Aam Panha

I first got to know about this drink from Dee’s blog. That was when we had ‘seen’ each other formally and were yet undecided about deciding! :D
And then a very close friend of mine, who is called a search-engine, offered to fish out some info about this guy, and got me his orkut profile (I was then not on orkut, and had hardly used it!), some pics from some site, and yippee.... two of his blog urls!!

I instantly fell for him, seeing that he has a blog and written about places, photography, etc. I knew the decision was made that moment from my side!

Well, coming back to Panha story, this was one of the things that I read in his blog that day, which he had written when he was in Bombay..... This panha always reminds me of those sweet memories.... and that stage of life.....
Ok..... here’s the recipe....

Aam Panha

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 30 min Makes a jar of the concentrate Ingredients: Raw Mangoes - 3-4 medium sized, preferably sour ones Sugar - 1cup Salt - 1-2 Tbsp Cumin Seeds - 1 Tbsp, optional; roasted and finely powdered Water Method: • Peel and cut the mangoes into ½ inch pieces • In a pan, cook it in little water till it is soft. It will take bout 10-15 minutes • Let it cool a bit, and grind it to a fine paste • Sieve the ground pulp to retain only smooth paste • Transfer it to a pan, add sugar, salt and bring to boil, continuously stirring • Add the cumin/jeera powder and continue boiling for another 10 minutes • Allow it to cool and store away in a dry container in refrigerator • Mix a spoonful of this Panha concentrate to a glass of chilled water and serve, with a couple of mint leaves as garnishing. Variations: • Jaggery is used in the authentic panha, but it gives a darker color

Mavinakai Chitranna - Raw Mango Rice

Mango Mania stars again!!! Who doesn’t like tangy raw mangoes! One of the reasons to look forward to the onset of summer is mangoes.... And raw mangoes come to market around Ugadi time, and Mavinakai chitranna is a must do for Ugadi in Karnataka. It’s like welcoming summer with a special dish of raw mangoes.....

Well, like many dishes, mavinakai chitranna also can be prepared in a number of ways. A little change in the ingredients, a little tweak in the method makes a number of varieties of this all time favorite rice. Here’s one simple method of raw mango rice.... Don’t miss trying it before the season ends.....

Mavinakai Chitranna

Preparation time : 10 min, excluding time to prepare rice Cooking time : 10 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Cooked rice - 3 cups, sona masuri variety Grated raw mango - ½ cup Cooking oil - 2 Tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Bengal gram dal - 2 tsp Urad dal - 2 tsp Peanuts - 2 Tbsp, optional Curry leaves - 1 Tbsp Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped Grated coconut - 2 Tbsp Green chilies - 5-6, as per taste Fenugreek seeds - ½ tsp Asafetida - a pinch Turmeric - a pinch Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste Method: • Spread the cooked rice in a wide bowl and add a teaspoon of oil so that the grains do not stick • Keep aside for 5 minutes to cool • In a small skillet, roast fenugreek seeds and green chilies in a teaspoon of oil • Grind it in a mixie with grated coconut and coriander leaves to form a coarse mixture • In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter • Add groundnut seeds and fry for half a minute • Add Bengal gram dal and urad dal and fry till golden • Add curry leaves and turmeric and fry for a minute or two till all the ingredients are crisp • Add the ground mixture and mix thoroughly, with the heat on • Mix in grated raw mango and salt and turn off the flame • Add this to the spread rice and mix thoroughly • Serve warm with a raita Tips n Tricks: • Make rice with a bit lesser water, so that the grains are separate and not sticky • Use sour variety of raw mango. Peel off the skin if it is bitter Variations: • Raw mango can also be ground along with other ingredients • Instead of grinding, the ingredients can be directly added to the seasoning

Mango Mania : Mavinakai Hasi Gojju - Another tantalizing Raw Mango gravy

Ok, you’ve made a wonderful dish, now what else can you do with almost the same set of ingredients? Well, a totally different looking and tasting competitor for the former! And it’d be difficult for anyone to judge which is the better one of the two since both are equally tempting and awesome tasting. And what more, even the ingredients are the same! But they taste so very different from each other!

