Raw Mango Rice

Kacchi Kairi. Tangy and amazingly flavourful, the raw mango was another regular at our home during the summers. My mom made different types of pickles- spicy, sour and sweet. We used to go to the vegetable market, get the mangoes peeled and grated and cubed, all ready for mom to make some chhunda and murabba. Bright red coloured sour-sweet chhunda, golden yellow coloured, infused with saffron, murabba and red coloured spicy mango pickle that made the lunches much more interesting. But, honestly, we never cooked anything for meal using raw mangoes. So, when I came across this recipe, I knew I had to try it. It is definitely a keeper and real easy to make.

Raw Mango Rice 
Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice

2/3 cup raw mango- grated

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp chana dal

7-8 curry leaves

2 dry red chillies

1 tbsp cashews

1/2 tbsp peanuts

½ tsp turmeric powder

1.5 tbsp oil

2 medium spicy green chillies, raw or fried (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

1.       Cook the rice in a microwave or on the gas. The rice should be cooked like you cook for Pulao- the grains shouldn’t break. Let the rice cool down.

2.       Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. Add chana dal and ¼ tsp mustard seeds, 3-4 curry leaves and   add dry red chillies chillies once the seeds start crackling.

3.       Now add the grated raw mango. Mix well. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on low flame.

4.       Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.

5.       Remove from heat. Now stir in the rice with this mixture with a wooden or silicon spatula very gently. The rice grains should not break.

6.       Take a small bowl. Fill the rice in the bowl and flip it upside down on a serving plate.

7.       Now in a tadka vati (special vessel for tempering. If you don’t have, you can use a small pan), heat ½ tbsp oil. Add remaining mustard seeds, cashews, peanuts and curry leaves. When the cashews become golden brown, remove from heat. Pour the tadka (tempering) over the mound of rice. 

8.       Serve with roasted or fried papad and raw or fried green chillies if you like it spicy :) 

A perfect light summer meal- let the flavours drift you into another world. Bon Apetit!