Best Raw Mango Recipes| Green Mango Recipe Collection

It is no secret that I adore mangoes – raw ones as well as ripe. If you have been reading my blog for a while now, you will know that I love trying out a variety of recipes using mangoes. Each summer, I embark on a hunt for recipes that use mangoes, modern as well as traditional, and try them out in my kitchen. I absolutely love this process, the huge amount of learning I get this way.

Today, I am here with a collection of the best raw mango recipes from my blog. All of these recipes have been tried and tested to yield beautiful results. Some of these raw mango recipes are from my family cookbooks, things that I grew up eating, while some others are from the Internet or from friends and family. I hope you will try out at least a few dishes from this green mango recipe collection, if you haven’t already.

Some of the raw mango recipes featured in this collection!

Click on the name of each dish, to get to the relevant recipe!

1. Maangaai Paruppu

This is such a simple dish to make, but one that tastes absolutely delicious! It barely takes a few minutes to put together, and makes for a different side dish for rotis and rice alike. Try this out with either moong daal or toor daal!

2. Raw Mango Jam

Raw mango jam was one of the first-ever jams I made, thrilling me to bits when it turned out so perfect and gorgeous. That beautiful, beautiful colour! Spread it on rotis or bread, and your breakfast is sorted.

3. Raw Mango Sambar

Krishna Kafe in Koramangala is one place where I absolutely love lunching, and their raw mango sambar is a big-time favourite. That is precisely what inspired me to make this creation. With coconut and other spices ground and mixed in, this sambar is just perfect with piping hot rice and ghee!

4. Aambe Daal

This is a traditional Maharashtrian dish that my grandma used to make, with chana daal and raw mangoes. It makes for a delish snack any time of the day! It is one of my favourite-st things, ever.

5. No-Coconut Raw Mango Gotsu

The word ‘gotsu‘ inevitably brings to mind a thick gravy, full of coconut, traditionally served in South Indian weddings and other similar occasions. This particular gotsu, though, is different – it is made without coconut and is lighter on the palate, yet extremely flavourful. Try it out with rotis, rice or dosas!

6. Kaachi Keri Ane Dungli Nu Kachumber

This Gujarati raw mango and onion relish will surely have you craving for more! It is an explosion of flavours – sweet and sour and spicy – and is believed to have the power to ward off the ill effects of the extreme heat during the hot summer months. Try it out to believe just how yummy it is!

7. Kerala-Style Raw Mango Pickle

This is a simple recipe for an instant mango pickle that I learnt from my mother-in-law. It can jazz up a dish of plain old curd rice like no one’s business, and it is as easy as 1-2-3!

8. Raw Mango Chaat

This creation of mine was inspired by a raw mango chaat that I had at a street-side vendor’s, and absolutely loved. The husband and I loved my version, too, sweet and spicy and sour and crunchy and soft, all at the same time.

9. Quick-Fix Raw Mango Chitranna

This is an easy-peasy way to make use of leftover rice. The addition of raw mango and dosai milagai podi aka gunpowder takes the taste of this dish to a whole new level.

10. Thai Raw Mango And Onion Salad

Raw mango and onion salad is a must-order dish for the husband and me, whenever we visit a Thai restaurant. But then, this is such a super-simple dish to make at home too!

11. Thai Green Mango And Moong Sprouts Salad

This is another Thai-style salad that is utterly delectable. What’s more, it is quite easy to make at home, and highly nutritious too. This is the kind of salad I could make a lunch or dinner out of, any day!

12. Raw Mango Pachadi With Neem Flowers

This is a Tamil New Year specialty – a dish with salty, sour, bitter and sweet tastes in it to signify that life is a mix of many different things, too. We use dried neem flowers to make this dish, as against the fresh ones that are traditionally used. Well, dried neem flowers or fresh, this relish surely is a big-time favourite at home!

13. Raw Mango Salsa

This raw mango salsa will definitely spice up any party or gathering! Pair it with chips, toast, khakra, lavash or nachos, and watch it work its magic. A lovely appetiser, this is.

14. Raw Mango Salsa Chaat

Is it salsa? Is it chaat? It is both, and an absolutely delicious confection at that! You must try this out when you are craving something spicy and sweet and tangy, and are bored of the regular chaats. If you have all the ingredients handy, it can be whipped up in a jiffy too!

