KOTTIMEERA- MAMIDI PACHCHADI & MENTHI MUKKALU

I have been very busy lately,but not so busy not to notice the advent of summer.Mango is the fruit of Indian summers.I remember the countless days we spent as vacations with my Ammamma and Tatayyagaru(we call them Amma and nannagaru anyway(that is telugu for mother and father) .My grandfather would buy us loads of ripe mangoes to eat in the hot afternoons while my grandmother got loads of raw and sour mangoes which were used to make numerous pickles every summer.How I miss all those pickles that my Ammamma made lovingly for all of us!

Mangoes here in UK aren't anywhere near to the Indian varieties like banginipalli,kobbari mamidi,etc.Neither are the raw ones any better.The skin is a nice green.But the moment you cut it open,there lies the yellowing flesh smiling at you ,smelling sweet,while it dawns upon you that you cannot make a truly savoury dish like mamidikaya pappu(mango dal) or Pachchadi(chutney) with it.Well,not so this time.I found nice fresh,raw and sour mangoes this time.It had been a long time since I had prepared any fresh chutneys of note,so I decided to make chutney with the mangoes.

here goes my Coriander-Mango chutney :

Ingredients:1 cup mildly sour mango pieces(skin peeled)

4 cups loosely packed fresh coriander leaves,washed

5-6 green chillies

3-4 tsp salt or as per your taste

Method: Wash the coriander leaves.I used only the leaves as the stems were too fibrous.

Peel the mango and chop into small pieces.

Put it all together along with the salt in a blender or a food processor.I had to put in some water as well,to make my blender motor crush the leaves and the mangoes.An indian style mixie or a food processor will definitely do a good job.Grind to a fine paste.

At this stage,you can add tadka/popu/seasoning to it if you like.Just heat a tablespoon of oil,add half a teaspoon of mustard seeds and 2 pinches of asafoetida.when the mustard splutters,pour it onto the chutney .

Serve this with idli,dosa,uthappam,or mix it into hot rice or upma.You can even use this as a spread for sandwiches.Use it on chats,bhelpuri,hot samosas,kachoris,whatever you fancy!Enjoy!


I served it with Dosa and idlis.I made those small idlis in the microwave using my mini muffin mould.


The other dish that I made using these mangoes is called Menthi Mukkalu,literally meaning Mukkalu(pieces,referring to mango) in a fenugreek(menthi)spiced base.This is a very famous and simple dish that most households in Andhra make.This is a kind of instant pachchadi.

The basic thing for this is the spice powder needed for the dish.I usually make a small amount during the summers.

Ingredients:

For the spice powder:2 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp fenufreek seeds

Roast them separately till the mustard starts popping(do this without oil), and the fenugreek/methi also splutters and takes on a nice brown colour, and has lost its raw smell.Grind it together in a coffee grinder or processor and keep in an airtight container.

The rest of the ingredients:

2 medium sized raw mangoes,peeled and chopped into small pieces(about 1.5 cups of chopped mango)

1.5 tbsp salt

1 tsp turmeric

4 tbsp grated jaggery/gud/bellam

4 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp of the mustard-methi powder

Method: Take a clean bowl, and mix the mango pieces with all the ingredients mentioned.Put this into a clean and dry glass jar and keep it aside for atleast 12 hours.

Soon after mixing everything together,the salt will start to drain the water from the mangoes and that will inturn melt the jaggery,creating a very fragrant sweet and wour sauce in which the mango pieces pretty much float around.

After soaking for atleast 6 hours,the mango pieces become very nicely flavoured with the fenugreek and jaggery.This really tastes very good with Utthi pappu or Mudda pappu (Plain old cooked toor dal,seasoned with nothing but salt and turmeric).It is good to eat on its own too.


It has been a really long time since I participated in any of the blog events.So this time,I am sending this to Deepa for the AFAM-mango event.

LIME PICKLE

Pickles are an integral part of the average telugu diet.Lime/lemon is a perfect fruit that lends itself very well to pickles and preserves.Ever since I saw Indira's Lime pickle post,my taste buds have been tingling for a taste of lime pickle.Normally we buy ready made pickles from stores,as carrying pickles to the UK is not an option we have because of weight limitations.I have experimented with simple pickles in the past, and hence the lime pickle was just a matter of time.The credit goes to Indira, though,who provides exact measurements for this.I have heard of a variety of lime pickle that is made in North India,which has black salt and ajwain(caraway seeds).I did not have any recipe to start with though,so I borrowed Indira's and gave it my twist.Here is my version(I had to modify on the amount of salt and lemon juice too):

Ingredients: 8 small thin skinned lemons

8 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons turmeric

Juice of 6 lemons

4 tablespoons chilli powder

1 teaspoon Dhaniya/coriander seeds

1 teaspoon Methi/Fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon ajwain powder(Roast the ajwain and powder it)

1 teaspoon Saunf(Fennel)seeds

2 teaspoons black salt

1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Hing

75 ml oil(preferably gingelly/sesame oil,peanut/sunflower will do)

Method: Cut the lemons into quarters,mix with the salt,turmeric and the lemon juice and keep aside for 5 days.Keep mixing it about once in 2 days so that the salt is dissolved well.

On 5th day,Roast the Fenugreek/Methi,Dhaniya/Coriander,Ajwain(also known as Bishop's weed/Thymol) and Fennel/Saunf and grind to a fine powder.Roast the Fenugreek separately until the seeds start popping and become brown.Don't let them get too dark.Powder and add to the lemon pieces along with the coriander ,fennel and thymol powders.

Let these marinate for 3 days.

On the 4th day of marination,heat 75 ml of oil in a pan, and add the asafoetida/Hing to the hot oil.Let the oil cool until warm,then add the chilli powder to it.Pour over the lemon pieces and mix well.

Put the pickle into the jar again and let it sit for atleast 10 days.The longer it sits,the better.In India,generally pickles are given a time of atleast 2-3 months before they are opened for consumption.My grandmother says pickles(these are generally made in India in the summers,in April and May when the sun is at its hottest) should sit until the rains start(which is about 3 months later in August/September),to soften up.And how true that is!Pickles taste really heavenly after the 3 month resting period.


My Notes:Pickle cannot be made out of the thick skinned big lemons that are commonly available in US and UK(Been there,done that).You could use limes instead.I was lucky enough to get the Indian type small yellow thin skinned lemons to make my pickle with.