Well, the former here is the Mavinkai (raw mango) gojju which I posted some days back. And the latter is again a mavinkai gojju, but a totally different one! The ingredients are almost the same, except for the color of chilies, er I mean green chilies instead of dry red. But of course the method of preparation is quite different, which is what makes the difference.

Trust me; this is also a heavenly gravy that you can make in the mango season. And it multiplies your appetite too! But this one doesn’t have a long shelf life like the former one; it can be kept refrigerated for just a couple of days. Anyway, you wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation and save it!

Mavinkai Hasi Gojju

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 15-20 min Makes : A bowlful Ingredients: Raw Mango - 2 medium sized, sour variety Green chilies - 10 -12 Curry leaves - 10 - 15 Coriander leaves - a small bunch Fenugreek seeds - ¾ tsp Channa dal - 1 tsp Coconut - 2 cups, grated Cooking oil - 1 tsp Turmeric - a small pinch Jaggery - 2-3 big marble sized lumps Salt - 1 tsp, vary acc to taste For tempering: Cooking oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Sesame seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 15-20 Method: • Boil the raw mangoes in water for 10 -15 minutes, till they are cooked soft • Allow to cool and squeeze out all the juice from it. • Meanwhile, in a separate pan, roast channa dal, fenugreek seeds, green chilies and curry leaves for 1-2 minutes in a tsp of oil till they become aromatic • Allow to cool slightly and grind with grated coconut, salt and jaggery, adding water if required • Transfer this ground paste to a serving bowl and mix in the mango juice extracted • Add water if required to maintain gravy/chutney like consistency For tempering • Heat oil in a small skillet • Add mustard seed and allow to splutter • Add curry leaves and stir till they become crisp • Add sesame seeds and switch off the flame after a few seconds; Do not allow the sesame to get overly fried • Transfer this tempering to the gravy prepared • Serve with rice or akki rotti or dosa, etc Tips n Tricks: • Choose sour mangoes for better taste

Mango Mania : Mavinkai Gojju - A treat for your taste buds

Are there days in your life when you just don’t have an appetite to eat? You’re just too bored of the daily food, don’t want anything complex or heavy which makes you feel you don’t feel like eating?

Well, summer is one season when this feeling of lack of appetite is the most common. Food generally loses the priority. But wait, summer is also the season of mangoes! And why not make something exciting to hike up your appetite? Something that makes your taste buds crave for more?

Here’s a tangy, spicy raw mango curry to lift up the spirits on such days. My MIL makes it often in the mango season, and stores it in the fridge. And it’s irresistible taste makes anyone with no mood to eat, change their decision and eat some rice with it! And well, it goes great with dosas, rotti, etc too.

Raw Mango Gravy(Raw Mango Gravy)

Preparation time : 15 min Cooking time : 15 - 20 min Makes : A bowlful of gojju Shelf life : ~ 1 week, if refrigerated Ingredients: Raw Mango - 2- 3 medium sized, sour variety Red chilies - 10 -12, byadagi variety (use Guntur variety for spicier version) Curry leaves - 10 - 15 Fenugreek seeds - ¾ tsp Sesame seeds - 1 tsp Urad dal - 2 tsp Coconut - 1 cup, grated Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Turmeric - a small pinch Jaggery - 2-3 big marble sized lumps Salt - 1 tsp, vary acc to taste For tempering: Cooking oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Sesame seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 15-20 Method: • Cut the raw mangoes into ½ inch pieces. Peel off the husk if it is too thick or bitter; else it can be retained • In a thick bottomed pan, heat the oil and add chopped mango pieces and turmeric • Sauté it for a while and cook the mango on low to medium flame for 5 to 10 minutes, or till it is cooked soft. Stir occasionally. • Meanwhile, in a separate pan, dry roast urad dal, fenugreek seeds, sesame seeds, red chilies and curry leaves for 1-2 minutes till they become aromatic and golden brown • Allow to cool slightly and grind the roasted spices with grated coconut, salt and jaggery, adding water if required • Add this ground paste to the cooked mangoes, and bring it to a gentle boil • Add water to maintain gravy-like consistency • Put off the flame after a couple of minutes of boiling For tempering • Heat oil in a small skillet • Add mustard seed and allow to splutter • Add curry leaves and stir till they become crisp • Add sesame seeds and switch off the flame after a few seconds; Do not allow the sesame to get overly fried • Transfer this tempering to the gravy prepared • Serve with rice or akki rotti or dosa, etc Tips n Tricks: • Choose sour mangoes for better taste • This gojju / gravy can cooled and refrigerated in a container, so that it stays for about a week Variations: • The same can be tried with green chilies too.