15. Chivda Bhel

This chaat, made with Maharashtrian-style chivda, is elevated to huge heights by the addition of raw mango. It is light and refreshing, and different from the usual, not to forget finger-licking delicious. Try, try!

16. Thengaai Maangaai Pattani Sundal

A common sight on the beaches of Tamil Nadu, this sundal is an absolute delight to have. It is a personal favourite, thanks to the punch of flavour it packs in, not to forget just how supremely easy it is to make.

Don’t forget to tell me if you try out any of these raw mango recipes! I hope you love these dishes just as much as we did. Have fun creating!

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Kalyana Sundareswarar Kovil, Thirumanancheri: The Temple Of Marriages

Just a short drive away from Kumbakonam, 25 km to be precise, lies the quiet little village of Thirumanancheri in the Nagapattinam district of Tamilnadu. The village has thousands of people flocking to it every day, all thanks to the Kalyana Sundareswarar temple that it houses.

It wouldn’t be wrong to call the Kalyana Sundareswarar (‘the beautiful god who facilitates weddings’, in Tamil) temple ‘the temple of marriages’. This temple, where Lord Shiva (along with his wife Goddess Parvati), is the presiding deity, is famed for expediting weddings. A special pooja is performed at the temple for all the visiting male and female devotees who are desirous of marriage – irrespective of whether they are single, divorced or widowed. There are thousands who have entered into matrimony after a visit to this temple, and these couples then visit the temple together to thank God and to light earthen lamps so as to seek His blessings for a happy and long wedded life.

The facade of the Kalyana Sundareswarar temple, Thirumancheri

Legend has it that, thousands of years ago, it was in the village of Thirumanancheri that Lord Shiva got married to Goddess Parvati, thus granting the place sacred status. This legendary wedding is what, in fact, gives the village its name – ‘Thirumanam‘ means ‘marriage’, and ‘Cheri‘ means ‘village’, in Tamil. Over the years, the Kalyana Sundareswarar temple in the village has become famous for conducting poojas that help weddings happen.

Years ago, my husband’s family had prayed at this temple, asking for a suitable wife for him. Coincidentally or not, a year or so later, ‘we’ happened. On our recent visit to Kumbakonam, we drove down to Thirumanancheri, as a married couple, to offer our respects to the deity. Quite late – seven years into our marriage, yes – but we did get to it, finally, with the bub in tow, too. It surely felt good, cute almost, to light lamps together with the husband, at the temple. The bub had a good time of it all, pretty amused to see her Amma and Appa sporting garlands around their necks, as part of the ‘couple pooja‘ at the temple!

Considering how famous this temple is, particularly in the south of India, it was pleasing to see that it wasn’t commercial at all, the way a whole lot of temples in India are going these days. Performing the pooja here was a breeze. This is a small and simple, but beautiful, temple, and I hope it stays that way.

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I hope you have read my other posts about Kumbakonam, and enjoyed them too! If you haven’t, here are the links for you.

Acquainted, finally: Degree coffee in Kumbakonam

Travel shot: The man and his friend, the beast

What dining at a 100-plus-year-old eatery feels like: Sri Mangalambiga Vilas, Kumbakonam

Kumbakonam, in the midst of Masimagam

Chilli & Mango Grilled Cheese Sandwich

We are a family of big-time sandwich lovers, if you don’t know that already. I love experimenting with different types of fillings in our sandwiches, and we are known for our sandwich breakfasts, lunches and dinners – basically, we can have sandwiches any time of the day!

I would never have thought of adding mango slices to a sandwich, though. That came about solely because I recently came across Nandita Iyer’s Mango Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwiches here, and got super tempted to try them out. Inspired, I made my own version of mango sandwich for dinner a couple of days ago – a chilli and mango grilled cheese sandwich – and it was a huge hit at home. I am positive this is not going to be the last time I have made the sandwich!

Chilli & mango grilled cheese sandwich

If you love mangoes, like me, you must absolutely try this sandwich out. I added pickled jalapenos, which everyone knows make for a great combination with cheese. The mango in the sandwich takes the taste several notches higher.

Here is how I made this Chilli & mango grilled cheese sandwich.

