Recipe credit: Darshana Muzumdar
Serves 4 to 6 people or more if served as a pickle in a traditional Indian meal.
Ingredients
- 2 raw green mangoes (either the sour wild indigenous variety or totapuri which is not as sour)
- 3-4 byadgi red chillies broken in half or into three pieces or 1 tsp red chilli powder
- Jaggery equal in amount as the raw mango pulp
- 1 tbsp groundnut or coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Method
- Wash and cut the raw mangoes in half and remove the seeds. If you are using the wild variety, do not try to remove the seed. Cut the mangoes into large or small pieces as you prefer.
- Boil the mangoes covered with a lid in half a cup of water on low heat. Cook them till they are soft. Do not add too much water as there should be very little water left once they are cooked. If you are using the wild variety, remove the pulp off the kernel and discard the kernel.
- Let them cool slightly. Mash the mangoes till they become a uniform pulp. Measure the pulp and return it to the pot.
- Measure out an equal amount of jaggery and add half of it to the pulp. Add salt to taste and mix it all well. Add more jaggery a little at a time till you get the desired taste.
- Cook the mixture till the jaggery is dissolved and the mixture is thick. Remember that it will thicken more when it cools down.
- Heat oil in an iron tempering ladle. Add the mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter or pop. If you are using chilli powder, add it to the mixture without frying it in the oil.
- Transfer this to the mango pulp mixture.
- Mix gently and serve as an accompaniment in an Indian meal.
For the Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) version:
- Replace jaggery with dates. If the dates are not the soft variety, cook them with the raw mango so they become soft and easy to mash.
- Do not use oil. Heat the ladle and dry roast the mustard seeds on medium to high heat till they splutter. Transfer this to the mixture.
- Lower the heat and dry roast the red chillies and transfer them to the mixture.
- Dry roast the curry leaves till they are slightly brown. Transfer them to the mixture.
- Mix well and serve.
Note: This raita can last for 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator.