Mango Mania : Seekarane - A sweet mango relish

What’s the best thing about Summer? Other than summer holidays for kids, is it not mangoes that make summer a special season?

Summers are made special starting from the tangy, sour, raw mangoes of various varieties, to the ripe, juicy, sweet mangoes. With all the health benefits added to it, it surely deserves to be called the King of Fruits. It sure is a comfort food. Mangoes really can make one feel better! The heat of summer can be forgotten momentarily when having mangoes - be it the raw ones with salt and chili powder, or ripe and juicy ones, or any dish prepared from it!

There are many many regional cuisines prepared using this King of Fruits. Each has its own uniqueness and specialty. And the best part of it is that it makes you crave for more! So why not dedicate a special series for this king of fruits?

Let’s start with Seekarane - a Karnataka specialty using ripe mangoes, which can be had as an accompaniment with chapathi / poori / dosa, or just as a dessert. It’s a simple and easy recipe, with very few ingredients but still makes you feel great after having a bowl of it.

At home, it’s usually my FIL (yes, you read it right!) who makes it. He is very fond of this fruit and usually chops the fruits and makes it ready, and all of us savor it!

Here's how you make it.......

Mango Seekarane

Preparation time : 15 min Cooking time : Nil Serves : 4-5 Ingredients: Mangoes - 3-4 medium sized, any variety Bananas - 1-2, preferably elakki variety Milk - 1 cup, chilled Sugar - 1-2 Tbsp, depending on whether the mangoes are sweet or sour Honey - 1 Tbsp, optional Cardamom - 3-4 Method: • Peel and cut the mangoes into ½ inch pieces • Scrape out the pulp and juice sticking to the seed • Cut bananas into small pieces and mix with the mango pieces and pulp • Add milk, sugar and/or honey • Crush the cardamoms and add • Mix thoroughly • Pour into small bowls and refrigerate if needed • Serve as dessert, or as accompaniment with chapathis/pooris/dosas Tips n Tricks: • Adjust the quantity of sugar / honey based on how sweet / sour the mangoes are Variations: • Sugar or honey can both be added or one of them can be chosen - both give different tastes • Bananas can be omitted

Mango-facts:
• The mango is indigenous to the Indian Subcontinent especially India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia
• The name mango is ultimately from the Tamil mangai and was loaned into Portuguese in the early 16th century as manga, from where the Portuguese passed into English.
• Mangoes account for approximately fifty percent of all tropical fruits produced worldwide.
• India is the largest producer of Mangoes
• Alphonso, grown exclusively in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, which is considered among the best mangoes in the Southern states of India is named after Afonso De Albuquerque who reputedly brought the fruit on his journeys to Goa
• Mango is rich in a variety of phytochemicals and nutrients that qualify it as a model "superfruit", a term used to highlight potential health value of certain edible fruits.
• Mangoes are an excellent source of Vitamins A and C, as well as a good source of Potassium and contain beta carotene.
• Mangoes are high in fiber, but low in calories (approx. 110 per average sized mango), fat (only 1 gram) and sodium.
Source of facts: http://www.freshmangos.com/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango