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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