AAM anandAAM

The road that a mango follows from the tree to the plate and then the palate is paved with a lot of excitement and anticipation and especially so when it is the first such journey of the season. Very soon mangoes will flood the market in all their sweet glory but the wait for the fruit to ripen can seem to be very long. So for all of you impatient people, here is a mango chutney to kick off the mango season.

• 2 cups of raw (green )mango slices, without the skin being peeled. This helps retain the fibre as well as the vitamins.
• 1-1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of salt and turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon PanchPhoron - mixture of five spices, kalanji (kala jeera), saunf ( mouri), fenugreek seeds (methi), mustard (shorshe), cumin (jeera)
• 2 teaspoon mustard oil
• 1 tablespoon flour for thickening

• Soak the mango slices in cold water for half an hour and drain. Take a fresh pan of boiling water and place the mangoes for a couple of minutes and drain again. This will reduce the acidity of the raw mangoes.
• Add sugar, salt, turmeric powder into the bowl of boiled mangoes and put on heat. Cook for 15 minutes till the mango slices are tender. 
• In a separate bowl, take half a cup of water and stir in the flour. Add this into the boiling mango mixture and stir for another two or three minutes till it thickens.
• Heat the mustard oil in a skillet and add the PanchPhoron till it starts splattering (Chaunk !) 
• Pour the hot Chaunk into the boiling mango mixture.
• Cool before serving.
• Suggested garnishing : Ginger juliennes / Raisins