A Celebration of Mangoes - Green mangoes

Photo by Shraddha Kulkarni on Unsplash

According to Narayana Health, raw mangoes are rich in antioxidants, including lutein and zeaxanthin, which improve vision and eye health. Polyphenols (a group of powerful antioxidants) present in raw mangoes reduce inflammation and decrease cancer risk. Green/raw mangoes are rich in nutrients that promote collagen synthesis and improve skin health. To read more benefits of raw mangoes, click here. I'm gonna eat more green mangoes from now on. 

Have you eaten raw mango before? It has a tangy and bitter taste. My mom loves cooking with green mangoes. She buys them from the Indian grocer close to festival time. At times, if the green mango is already starting to ripen, she chops it up and serves it with chaat masala. The slightly sweet mango goes well with the tangy and spicy masala powder. If you do not have chaat masala, you can also mix salt and chili powder together and try it. Let us know what you think. 

Below are some recipes for you to try:

1) Spinach and Mango Dal - in South India, pappu/dal/cooked lentils are very important in our diet. We usually cook dal/pappu with vegetables like dosakaya (yellow cucumber), spinach, Gongura, and green mango. It is healthy and great with rice.  

2) Green Mango Chutney - we love our fresh relishes or chutneys. We enjoy eating it with warm white rice. 

Tangy Green Mango Chutney

3) Mango Pulihora - this rice dish is typically made for festivals. It's a family favorite. 

Green mangoes are also sought after when it is summertime in South India.  Families buy 'sour' mangoes, get together, and make mango pickles at home. I remember this fondly because we used to go to my ammamma's place and help her peel and chop mangoes, and prepare the spices to be added to the mangoes to make the pickles. After all of the mango pieces are mixed with the spices and oil, the ladies would bottle them up or seal the pickles in plastic packets and every family got some.  

We enjoy eating Mango pickles with warm white rice or rotis. If you haven't tried mango pickles before, buy one. They are available in all Indian grocery stores. 

How do use mangoes in cooking? Share with us in the comments. 

A Celebration of Mangoes - Mango Pulihora

I hope you enjoyed reading about our love of mangoes. We like eating both ripened and raw mangoes. We love cooking with raw mangoes as well. For most South Indian festivals, we make dishes for the occasion. One of the dishes that is common is pulihora. There are different types of pulihora. My sister's favorite type is made with raw mango. It is tangy and spicy because of the spices used in the seasoning of this dish. 

Are you dying to find out how to make it? Check it out below. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups Basmati Rice (or any kind that is not sticky)
• 1/3 cup chana dal (split chickpeas)

Ingredients for seasoning

• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup peanuts
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp Asafoetida (also known as Hing)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Fenugreek (also known as methi powder)
• 1 large raw mango, peeled and grated
• 6 small green chilies*, sliced into half
• 8 to 10 curry leaves
• 1-½ tsp salt to taste
• ½ tsp citric acid* (optional)

*Quick Tips

1. You can substitute 3 red chilies if fresh green chilies are not available. Break the red chilies into 1-inch pieces. 
2. If the mango is not very sour, you can use citric acid. 

Procedure

1) Cook rice and dal together with slightly less water (1:1-½ ratio rice dal mix and water) so that the grains are separated and not sticky. Then immediately transfer into an open dish, add a tablespoon of oil, and spread it to loosen the grains. Cool it for a minimum of 30 minutes. 

2) In a small skillet, add oil and heat it on medium heat. Hold your hand above the skillet and feel the heat. When it feels hot, add peanuts and fry for 3 minutes.

3) When peanuts start to turn golden, add mustard and cumin and fry until the seeds start to splutter.

4) Next, add green chilies and a pinch of salt and fry for 2 minutes. Then add hing, turmeric, and methi powder. Then add curry leaves and red chilies and mix well for 30 seconds.

5) Now add grated mango, citric acid, and salt. Mix well. 

6) Carefully mix the seasoning into the rice using a spatula or wide serving spoon. When cool to the touch, mix well using your fingers if possible. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Mango pulihora is ready to serve and enjoy.