Cooking Carnival recap

Presenting the round up of this mega marathon. I thorouhly enjoyed participating and posting recipes in this mega marathon. Though there were lots of ups and downs in the personal front, yet I could complete my recipes and post it as planned and I also reached my 300th post. Would definitely love to participate in more such mega marathons.

I chose different ingredients for every week and also dedicated one complete week to millets. Learnt some very good new recipes also. 

Week 1: Garlic / Poondu / Vellulli

Garlic chutney



Garlic pickle



Garlic fried rice



Week 2: Ivy gourd / Kovakkai / Tindora

Kovakkai Poriyal



Tindora Rice



Kovakkai Thogayal



Tindora-Nu-Shaak



Manoli Kadle



Tindora Masala



Week 3: Puttu / Rice flour cakes

Tamarind Puttu



Lemon Puttu



Egg Biriyani Puttu



Veg fried Puttu



Thakkali Puttu



Puttu Payasam



Week 4: Varagu / Koovaragu / Kodo Millet

Varagu Pulao



Varagu Kanji



Varagu Adai



Varagu Idli and Dosa



Varagu Pakora



Varagu Pongal



Week 5: Mangai / Raw mango

Mangai kari



Manga chammandhi



Mamidikaya Pappu



Uppilitta Manga



Kadugu Manga

An InLinkz Link-up

Kadugu Manga | Tender mango pickle | 300th Post

Today is the last day of this mega marathon. Yippeee!!! I succeeded this time in posting all the recipes almost on time. Also this is the 300th post I am publishing. What a coincidence. And I am posting my favourite pickle. This pickle tops my list. If this pickle is available I will eat anything!!

I guess kadugu manga is the most favourite pickle of all kerala brahmins. Haven't heard anywhere else so... Others prepare kanni manga achar, or vadu maanga oorgai, but both of them can't come near the authentic kadugu manga oorgai that is prepared in the kerala brahmin household. I guess it depends on the type of this raw mango. Though I am unable to find what this particular type of raw mango is called. I guess the tiny mangoes of the raw mango with which we prepare "aavakkaya oorgai" might be the apt one.

Mind you this pickle preparation is a strenuous job. But this pickle is very healthy since when compared to other pickles this has less oil and no water is added. The water that is seen in the pickle comes from the mangoes it self. 

Ingredients

Vadu manga / maavadu / baby mangoes - 5 cups heaped

Salt (rock salt preferred) - 1 cup

Castor oil or sesame oil - 2 tbslp

*The baby mangoes should be round variety

To Roast and grind

Red chillies (Long variety) - 20

Vendhayam (fenugreek seeds/ methi seeds) - 1/2 tsp

Mustard - 3/4 tsp

A small piece of turmeric Or turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Method:

• Choose fresh, roughly same size of baby mangoes / vadu manga. Wash properly and don't remove the stalks. You can probably cut the stalks if they are too lengthy but dont remove them completely.
• Pat dry completely in a clean kitchen towel and dry in the shade for making sure it has no water. 
• In a porcelain bowl or glass bottle, big enough to hold the mangoes, transfer the mangoes and salt in layers. 
• Keep stirring or shaking the mangoes every day. By the second day, water would have started oozing out of the mangoes. Keep stirring daily until the water level reaches above the mangoes. Generally this takes about 15-20 days time.
• Now, roast the items given under ‘To roast and grind table’. Add asafoetida powder towards the end. (I used the solid ones). No need to roast the turmeric. Roast until the mustard starts cracking. Do it in medium flame. Cool down and powder everything.
• Take the salted water from the raw mangoes and mix in the chilli powder and mustard powder in clean bowl and add to the mangoes. 
• Keep the jar covered air tight and keep in a cool dark place. Keep stirring every day for another week. The pickle will be ready to use in a week.

Kadugu Manga is ready!!! Relish it with a bowl of thayir sadam....

Notes:

• As always told for pickles, always use clean spoons while handling the pickle.
• Use only peengan/bharani or glass bottles as others may not withstand the salt content in the pickle.
• Using kal uppu / rock salt is recommended.
• Do not forget to toss the mangoes everyday atleast 2-3 times for a week.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68

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Uppilitta Manga | Salted Mango Pickle

The name raw mango is rhymed with pickles right? So here I am with another easy pickle. This is not a very spicy pickle rather a salted one, but it stays fresh for about a year at room temperature - if stored properly.

Kerala Style Uppilitta Manga or Mangoes in brine is one the ways of storing raw organic mangoes. We also have a famous film song (black and white) which has the lyrics - "uppilitta mangai undu unnan vaa machunane" meaning "salted mango pickle is available, come have lunch dear". 

