Tarni Ambuli/ Tor) [peeled, chopped, seed & fiber removed] - 1 cup
Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1 cup
Garlic pods (jumbo) - 3
Green Chillies - 3
Salt

Contraption needed - Grinder/ Mixer

Method:
Peel the Mango, remove the seed and the tough fiber adhering to the seed. Chop into cubes. Chop the garlic and green chillies. In a mixer, add the grated coconut first and blend to a paste with garlic and green chillies. Add the mangoes later with little water and salt and blend to a chutney like consistency. Adjust salt as per taste.

Note - Refrigerate the chutney and use within 3-4 days. Since coconut is used, the shelf life is limited.

Paasponus Ambe Gojju

Many a times there are certain recipes which you hold dear to your heart. For me, Paachponus Ambe Gojju is one of them. Paasponus is a small jackfruit variety fruit which has tiny seeds which bear bear a very sweet flavour when ripe. Some address it as Paasponus or Paachponus. Somehow, the one made by my Ammama is superb. Its simple with a rustic raw feel to it. I even tease my Mom saying that the taste of Ammama's recipe is foolproof, far cry from the one made by her and delectable; she readily agrees with a firm nod. Many years back I had been to Udupi to visit my Ammama (konkani for grandmother) on a vacation. I requested her to make the dish in my presence so that I do not miss on the finer aspects of this recipe. I thoroughly enjoyed preparing this Gojju with her and the taste was divine. The pictures were taken in a hurry so excuse the technique, exposure and food styling for this one.

During the season, Paachponus and Raw Green Mango are cleaned and soaked in salt brine for months and even years in a Porcelain jar also known as Bharnee. After they are completely cured in salt water, they are ready to be used for any Gojju's or side dish. This process typically takes 3-4 months if one wants the perfect salt cured vegetable. Mom has a perennial stock of Mango, Paachponus and Saal (Raw Jackfruit). This is primarily a side dish and does well with Paej, soupy parboiled rice. My grandmom's proportion is always 1:2 which implies one serving of Paachponus for 2 Mangoes. This is a no cook recipe and can be fixed together in a trice. Unfortunately I do not know the English name of Paachponus, will update the blog should I find more details relevant to this vegetable and the recipe.

~ Paasponus Ambe Gojju ~
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Processing time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Paachponus (cured in salt water brine) - 1
Raw Green Mango (cured in salt water brine) - 2
Green Chillies - 2
Garlic - 3-4 big pods
Salt

Method:
Clean the Paachponus to remove the seeds. Extract the pulp and the seed at the core in a vessel. Discard the numerous peripheral seeds in the Paachponus. Smash the Mango and add to the Paachponus pulp. Crush the Garlic pods along with Green chillies. Add this to the mashed pulp. Add salt and keep aside. This gives sufficient time for the Gojju to steep. Few minutes before serving the dish, add just one cup of water and mix well with a spatula. Do not add too much water as this Gojjju is supposed to be bit thick but not too runny either. Serve with parboiled rice aka Paej.

Step By Step Pictorial Illustration:

Raw Green Mango Pickle (Ambuli Nonchey/ Kairicha Loncha/ Maavinkayi Uppinkayi)

Green Raw Mango (Ambuli in GSB Konkani, Maavinkayi in Kannada and Kairi in Marathi) Pickle made from fresh Kairi tastes yummy. It is like a party of different spices in your mouth. I like this simple, easy pickle which Mom makes. Every Summer, pickle making has been a BIG ritual in many families. Some gather in groups, some make it alone, some get it done through experts but everyone has a tiny place in their kitchen for this tangy, spicy treat. A small jar would adore many a homes for the sheer symbolic value a jar of pickle carries with itself.

Pickles for me conjure and pile up lot of sweet, happy stories in a very special and significant way. Its about childhood memories, a cultural ethos which grows on you as you age, a group activity to bond, grow and share the daily domestic jabber, fond thoughts of summer vacations, visit to vast farms dotted with Mangroves and bounties of Mango trees, gift of couple of Raw Mangoes from a kind friend, hours of labour in the kitchen tugging along with Mom's Saree, some strict instructions given by elders not to meddle with the pickle jar - all this to finally taste the rich red tinged Mango bathed in the pickle liquor. A slice of sun-kissed Kairi with Red Chilli powder and salt dribbled on, and we packed a world of happiness with our giggles and pranks.

The pickle gets the powderful sharp and snappy aroma from the edible gum commonly known as Hing. Asafoetida is used in many Indian Daal and Curries. I picked Hing which is the globular gummy one you get in India instead of powdered Asafoetida. The taste had a profound difference in flavour with the use of gummy globular Hing. The combination of Crinkled Chillies (Byadgi) and/or Non-crinkled Chillies (Short Chillies/Guddi Mirsaang) enabled a smooth texture to the pickle liquor. We enjoy the red pickle liquor with Dosa's specially. The shelf life of this pickle is within 2-3 weeks or before the raw mangoes turn squishy and soft in the liquor.

