Spicy Mango Tadka

Mango! a favourite seasonal fruit for many of us. Mango is a superfruit as it tastes best with any kind of recipes. You can make traditional andhra aavakaya pickle (mango cut pieces in oil with mustard, red chilly and fenugreek powder) or maagai (dry mango slices in aavakaya gravy), mango cut instant pachadi, mango shredded pickle, mango jelly, mango jam, mango juice to name a few!

This spicy mango tadka is a fresh, easy and spicy tongue tinkler dish. You can make this instantly as a festival dish or as a side dish with any food.

Ingredients

Raw mango - 1

Fenugreek powder - 1/2 Tspoon

Salt - 1.5 Tspoon

Chilly powder - 1.5 tspoon

Oil - 2 spoons

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspoon

Curry leaves - 3

Hing/Asafoetida - 1/2 Tspoon

Garlic slices - few (optional)

Procedure

• Wash mango, peal off the skin and cut mango in to small pieces.
• Add salt and chilly powder to the pieces and mix them well to make sure they are properly coated.
• Take a shallow frying pan, add oil and heat on a low flame.
• Once oil gets heated, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves, garlic slices, hing, and methi/fenugreek powder.
• Stir for a minute on a very low flame. Switch off the stove and add the seasoning to the spice coated mango pieces. If you want more gravy effect, you may add 3 tspoons of mustard powder made out of dry roasted mustard seeds.
• Your spicy mango tadka is ready!

Cool Summer Salad Chutney (Cucumbers and tomato)

The english word cucumber is derived from the indian word 'katchumber'. Cucumbers are scientifically classified as fruits much like tomatoes and squash, however, their sour bitter taste contributes to it being perceived, prepared and eaten as vegetable. Cucumber can be had either in raw salad form or in cooked form.

This receipe is great for people like me who cant directly eat salads. This salad chutney goes well with sandwitches, rice and can be a dipping for snacks and chips.

My favourite combination for this chutney is aloo crisps chatapata (will post it soon)

Ingredients

Cucumber (Keera) - 2

Tomatoes (wine red) - 1 large

Tamarind - 1 tspoon (not mandatory)

For Seasoning

Red chillies - 2

Mustard Seeds - 1 Tspoon

Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 Tspoon

Udad dal (thin) - 1 Tspoon

Curry Leaves - 4

Oil - 1 Tspoon

Garlic - few slices

Procedure

• Wash cucumbers thoroughly under running water and peal the skin. Cut them in to medium sized pieces. Now, wash tomatoe, dice it and keep them aside.
• Now take a non stick frying pan and add very little oil. Once oil gets heated, add chopped cucumbers and tomatoes. Add little tamarind if your tomatoes are not sour enough.
• Simmer the stove and let them cook for just 10 mintutes or until they become little soft.
• Allow the cooked pieces to cool down and then grind them in a mixer. You can either grind it soft or keep it little crunchy as per your taste. I keep it little crunchy to get a feel of salad.
• Now transfer the ground mixture/chutney from the mixer jar in to a bowl.

Seasoning/Tadka

• Take a shallow fry pan and add half a tspoon of oil.
• Once oil gets heated, add mustard seeds, udad dal and cumin seeds. Once mustard seeds splutters, add curry leaves, sliced garlic and red chillies. Stir and let them fry for few seconds and switch of the stove.
• Seasoning/Tadka with its flavor makes any dish yummy. Now add the flavoured seasoning to the chutney.

Your summer salad chutney is ready in a jiffy!