For first timers who want to preserve raw mangoes; let me tell you that there is no such recipe for this. When I asked my Mother, all she said was boil salt and water together, cool completely, pour over mangoes, let it sit for at least a month and use it during the monsoons for curries, chutneys etc

It is better if this mango pickle is preserved in bharanis. But since I don't have them I preserve it in glass bottles. Until now I have preserved it for about 6 months and it stays good. Just keep the glass bottles in dark places.

Ingredients:

Raw Mango: 1 kg

Salt: 1 cups (125 grams)

Water: 3 to 4 cups or as needed 

Green chillies - 20 nos

Method:

• Clean and wash the mangoes, pat dry with a towel.
• I sliced the mangoes into cubes of 1 inch. Generally mangoes are cut into big pieces lengthwise. Or if they are small mangoes, then they are just cut into two. I cut them into smaller pieces so as to compactly fit in my glass bottle.
• Slit the green chillies lengthwise. 
• Add the chillies and the cut mango pieces to a glass jar/bottle.
• Boil salt and water together, cool it completely and pour it over the mangoes. Cover tightly with a lid and keep it for a week. In between I check on it and give it a shake.
• The mangoes should be completely covered with water. So add water accordingly.
• After about a week you should start seeing the mangoes skin change color from a bright green to a mild green.
• When the complete mangoes have changed color, you can start using them. 

Uppilitta manga ready!!!

Notes:

• I topped the sliced mangoes into a big clean and dry glass jar. If you have a ceramic pot or "bharani" use it, though steel or aluminum is not ideal.
• If the mango skin is thick, it might take time to absorb the salt and hence the change in color.
• Once in a while check if there is any fungus formation on top; if there is wipe off with a clean towel or napkin. Make sure water covers the mangoes.
• Use always a dry spoon to take the magoes out. I show the spoon in flame for about half a minute and then insert it into the mangoes.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68

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Mamidikaya pappu | Raw mango dal

Mamidikaya pappu is a famous dish of Andhra Pradesh. I came across this dish for the first time in one of my fellow marathoners blog. But then after, I found this recipe repeating itself in many of the food blogs and I felt compelled to prepare this mango dal. I had prepared this recipe over the summer when mangoes were available in abundance but somehow did not get a chance to post it. So i reserved this recipe for this mega marathon when I decided on one of the ingredients as raw mango. 

It is a very easy recipe and it turned out very well. The dal is cooked with raw mangoes and mild spices. Try out this mango dal in the following summer season and i am sure you will love this mamidikaya pappu . Though this dish is generally paired with rice, it also goes well with rotis also.

Ingredients:

Raw mango - 1/2 cup      

Toor dal  - 3/4 cup 

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp      

Red chili  - 2     

Green chili -  2 - 3     

Garlic  - 2 pods     

Ginger - a small piece    

 Asafoetida - 2 pinches     

Onion   - 1     

Curry leaves -  few     

Ghee  - 1 tblsp     

Oil - 2 tsp     

Mustard seeds  - 1/2 tsp     

Cumin | jeera  - 1/4 tsp     

Salt - to taste    

Coriander leaves  - few 

Method:

• Peel and cut  the mango into cubes and cook it in little water.   
• Wash and and cook the dal with enough water, salt and turmeric powder. 
• Chop the onions finely, slit the green chili and finely chop the garlic and ginger. 
• In a pan add ghee and add mustard seeds, cumin, slit green chilies and red chilies. 
• Once the mustard splutters, Add the finely chopped garlic and ginger and the asafoetida 
• Cook for 2 minutes and add the finely chopped onions. Fry till the onions are translucent.
• Now add the dal and the cooked mango pieces. Add water as per the required consistency. Generally mango dal is made thick. I too made it thick. So I did not add any water.
• Allow this to boil for 5 minutes.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Mango dal is ready!!  Enjoy with rice or rotis.

Notes:

• You can also cook the dal along with the spices and mango pieces in cooker. Since I Tried it for the first time I tried everything on stove top.
• Add green chili according to the sourness of the mango. 
• I garnished the dal with fried onions along with coriander leaves to enhance the taste.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68

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Manga Chammandhi | Chutney with raw mango

As promised in my previous post, the next recipe is Manga chammandhi which I make with the kilichundan manga. I learnt this recipe from my MIL. I always make this chammandhi along with biriyanis. Its a very great combo. When it is off-season for mangoes, we substitute mango with lemon juice for the tanginess. This chammandhi is a very good accompaniment for kanji also. It is ground without adding water and all the ingredients are added raw. So stays fresh for a longer time. 