Ingredients (for 2 sandwiches):

1. 4 slices of bread (I used whole wheat bread)
2. 2 cubes of cheese (I used Amul)
3. Half of a medium-sized ripe mango
4. About 8 pieces of pickled jalapenos (store-bought)
5. Salted butter, as needed (I used Amul)

Method:

1. Cut the cheese cubes into thin slices. Keep aside. Skip this step if you are using cheese slices.
2. Cut the mango into thin slices too. Keep aside.
3. Butter all 4 slices of bread. Keep aside.
4. Layer some of the cheese pieces on two slices of buttered bread. Arrange the mango slices on top of this. Arrange the jalapeno pieces and the remaining pieces of cheese on top of the mango. Close the sandwiches using the remaining two slices of buttered bread.
5. Grill the sandwiches in a sandwich maker till slightly crisp.
6. Serve immediately.

Notes:

1. Increase or decrease the quantity of cheese you use in the sandwiches, as per your taste preferences.
2. You could even use ready-made cheese slices to make these sandwiches, instead of cubes.
3. Use mango slices in your sandwiches, if you think you’d like them that way.
4. Increase or decrease the quantity of sliced jalapenos that you use in the sandwiches, as per your personal preferences.
5. I think processed cheese works best for these sandwiches, but you could use any type that you prefer.
6. The original recipe calls for any hot sauce (like Tabasco or green chilli sauce). I used pickled jalapenos instead, and loved the way the sandwiches turned out.
7. If you want to make a healthier version of these sandwiches, you could skip buttering the bread slices, use whole wheat bread, and add lesser cheese.
8. Use a ripe mango that isn’t too squishy, but nice and firm. A mango that is a nice mix of sweet and sour would be great for these chilli & mango grilled cheese sandwiches.
9. Use this recipe sans the mango slices, and you get some gorgeous jalapeño-cheese sandwiches. 

Yumminess, right? I hope you will make these sandwiches at home, too. If you do, don’t forget to tell me how you liked them!

Mexican Chilli Chocolate Ice Cream| No-Egg, No-Churn, No-Ice Cream Maker Recipe

I read Laura Esquivel’s Like Water For Chocolate a few years back. I didn’t like the book much, but scenes from it have stayed in my mind, particularly some food-related ones. I still recall parts of the book where the heroine cooked up magical dishes that had the desired effect upon the eaters, combining ingredients that would have seemed bizarre otherwise.

My desire to combine chilli with chocolate began with this book, I think, though I’m not sure. Since this book happened, I have wanted to make something that would combine these two ingredients – chocolate and chilli, sweet and hot – but never took an initiative towards this end. Just recently, though, this foodie dream of mine came to fruition, and my imagination took the shape of a Mexican chilli chocolate ice cream. It turned out beautifully, I must say.

My Mexican chilli chocolate ice cream

This might look like ordinary chocolate ice cream, but it is so not. It is an ice cream that is perfect for times when you want to stun, to surprise, to create an impression. It will, initially, seduce you with its rich, chocolate-ey flavour, then shock you with the hint of chilli in it! And, yet, this Mexican chilli chocolate ice cream is so very simple to prepare – it is just a matter of minutes.

Here is how I made the ice cream.

Ingredients (makes about 4 servings):

1. 250 ml whipping cream (I used Amul)
2. A pinch of salt
3. 200 grams sweetened condensed milk (I used Amul Mithai Mate)
4. About 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, or to taste (I used Hershey’s)
5. 2 teaspoons of red chilli powder, or to taste (I used Everest)
6. About 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar, or to taste

Method:

1. Take the cream in a large mixing bowl. Whisk till smooth, without overdoing it.
2. Add the salt, cocoa powder, condensed milk, chilli powder and condensed milk. Whisk gently, until everything is well combined together.
3. Pour this mixture into a clean, dry, air-tight box.
4. Keep the box, covered, in the freezer and set it at the highest temperature. Freeze till the ice cream sets, which should take about 4 hours.
5. Get the ice cream out of the freezer only when you are ready to serve it, because it melts quite fast. Serve immediately.

Notes:

1. If you do not like the idea of chilli in your ice cream, you could omit the chilli powder and follow the rest of the proceedure. In that case, you would get a pure chocolate ice cream, a lovely rich and smooth one at that.
2. Since I do not own an ice cream maker and am not too fond of churning my ice cream multiple times, I use condensed milk to add creaminess and to help it set beautifully.
3. Adjust the quantity of chilli powder, depending upon how much spiciness you would prefer in your ice cream. Similarly, adjust the quantities of cocoa powder and powdered sugar as per your taste preferences.
4. I didn’t want to boil green chillies and add the extract to the ice cream, to flavour it. Neither did I want to add ground green chillies to the ice cream. I have, thus, used red chilli powder to spice it up.

