Aam panna, with subja seeds

A nice conventional aam panna, served with subja seeds.

Raw mango - 1 large size
Sugar - 3 tbsp or as required (depends on the sourness of the mangoes and how sweet you want it to be)
Roasted jeera powder - 1/2 tsp (dry roast the jeera, then roughly pound it)
Mint leaves - few
Rock Salt to taste
1 tsp subja seeds

Method:
Cook the mango in the pressure cooker till soft (2 whistles should do it- I cooked it along with the dal), and let it cool
Gently peel off the skin, and remove the pulp
In a blender, blend the mango pulp, rock salt, powdered jeera and sugar till smooth.
This forms the stock of the aam panna, and can be stored in the fridge for upto a week. 

Before serving, soak sabja seeds in water for 30 minutes. Pour 1/4 glass of aam panna concentrate, add soaked sabja seeds, and top up with water. Serve chilled. 

Mixed sprouts with cucumber and raw mango

I had a lot of mixed sprouts left over after making misal pav, and decided to make a simple salad with the rest. This tangy salad with alternating notes of sour and sweet, is a really good snack for a hot summer day. 

1 cup mixed sprouts

1 cucumber

1 raw mango

1 tsp jaggery grated

Salt to taste

Method: 

Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Turn off the flame and put the mixed sprouts in the water and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and keep aside. 

Meanwhile, cut the cucumber and raw mango into small pieces. 

Mix sprouts, cucumber and raw mango and mix well. Sprinkle the jaggery and let it mix. 

Keep in the fridge for 30 minutes and serve chilled. Adjust for salt, if required. 

Aam Panna, with jaggary

My mother used to make Aam Panna when I was a child, and I have strong views on what it should taste like and do not like deviating from my norm. But when I saw a recipe for a version which used jaggary instead of sugar, I wanted to try it out. The mix of spices gives it medicinal properties too, but me being me, I will only have it if it tastes good, and it does.

1 raw mango
1/3 cup jaggery
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp saunf/ fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ajwain/ carom seeds
1 green cardamons
Rock salt to taste

Method:
Peel the green mango, slice it into pieces. Cover with water, and boil for 10 minutes till soft.
Meanwhile, dry roast jeera, saunf, ajwain till well roasted, but not burnt. Dry grind and keep aside.
Powder the cardamons and keep aside.
Blend the cooked mango pieces (with the water), and jaggery till well mixed.
Add rock salt and powdered spices.
Store.

To serve, add 1 part of squash to 4 parts water, mix well and serve. You can also use soda instead of water.

Aambatti

Another dish I first tasted in office and liked enough to ask for the recipe. Full of proteins and packed with taste, it is a winner of a dish.

1/3 cup channa dal, soaked for 3 hours

1 green mango

1 green chillie

1 tsp jeera seeds

Salt to taste 

Method:

Soak the dal overnight, or atleast for a few hours. 

Grind coarsely and keep aside

Grate the raw mango and keep aside

Mix mango, pulses, salt and jeera powder. 

Serve with roti or as a stand alone snack 

Carrot-raw mango salad

Strange things happen to me in summer- for one my appetite turns a few cart-wheels before settling at a place where I crave raw, semi-cooked and cold meals. Naturally, therefore, instead of a normal carrot curry, it was this grated carrot salad that I needed for dinner.

200 gms carrots
1 medium raw mango
3 tbsp peanuts
1 tsp oil1 tsp mustard seeds
Salt to taste

Method:
Grate the carrots and keep aside.
Grate the raw mango and keep aside.
Mix the raw mango and carrots well. Add salt to taste and mix well again. Put in the fridge and let it settle for about half an hour.
Heat the oil, add mustard seeds and wait till it stops spluttering.
Add peanuts and lightly fry.
Pour over the carrot- raw mango mixture, and mix well.
Goes well with roti and dal.

Green Mango Chutney

The maid decided to take a day off, and I had to think of something I could make for dinner which would not have me cursing the world and her fifth cousin for pushing me into the kitchen in the heat. Dosa and chutney was the obvious choice, but I decided to go a bit creative with the chutney and use raw mangoes for the sour taste. It was quite yummylicious, and I am looking forward to finishing the rest off tonight.

1 green mango
1/2 coconut
3 large pods of garlic
1 green chilli
Salt to taste

Method:
Grate the coconut.
Chop the green mango into small pieces (you could peel and then chop, but I was lazy).
Peel the garlic.
Blend the coconut, green mango, garlic and green chilli, with sufficient water, till you get the desired consistency.
Add salt to taste, mix well, and serve with dosas.

Kosimbir- with green mangoes

Kosimbir was often made at my place, and come summer and I start making it for myself. This is a slight variation on the old favourite, with green mango slices for the sour taste.

1 cup split moong dal
1 cucumber
1/2 green mango
salt to taste

For tempering (optional)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 green chilli
1 sprig curry leaves
a little cooking oil


Method
Soak the split moong dal overnight (or at least for 4 hours)
Cut the cucumber and the mango into tiny pieces and mix well with the dal
Add salt to taste, and mix well
If you like, you can make the tempering and pour it over the kosimbir, or you can avoid it with no change in taste.
Serve chilled, either as a stand alone snack, or with rotis.

Quick chunda

I've been wanting to make chunda from before the mango season began, but life was super hectic during those summer months, and I never got down to doing so. Once the alphansos came (and went), I resigned myself to waiting another year before I could make chunda- and then surprise of surprise, I came across a few raw mangoes and picked them up.
However, before I could gather the ingredients to make chunda, the monsoons arrived and I was left holding a raw mango that I didn't know what to do with. A quick google search showed me something called a quick chunda that could be made without having to keep it in the sun, and before I could change my mind, I whipped up this batch for me.

1 raw mango grated
1/2 tsp haldi powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp jeera roasted and powdered
3/4 cup sugar (I got about a cup of grated mango)


Method:
Add haldi and salt to the mango, mix well.
Add 2 tbsp sugar, mix well, and leave it for 5-10 minutes till it is well incorporated. Add another 2 tbsp and keep repeating the process till all the sugar is incorporated.
On a very low flame, heat the mango mixture till all the sugar dissolves- do not heat too much or the sugar might start crystallizing.
Add red chilli powder and jeera, mix well and store in an airtight container.

The chunda is ready to eat right away, and tastes incredible with dal rotis made from leftover dal.

Instant Mango Pickle

When the first mangoes fell off the trees after the April Showers, I would rejoice, because it meant the appearance of instant mango pickle at the dinner table. I love it more than most other things, but this is the first year that I attempted to make it myself.

Raw Mango cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp haldi powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
a pinch of hing
(all these can be adjusted according to taste)

For tempering
3 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/3 tsp urad dal
Curry leaves (optional)

Method
Wash Mango thoroughly and wipe with a paper towel, then chop in to fine pieces.
Marinate with the dry powders and keep aside.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds and when it stops spluttering add urad dal and fry till golden brown.
Pour the oil with tempering onto the mango pieces, mix well and store it under refridgeration in an airtight container.
Tastes best after 2- 3 days, and can easily be kept for a month in the refridgerator.

Raw mango poha

It started out as Mona's pulao, but since I didn't have cooked rice, and was too lazy to make any, it ended up becoming a poha instead.

 
Wash 1 cup poha, and keep aside the washed poha
Heat 1 tsp oil, temper jeera.
Add 1/2 raw mango, 1 medium onion, 1 green chilli all chopped small, and a handfull of peanuts, and fry till the onion turns transparent.
Add the poha, some mint and dhania patta chopped fine, salt and rock salt to taste and mix well.
Serve hot.