Ingredients:

Coconut (grated) - 1 cup

Raw mango - 1/2 of a mango (kilichundan)

Green chillies - 5

Shallots - 3

Ginger - 10 grams

Salt - to taste

Coriander leaves - few

Mint leaves - few

Method:

• Wash the raw mango. Grate and keep it aside. You need not discard its skin.
• Peel the ginger and shallots.
• Put all the ingredients along with salt in a mixer and grind coarsely.
• In between open the mixer and mix all the ingredients with a spatula and pulse the mixer 2-3 times so that the chutney is ground evenly. Do not add water.

Easy Manga Chammandhi is ready!!

Notes:

• Check the tanginess of the raw mango before adding it to the chutney.
• This chammandhi is very high on the spice level. If you want to reduce the spice level then you should also reduce the tanginess or the amount of raw mango.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68

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Manga Kari | Instant Pickle

Yippeeeeeee. We are in the last week of this month long marathon and I am happy that I have managed to be ready with all the 5 recipes for this week. I just have to edit the pictures and my post.

For the last week the ingredient I have chosen in raw mango. It is off-season now but I managed to get 1 or 2 mangoes for some of my recipes and few recipes I had prepared over summer but never posted. 

Manga kari makes an entry 2-3 times in our kitchen during the summer season. There is a mango in the name of kilimooku in tamil and kilichundan in malayalam meaning parrot's nose. Whenever I find this mango (Raw) I buy them in huge and make a variety of recipes like this manga kari, manga chammandhi, manga koottan etc... Will try to post most of these in this week's marathon. 

Starting this week with a very easy to make and instant pickle. This pickle often finds its place in the sadya menu. This can be made in a jiffy. The only time consuming process being chopping up the mango into small pieces. This kari stays good in room temperature for 2-3 days. Most of the times it gets over within that time. If you are planning to keep it for more time then it has to be refrigerated and consumed within about a week.

Ingredients:

Mango,unripe - 1 

Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp 

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Roasted fenugreek seeds powder - 1 pinch

Salt - As needed

To temper

Sesame oil - 1 tblsp

Mustard - 3/4 tsp

Method:

• Chop the cleaned mango finely - as tiny as possible and place in a mixing bowl. 
• Add salt and raw asafoetida and mix everything with the chopped mango.
• In a pan/ kadai, heat oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. 
• Switch off the stove and add fenugreek seeds powder, turmeric, red chilli powder and mix well.
• Add this to the chopped mango. Mix well until the oil is evenly coated.

Instant mango pickle is ready!! Enjoy with a bowl of curd rice.

Notes:

• Adjust the spice and salt according to the tanginess of the mango.
• You can also add 1 red chilly while tempering. I usually don't add.
• This pickle also goes well with biriyanis.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68

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Varagu Pongal

The last one in the 'varagu' aka 'kodo millet' ingredient week is Pongal with varagu. Millets are rich in fiber, low in cholesterol and are gluten free. I made this pongal along with vadai. Pongal vadai with sambar and chutney is an wholesome breakfast. This varagu pongal is very easy to prepare, tastes delicious and also very healthy. There is not much difference between rice pongal and this pongal except that I felt it a little dry when compared to our normal rice pongal. I mean it was not muchy.

Ingredients:

   Varagarisi /Kodo Millet- 1/2 cup
   Split green gram dal/Moong dal/pasi paruppu -2 tbsp
   Water - 2 1/2 cup
   Salt to taste

   For the seasoning

   Oil - 1 tbsp
   Ghee - 1-2 tsp
   Cumin seeds/jeera - 1 tsp
   Whole black pepper/milagu - 1 tsp
   Cashew nuts - 4-5
   Ginger finely chopped - 1 tbsp
   Curry leaves - a sprig

Method:

• Dry roast moong dal in little ghee until it is hot to touch. 
• Wash and pressure cook both dal and millets with 2 1/2 cup of water and salt needed for 3 whistles.
• Once the pressure subsides, open the cooker and mix the content well.
• Heat ghee in a kadai/pan, add mustard seeds. When mustard crackles add cumin/jeera seeds, pepper finely chopped ginger, curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds and pour it over the cooked millet + dal.
• Fry cashewnuts in ghee and pour it over the pongal.
• Cook the pongal on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ghee, mix well and switch it off.

Delicious pongal is ready!!! Enjoy it with chutney and sambar.

Notes:

You can substitute kodo millet with little millet (samai) or barnyard millet (kudraivali) and prepare the same recipe.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 68

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