You like? I hope you will try out this Mexican chilli chocolate ice cream, too, and that you will love it just as much as we did!

Kumbakonam, In The Midst Of Masimagam

The husband and I mostly travel during festivals, when he manages to get considerable time off work. Lately, we seem to be walking into places only to find ourselves in the midst of big celebrations, surrounded by throngs of people wherever we go. While we are planning our trip, we never know that our destination is a hot-spot for such a major event, and are always taken by surprise. Not good in some ways, but great in some other ways.

For instance, we landed in Calcutta in the thick of Kali Pujo, without ever expecting it. Now, recently, we ended up in Kumbakonam in the midst of Masimagam, quite by chance. We planned the Kumbakonam trip around the Hindu festival of Shivratri, and happened to be there right on the auspicious day of Masimagam, when thousands of devotees from across India visit the place, too.

Wondering what on earth is Masimagam? Here you go!

Masimagam is considered to be a highly auspicious day, particularly in South India. This day is when the planets align a certain way, an incidence that occurs only once annually, generally during February-March, when the Magam star is prevalent during the Tamil month of Masi. On this day, it is believed that all the rivers of India meet at the Mahamagam tank in Kumbakonam, and a dip in the waters of the tank is supposed to cleanse one of all sins. Grand poojas are conducted in all the major temples of Kumbakonam on Masimagam, with processions being carried out on the streets throughout the day. Devotees and holy men from everywhere, as well as tourists, visit Kumbakonam on this day, either to be a part of the bathing ritual or witness and record all of it.

Once every 12 years, this day becomes even more special, because of certain planetary alignments. This day is then called Mahamagam, or ‘the great Magam‘ in Tamil, when there are literally millions of people thronging Kumbakonam and clamouring for a dip in the waters of the tank. A few incidences of stampede have been recorded, in Kumbakonam during Mahamagam. The last Mahamagam was in the year 2016.

(Check out this Wikipedia link for more details)

Soaking in the spirit of Masimagam in Kumbakonam

The husband and I had booked a hotel in Kumbakonam very near the Mahamagam tank, quite by chance again. We were in for a big, big, big surprise the minute our auto guy turned towards the tank. There were hundreds of people on the street, many dripping wet from their bath in the tank, with pooja paraphernalia in their hands.

Processions from temples across Kumbakonam, making the rounds of the streets on Masimagam day

Our auto neared the tank, and we were in for an even bigger surprise – the atmosphere there was not unlike a fair!

The Kasi Viswanath temple, adjacent to the Mahamagam tank in Kumbakonam. A visit to this temple, especially on the day of Masimagam or Mahamagam, is believed to open the gates of heaven to one.

Fruit and vegetable vendors, loudspeakers, police patrolling, flower sellers, people distributing free water and buttermilk, beggars asking for alms, balloon and toy sellers, processions from various temples around town, tourists wanting to photograph every bit of it, devotees vying to get a dip in the tank.. it was BUSY, for sure. And, it was super-duper hot!

A rangoli on the street, near the Mahamaham Tank

Devotees taking a dip in the holy waters of the Mahamagam tank. Can you see how dense the crowd is?
We walked around with the bub, slowly, soaking in the atmosphere around us, taking pictures, committing things to memory.

Selfie with the Gods?

We didn’t dip ourselves in the holy water, but enjoyed every bit of the looking around we did, getting to know more about this important cultural event in South India.

On the left: Prasadam being distributed from one of the many chariots making the rounds of the Mahamagam tank; On the right: A close-up of one such chariot

What saddened us a whole lot, though, was the piles and piles and piles of garbage left around the Mahamagam tank, by evening, when the rituals had slowed down and the streets had started emptying. I heartily wish this could be changed, for the better, about ceremonies like this.

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Have you read my other posts about our visit to Kumbakonam? I hope you have! If you haven’t, though, here you go!

Acquainted finally: Degree coffee in Kumbakonam

What dining at a 100-plus-year-old eatery feels like: Sri Mangalambiga Vilas, Kumbakonam

Travel shot: The man and his friend, the beast