Processing time: 2-3 days

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Raw Green Mangoes (chopped Ambuli/ Kairi/ Tor/ Maavinkai) - 4 cups

Red Chillies (Byadgi [15] + Red Chillies [15] ) - 30

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon

Asafoetida ~ Edible globular gum (globular edible gum which is non-powdery) - 1/3 teaspoon

Salt

Water

Method:

Wash and chop Raw Green Mango into bite sized pieces. Add good enough salt and leave them aside (salt cure) for 2-3 days. Store and refrigerate if required. This is called 'Karmbi'. The day you are making pickle, thaw them and leave aside. Grind Red Chillies in grinder, add Turmeric powder and globular Asafoetida and Mustard seeds towards the end. Do not add salt as the Mangoes already have salt. Allow the powder to cool off for couple of hours. Spread on a wide tray if required. Once cool, add the powder to Mango pieces, add enough water as desired. Mix well. Asjust and add salt if required. Leave aside for couple of hours. Store the pickle in a clean non-reactive glass/ ceramic/ porcelain jar. Refrigerate and consume within 2-3 weeks or till the Mangoes do not turn squishy and soft.

Raw Green Mango Salt-Cured Pickle (Karmbi)

Karmbi - A simple basic Konkani style of salt-curing Green Raw Mangoes. One of the many ways to pickle and preserve Raw Mangoes especially the ones belonging to the first harvest lot which hit the local groceries or if you are lucky, gracefully offered as a harvest gift from a kind friend plucked and picked from the burgeoning farm lands and backyard garden patch. Many of my family members still salt, pickle and preserve the raw mangoes (called as Ambuli in GSB Konkani or Tor in Goan Konkani) in this fashion and they taste delicious. Once they are salted and wilt a little, they are then used for pickles of choice with pickle liquor chosen as per the taste, color desired. Use them the way they are if you wish. We prefer eating them with a bowl of cooked parboiled rice (Paez or Paej in Konkani).

This pickle is made without any spice powders added and is very similar to the style of pickling (e.g salt curing with salt water brine for vegetables like Cornichons, Gerkhins, Cucumber, Olives) observed and practised in the US and Carribean regions.

Processing time: 2-4 days

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Green Raw Mango (chopped and diced) - 4 cups

Green Chillies (chopped) ~ optional - 5-8

Salt

Method:

Clean and wash the Raw Green Mango to get rid of any bees wax. Clean and wipe dry. Chop into bite sized pieces and mix good enough quantity of salt, slip in some green chillies if desired. Leave aside for 2-3 days. Give a gentle stir with a clean spoon every night. Once wilted and salt is absorbed, pack them off in a clean glass jar container or make pickle with desired pickle liquor.

Note - Do not salt cure and pickle for more than 2-3 days, the mangoes lose their crunch, taste and flavour. Once done, refrigerate for longer shelf life or convert into regular pickle by adding the desired spice powder.

Mango Daal (Aambat Daal)

A bag of cut green Mangoes lying in the freezer compelled me to take a trip down the memory lane and grab a few bites of one of the gooey, creamy, tart and tangy flavoured Daal combination - Mango Daal or Aambat Daal. I made this for an afternoon lunch couple of days back and boy! I love the flavour. Chunks of pieces of raw mango cooked in Toor Dal with a little help of heat in form of seasonings - Garlic, Cumin, Mustard seeds and the good old Red Chilli - Byadgi Mirchi sourced from Bangalore Market.

I first sampled this Daal at my friend C's place for a lunch party many years ago. Knowing that C has a dexterous hand in terms of dishing out delicious lunches and dinners with lot of seasonal vegetables and flavours, I knew I would love what she makes. A deft hand, plenty of simplicity and loads of subtle flavours thrown in, she took me by surprise. I loved the Mango Daal recipe and can't thank her enough for sharing it. C calls this Aambat Daal - Aambat signifying tangy flavour in Marathi language. Years later, I tried cooking this in India and loved dishing this for a summer afternoon lunch. Mangoes are in season now; I had a bag of frozen green cut Mangoes, so thought of using this to sink in the summer cool flavours. The consistency of this Daal is thick, with different flavours mixing in. Sometimes when I crave for the tangy kick in my food, this Daal certainly vows to please my taste buds.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Green Mangoes (Fresh or Frozen) - 3/4 cup
Onions (chopped) - 1/3 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - as per taste

Seasoning -
Garlic pods (chopped) - 1
Mustard seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
Oil - For treating the seasoning
Curry leaves (optional) - 2-4 leaves

Method:
Wash Toor Dal multiple times till water is clear. Wash raw green mangoes with skin and chop them into 1" chunks. I have retained the skin of Mangoes for nutritional value, retain or discard as per choice. Pressure cook both with onions (chopped), turmeric and red chilli powder. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. I prefer them extra mushy so went for 4 whistles. Allow to cool and mash the Daal to a thick consistency. Add salt and adjust consistency with water as per thickness desired.
Heat few teaspoons of oil in a separate pan on a low-to-medium flame. Once heated up, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once they pop add red chillies split into two and curry leaves. Add chopped garlic and saute till they are brown. Pour this seasoning on the Daal and mix well. Serve hot with warm rice, ghee and some Vodee/ Vadams/ Crispies on the side.