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Mangai pachadi
Raw mango and jaggery relish
மாங்காய் பச்சடி: raw mango simmered with jaggery and neem flowers for Puthandu
Every Tamil New Year plate in April has a small heap of mangai pachadi, sweet, sour, hot and bitter at once, so that the first meal of the year tastes of everything life will bring. Chunks of raw mango are cooked soft, simmered in jaggery and finished with a mustard tempering and a pinch of fried neem flowers. It is glossy and thick, eaten in small spoonfuls with rice, sambar and payasam. The common mistake is cooking it down too far: it thickens a lot as it cools, so stop when the syrup coats the spoon but still drips off slowly. Cook the mango first until a piece mashes easily; jaggery added to hard mango stops it softening. Chef's tip: choose firm, very sour mangoes; sweet, half-ripe ones go mushy and lose the sharp contrast.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pachadi
- 10 ½ oz raw green mangopeeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
- ¾ cup water
- 1 pinch ground turmeric
- 1 pinch salt
- 5 ½ oz jaggerygrated
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
For the tempering
- 1 tbsp gingelly (sesame) oil
- ½ tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 dried red chillibroken
- 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida (hing)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 10 ½ oz raw green mango, ¾ cup water, 1 pinch ground turmeric and 1 pinch salt in a pan, cover and simmer over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes until the mango mashes easily against the side of the pan.
10 minStep 2: Add 5 ½ oz jaggery and stir until it dissolves, then simmer uncovered for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the syrup thickens and coats the spoon. Stir in ½ tsp red chilli powder.
8 minStep 3: Heat 1 tbsp gingelly (sesame) oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add ½ tsp black mustard seeds and, when they pop, add 1 dried red chilli, 6 curry leaves, 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida (hing) and finally 1 tsp dried neem flowers (veppampoo). Fry for 15–20 seconds until the flowers are golden, not dark.
2 minStep 4: Pour the tempering over the pachadi and stir. Serve at room temperature; it keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mangai pachadi take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of raw green mango?
- Tinned mango pulp, same weight.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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Perfect for:Onam & Vishu