Māmidikāya Pachchadi (Raw Mango Chutney)

Pratibha Jain (left)and Jigyasa Giri (right)are the authors and publishers of Cooking at Home with Pedatha which won the Gourmand award for Best Vegetarian Book in the World 2006. Jigyasa is a Kathak dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Pratibha Jain holds a Doctorate in Philosophy of Language from the University of Madras. Their website is www.pritya.com, and their email address is communicate@pritya.com.

This recipe is from our book Cooking at home with Pedatha, a tribute coffee table cookbook. Pedatha (short for Peddha Atthayya, which means eldest aunt (bhua - father' sister) in Telugu) refers to Mrs. Subhadra Krishna Rau Parigi, the eldest daughter of the former President of India, Dr. V.V. Giri.

In the book's Foreword, her sister wrote:

"Subhadra's ... earliest memories are of the large house in Behrampur where she grew up - especially the hustle and bustle in the kitchen. She used to love watching our mother cook with love and care to feed the large family and friends, including illustrious visitors like Gandhiji, Rajagopalachari, Gopal Reddy and others.

... A great host, her house was always filled with guests. While in Pondicherry and Burma as the Vice-Consul's wife, she herself used to make dishes, which were thoroughly, relished by locals and visiting dignitaries alike.

... Those who meet her love her, and those who eat her food admire her cooking. No wonder she has admirers all over the world."

Here is a chutney she loved to make, a tangy, spicy preparation with raw mangoes.

Ingredients

• 3 Sour raw mangoes
• 1.5 tsps Jaggery or sugar
• 3 tbsps oil
• Salt to taste

The 1st tempering

• 1.5 tbsps Split black gram (husked)
• 1.5 tbsps Mustard seeds
• 8-10 Fenugreek seeds
• 15-20 Red chillies, nicked at tail with stalks retained
• 2-4 Green chillies, whole with stalks removed
• 8-10 Curry leaves, with stem
• 2-3 tbsps Coriander leaves, chopped roughly
• 0.5 tsps Asafoetida powder or paste

The 2nd tempering

• 0.5 tsps Mustard seeds
• 0.25 tsps Fenugreek seeds

Method

Wash and pat dry the mangoes. Peel, grate and set aside.

In a wok, heat 2.5 tbsps oil for the first tempering. Add the gram\; as it turns golden, add the mustard and then the fenugreek. Switch off the flame and with the browning of the fenugreek, add the red chillies. As they turn bright red, stir in the remaining ingredients of the 1st tempering along with the jaggery.

Grind this tempering into a fine paste without adding any water. If you like, you can add a few spoons of the raw mango while grinding. Now add the remaining grated mangoes and salt and grind coarsely.

Heat the remaining oil for the 2nd tempering. Pop the mustard and then add the fenugreek. As the fenugreek turns brown, switch off the flame. Garnish the pachchadi with this crunchy tempering.

Traditionally eaten with steamed rice and a dollop of ghee, this pachchadi also tastes good as a spread on toast or as an accompaniment to idlis and dosais.

© Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain 2008