Maavinkaai Chitranna | Raw Mango Rice and Cucumber Raita

Yesterday I had written about my love for raw mangoes. It was nested between the lines on why I don’t like Mangoes,so there is a chance that it got missed.Somehow, raw mangoes attract me more because of the tangy flavor.

During my college days, we had a small stall in the campus that sold fresh fruits, mostly water melon, pineapple, Amla[Gooseberries] and of course Raw mangoes. We used to get a slice of one of these fruits, which ever was available and with it would come a small pack of red chillies+ salt mixture. The raw mangoes with this powder was absolutely divine and we used to literally fight over the mango pieces.

Nowadays, I do eat raw mangoes sprinkled with salt and red chilli powder and use whatever remains in the sambar or other dishes. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that I had not blogged about this rice dish that is one of my favorite and the one that used to pester mom to make for me.

So presenting to you on the second day of ‘ Mango dishes’ is a simple rice dish flavored with tangy mango.

 I paired this rice with a simple cucumber raita and some crispies.

I used : [ See note below]

Basmati rice- 1 cup
Raw mango- peeled and grated- 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder- a large pinch
Sesame oil- 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Channa dal – 1 teaspoon
Red chillies- 2, broken
Curry leaves – a few
Roasted groundnuts- a few
Salt to taste

Roast with a little oil:

Urad dal- 1 teaspoon
Channa dal- 1 teaspoon
Oil- 1/2 teaspoon

and powder finely along with

Roasted Sesame seeds[white]-1 tablespoon

1. Cook the basmati rice as you normally do and spread it over a plate to cool.
2. Heat oil in a pan and put in mustard, cumin seeds, channa dal,red chillies and curry leaves.
3. When the mustard crackles and the dal turns brown, add the grated mango and saute on low flame for a few minutes.
4. Add the ground powder, salt, turmeric,roasted groundnuts and mix well.
5. Put in the cooked rice and mix gently.
6. Remove from heat and serve with a raita and some crispies.

Note :

• You can use the regular rice too. Left over rice can also be used
• Adjust the quantity of raw mango to suit your taste. Some mangoes are tangier than the rest,so taste and then add to the dish
• Adding the roast and ground powder is optional, though it adds to the flavor.
• A little grated coconut can be added just before taking the rice off the flame.
• The flavors are more bold when the rice is allowed to rest for an hour or so.
• If sesame oil is not available, use any other vegetable oil except coconut oil.
• For the spice mix, black sesame seeds can also be used, but the color of the the rice will be a little darker.

For the cucumber raita:

Small cucumber- 1,peeled andcut into small cubes
Fresh, thick yogurt-1 1/2 cups
Salt to taste
Chilli flakes- as per need

Whisk the yogurt with salt.Add the cucumber pieces and serve with chilli flakes.

Also check out the ither variations to cucumber raita – Variation 1 with chaat masala and variation 2 with seasonings….

This Day That Year… 

2012 – Flavors of Turkey – Roundup
2010 – Tastes Of Africa – Roundup

Take a look at the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#28