Raw Mango/Kairi Chutney

How can I let the mango season go by without making this chutney? This one is a personal favourite and very popular among all my friends and everyone I know. Mom gets constant demands for this chutney in the mango season and complying with that there is a constant supply of the same. Now there are two different versions that can be made. One of these can be stored for as long as up to 3-4 months and longer if kept in the refrigerator. So we generally get this one every time we go to India. But I like the other version better which has to be consumed within a few days of making. So this time I made an attempt to make this one at home and it turned out quite well.

This was the first recipe request I had got from my friend N, when I started this food blog. So here it is....:)

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized Raw Mangoes (Kairi)
• 2 lemon sized balls of Jaggery
• 1/2 a cup grated dry coconut
• 4 tsps mustard seeds
• 3 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2-3 tsps Hing (Asafoetida)
• 4 tsps Red Chili powder (This can be altered as per taste)
• Salt to taste
  

Method:

Peel the mangoes and chop into small pieces. Grate the jaggery and add it to the mango pieces and keep aside for an hour.

The mangoes will let out water as the jaggery dissolves.

Grate the dry coconut and grind it into a powder. If it does not get powdered easily, try roasting it slightly before grinding.

Heat oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds and the fenugreek seeds. Heat this till the mustard seeds splutter and the fenugreek seeds turn reddish in colour. Grind this into a powder as well. My mixer is not very good to handle small quantities, so I use fenugreek powder instead of the seeds, add it when the mustard seeds splutter and then add the whole thing to the chutney while grinding.

Now grind the mango pieces, dry coconut powder, the above mustard-fenugreek mixture into a coarse paste. Heat oil and fry the hing and add it to the chutney. Add the salt and chili powder and again grind it so that everything gets mixed properly.

The chutney has to be ground using the water let out by the mangoes only without adding any extra water. The sweet/sour taste can be adjusted by changing the quantity of the jaggery.

Our typical lunch thali in the mango season consists of Aam Ras, Kairi chutney, Batata Bhaji, Chapati, Aamthi and bhaat....enjoy!

PS: How many of you can resist tasting a slice of kairi with salt & chili powder while chopping/grating/cutting it for some dish? I can not!