Onset of Mangoes and summer season go hand in hand. Who doesn’t love MANGOES ??? Be it Avakkai pickles, mango thokku, mango pappu, mango rice (list goes on and on) made in south India or the Aam ras or Mango Shrikand in the western states that is usually teamed up with puris, the range of special dishes in the vast Indian cuisine is aplenty. These many sweet, savoury and spicy treats in the regional cuisines use mangoes as the core ingredient both in its ripe and raw forms. Today’s recipe for Mamidikaya Pulihora or Raw Mango Rice (Andhra Style) calls for mango in raw form. It is known by different names like Mangai sadam in Tamil Nadu or Mavinakayi Chitranna in Karnataka.
Very abundant in summer, the green raw mangoes are used to substitute lemon and tamarind in many gravies, dals and pulihora. Sour when raw, sweet when ripe mangoes are a tasty delight to relish. Traditionally, Telugu families refrain from eating mangoes till Ugadi and sample their first mango of the season on this day in the form of pachadi.
Ugadi pachadi is one such dish that has become synonymous with Ugadi. It is made of new jaggery, raw mango pieces and neem flowers and new tamarind which truly reflect life – a combination of sweet, sour and bitter tastes!
Ugadi marks the beginning of a new Hindu lunar calendar with a change in the moon’s orbit. It is celebrated with festive fervour in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra. While it is called Ugadi in A.P, Telangana and Karnataka, in Maharashtra it is known as “Gudi Padva”. I hope to be back with the recipe for Ugadi Pachadi with some details on how Ugadi is celebrated in my hometown!!
On Ugadi we celebrate the season’s fresh produce of mangoes by preparing Mamidikaya pulihora (raw mango rice), a South Indian rice delicacy, prepared on the same lines as lemon rice (nimmakaya pulihora) and is the most simple (unlike Tamarind Pulihora) and easiest recipe one can ever make. The key to this rice dish is mango, which lends it a tangy flavour and is counter balanced with a fragrant tempering of dals, chillis, curry leaves and a good measure of peanuts.
There are also many desserts centred around mangoes, the ‘king of fruits’, and you have enough options to keep your sweet tooth satiated. Check out a few recipes on my blog that uses mango – Mango Sheera, Mago Lassi, Mango Strawberry Breakfast Smoothie…..But, one must admit that nothing beats that feeling of biting through a freshly cut mango.
This post is a contribution to the Ugadi Specials hosted by Jayashree.
Off to the recipe for Mamidikaya pulihora / Raw Mango Rice!!
EASY STEPS TO PREPARE MAMIDIKAYA PULIHORA OR RAW MANGO RICE:
THE PROCESS INVOLVES 3 SIMPLE STEPS:
- Cooking rice ( or use left over rice) and grate mango to make mango and turmeric infused rice
- Tempering
- Mamidikay Pulihora or Raw mango rice mix
1. MAKING MANGO AND TURMERIC INFUSED RICE:
- Please refer to “How to cook perfect plain rice”.
Note: Cook rice separately in a pressure cooker, rice cooker or a saucepan. Make sure you don’t over cook the rice otherwise lemon rice will become mushy. Make sure rice is not mushy and the grains are separate. This is achieved only after rice cools down. So don’t mix while rice is still hot. You can also use left over rice for this recipe.
- Wash, peel and grate raw mango. (1 to 2 depending on the size)
- Add a layer of hot plain coked rice onto a plate.
- Now spread the mango grate over the rice while it is still hot.
- Cover the mango grate with rest of the hot rice.
- Add turmeric, 1 tablespoon of oil and a little salt over the rice.
- Leave it for 10 to 15 minutes minutes till the mango flavour infuses into the rice. The mango also becomes soft because of the hot rice.
- Now mix well until all the rice grains are coated well with turmeric and the mango grate mixes well.
NOTE: Some add raw mango grate directly to the tempering and shallow fry it but I prefer it this way as it has more of the mango flavour and the mango is not fully cooked. This is an awesome tip from my mom!!
2. TEMPERING:
You will need:
- Heat around a tablespoon of oil in pan over medium heat. Once oil is hot enough add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
- Once mustard seeds crackle, add dry red chilies, black gram and channa dal.
- Now add peanuts and cashew nuts.
- Once the nuts start to turn slightly brown, add green chilies and thin strips of ginger.
- Fry for about a minute, add curry leaves and asafoetida. You can be generous with curry leaves and peanuts.
- Mix well and turn off the heat when the curry leaves start to splutter.
- Cool down the tempering and add coriander (optional).
3. MAMIDIKAYA PULIHORA MIX:
- Transfer the tempering to the mango and turmeric infused rice from the first step.
- Give it a nice stir with a ladle. It is traditionally mixed using hands. Adjust salt and serve.
- Let the rice sit for couple of hours and the rice will soak all mango flavour and will taste great. The tartness of the mangoes along with the green chillies and the seasonings, brings out the flavours of this excellent rice recipe.
- Serve with potato fry , pappadam or chips. You can also have it as it is or with plain yoghurt.
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