Remember I mentioned in the Andhra Raw Mango Dal recipe that I’d used the second raw mango for another dish. Well, secret’s out! I made Methamba from Saee Koranne Khandekar’s book, Pangat, a Feast: Food and Lore from Marathi Kitchens. I bought this book on Kindle. This is the first recipe tried by me from the book and I have highlighted so many that I want to try. A major clarification: The recipe belongs to Saee and I have no copy right over it. I merely recreated this fabulous recipe in my kitchen.
As mentioned by Saee in the book, Methamba definitely
falls under the relish category rather than the pickle category. I had it with two things, namely, dal rice (Indrayani rice) and Prawn Khichdee. As Saee recommends in the book, I also gave it a try with some plain hot rice and ghee (clarified
butter). That was heaven, sheer heaven! If raw mangoes are still available in your vicinity, give this recipe a try immediately.
Ingredients:
2 cups raw mango, peeled and roughly chopped
¾ cup jaggery, grated
¾ cup jaggery, grated
3 tablespoons oil
3 dried red Byadgi chilies, broken into small pieces
1 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds (I used black
mustard seeds)
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1¼ teaspoon salt
Method:
1. Heat
oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, broken
red chilies, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Sauté until fragrant.
2. Add
the chopped mango and toss well to mix with the spice-mix.
3. Add
the salt and red chili powder and mix well.
4. COVER
the saucepan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until the mango pieces turn
translucent.
5. Add
the jaggery and cook UNCOVERED (ON LOW HEAT) until the jaggery melts and the
relish comes together in a nice even sticky form.
6. Remove
from fire and allow the relish to cool and then transfer into sterilized glass
or ceramic jars.
7. Can be stored in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.
Chef Notes & The Tiny Changes I Made:
1. Instead
of roughly chopping the mangoes, I preferred to dice then evenly – blame it on
my frikkin’ OCD. *sheepish look*
2. I
used nearly 1 cup jaggery as the mango was extremely sour. Please taste
as you cook and adjust the jaggery as suits your palate.
3. While
broke one chili into small pieces, I chose to break the remaining two into
halves as mum cannot handle very spicy food and breaking the chilies into small
pieces would mean she would encounter chilies in each bite. Also, I deseeded
the dry red chilies to lessen their spice quotient. Please feel free to do that
if you need to. Rest assured; the recipe works just as beautifully when you do
so.
4. The
relish lasts for 4 to 6 weeks in the fridge, says the recipe. You can forget about
it lasting that long coz if you are anything like me, you will polish this off
within a week, max! *greedy-evil grin*
5. As
Saee rightly recommends, please, please do, give the Methamba a try with
soft steamed rice and a dollop of clarified butter (ghee). In her exact words,
I quote, “But once you try mixing it into some hot rice with a spoonful of
ghee, we’ll talk.” As I said earlier... sheer heaven!
6. As
most food groups at Facebook have a ‘no link’ policy, I haven’t posted a link
to Saee book, Pangat, at the FB groups. If you wish to access the link, please
do so directly from my blog, Kenzy’s Kitchen Korner. It’s a book you will not
regret picking up.
7. As
mentioned at the onset, the original recipe belongs solely to Saee Koranne Khandekar and her book, Pangat, a Feast: Food and Lore from Marathi Kitchens. This version of the
recipe and the photographs, though, belong to my blog, Kenzy’s Kitchen Korner.
You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my
recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite or website without my explicit
consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held
accountable for plagiarism.
(Book photograph courtesy Amazon India)
Link for Pangat, a Feast: Food and Lore from Marathi Kitchens
Click HERE for the KINDLE EDITION
Some more photographs:
