12 March, 2007

Uppu Mavina Kai/Mangoes in Brine

I looooooooove mangoes… Sweet, sour, mild, pickled, raw, ripe, salted, juicy, aromatic, succulent, heavenly perfumed… I can safely call it my first love, because my love affair with them started even before I knew what actually love is all about. Even decades later, the these heavenly mangoes still has their magnetic hold on me. It is more than a mere fruit to me. It represents my blissful childhood days of endless summer days. The memories of those sunny, glorious summer vacations are still fresh in my mind. Fond memories of eating sour raw mangoes with salt and chilli powder and of biting into a lush, golden mango and get that sweet, sticky juice squirting all over my chin and cloths without worrying about anything. Ah!!! It feels like just yesterday, climbing mango trees with my sister and cousins and aiming a slingshot at our neighbour’s tree. I still can’t understand how this tantalising, magical fruit turned me from Miss Goody Girl into mischievous brat. These are some moments of my life which will always remain fresh and will always bring smile.

Uppu Mavina Kai Palya

Mangoes are seasonal. So like many Indians I too like to hoard them so that we can enjoy this fruit throughout the year (no wonder mango is our national fruit). I don’t have to worry about pickling them as I usually get my cartons of spicy, sour, sweet pickles from Amma, MIL and my aunts(Did I tell you that I have got over 20 varieties of pickles in my pantry;) But I did one good thing of storing them in salt water. There are two wonderful recipes of mangoes in brine. These are my all time favourite recipes of mango in brine. I usually make them when ever I walk down the memory lane which just happened to be yesterday when my sister was busy making me go green with envy by mentioning how mango season is in full bloom in India and how she is taking full advantage of it. So without taking much of your time let me directly come to business :)


Uppu Mavina Kai Mosaru Gojju


Uppu Mavina Kai/Mangoes in Brine
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: -
Serves: -

Ingredients:
1 large Mango
¼ cup Salt
1 cup Water
A glass bottle

Uppu Mavina Kai/Mangoes in Brine

Method:
Add salt to boiled water and keep it aside to cool completely.
Cut mangoes into little big pieces and place them in an air tight glass bottle.
It is recommended to use glass bottles instead of plastic container as it has high salt content.
Now pour the salted water into the jar till all mango pieces are covered and close the lid tightly.
Keep this jar in cool, dark place for at least 1 week before using them.
This way you can store them for at least 6 months.

Uppu Mavina Kai/Mangoes in Brine


Sweet Uppu Mavina Kai Mosaru Gojju
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 1-2 mins (tempering)
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients:
1 cup Uppu Mavina Kai/Green Mangoes in Brine
½ cup Jaggery
1 ½ cup Sweet Yougurt
¼ cup Red Onion, finely chopped
1 Green Chilli, finely chopped (Optional)
1 tsp Mustard
1 Dry Red Chilli
Few Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Oil

Uppu Mavina Kai Mosaru Gojju

Method:
Remove excess water and chop mangoes into small pieces.
Mix them well with curds, jaggery, chopped red onion and green chillies. You can add more jaggery if you like it sweet.
Season it with mustard, red chilli and curry leaves.
Chill them before serving with rice and chapatti.

Uppu Mavina Kai Mosaru Gojju



Uppu Mavina Kai Palya
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 5-10 mins
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients:
1 cup Uppu Mavina Kai/Green Mangoes in Brine, cut into bite size pieces
½ cup Jaggery
1 Green Chilli, finely chopped (Optional)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Mustard
2 tsp Urad Dal
1 Dry Red Chilli
Few Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Oil

Uppu Mavina Kai Palya

Method:
Take oil in a pan and add urad dal, mustard and red chillies.
Sauté them till urad dal turns golden yellow and mustard starts spluttering.
To this add chopped green chillies, turmeric powder and curry leaves and sauté them for few seconds.
At this point you can also add a tbsp of chopped onions if desired.
Now add mangoes in brine and mix well.
Cook this in medium flame fro 2 minutes.
Add jaggery powder and cook in medium flame for another 2 minutes till a syrupy base is formed.
Remove from fire and serve hot as a side dish with rice or dosas.

Uppu Mavina Kai Palya


Note:
Gojju and palya are sweet side dishes. Add red chilli powder if you like them hot and spicy. But it tastes best sweet and sour.
Note that you don’t need to add any salt to these dishes as they usually have high salt content. So it is better to check them for the saltiness before cooking. If they are very salty then immerse them in big pot of water before cooking for few minutes to remove excess saltiness.
Also take a look at lovely Linda's Mangoes in Brine Dal Recipe.

Uppu Mavina Kai Palya


Did You Know?

Mango is known as aam in Hindi and amra in Sanskrit. Amra is first mentioned in the Shatapatha Brahmana, which dates back to 1000 BC.
According to Varadrajan, author of The History of Tamil Literature, the eye of a woman is compared to a tender mango cut in half, with the stone being the pupil of the eye.
Alexander the Great was a big fan of Indian mangoes and The Mughal Emperor Babur called it "O Fairest Fruit of Hindustan." His grandson Akbar planted 100,000 mango trees in Dharbanga.
The British, too, were enamored with the mango and created special cutlery to eat it in a "civil manner."
Mangoes are effective against sunstroke and are used in a variety of drinks to lower body temperatures and quench thirst in the hot summer months.
Rich in Vitamin C, mangoes are used throughout the year in the Indian diet, with the pickled green mangoes helping to ward off colds.
Even the powdered seed is used as a cure for dysentery and the twigs of the mango tree are handy as toothbrushes.
(Source: www.littleindia.com)

43 comments:

  1. Hello Sia girl :)now with ur english translations I assume this is our 'uppu manga' and I love it ...mummy makes some pickle with this pickled mangoes and its yummy....20 varieties in ur pantry??? unbelievable! As usual, beautiful photos. I am liking that yellow colour :)

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  2. Awww...why do you have to do this? :) See I am drooling. I am in love with mangoes too, in any form, sweet, sour, salted or whatever. Back home, grandma preserves small type of whole mangoes in brine. I couldn't find that type of mangoes where I live now. So I thought it was impossible to make it. I will try with the big green mangoes like you did... only if I am lucky enough to get good ones.

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  3. Oh very nice post on mango.Enjoyed reading the post.

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  4. Woow,20 varieties of pickles!!!We used to do chammanthi with uppu manga,In our place we will put the whole mango in that brine.So U and Ur sister were very naughty,I got a picture of u and ur sis,hahaha...Still u have that courage to climb all the trees!

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  5. I LOOOOOOOVE mangoes too! oh my gawd, I could eat them till the cows come home...heheheh...mangoes in brine eh? I think I might have had this, sounds very familiar. I had this South Indian Nurse Sheela who worked with me, and she used to bring me treats all the time in exchange for Handvoh!
    you have OVER 20 pickles in your pantry, whaddaya do, eat them like a sabzi or what?

    and Mataji, thanks to your idea, I changed the name of Winter food swing to "Spring Fling 2007"...come and check out the *new* cool button.

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  6. Oh God !! Its making my mouth water. Simply amazing yarr. and all those childhood memories... make me nostalgic too. My MIL makes lovely Mango recipes. you reminded me of that. hey lovely presentaion yarr! you know when we see something sour like pickle or mangoes, the corners of both sides of the mouth starts tingling longing for it. I dont know if you have experienced it. but thats what is happening to me right now!!;(

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  7. Sia ..this is too much..i am drooling over here..I love mango with salt and chilli powder.....i like the way i wink my eye while having a sour bite.....Thanks for this wondeful recipes..I liked both the recipes.

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  8. lovely pictures, Sia.
    I like the slide too, it's a new addition i guess?

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  9. Lucky Girl..you have 20 pickle varieties in your pantry...Lord please move me to UK !!!
    I am drooling..just because you have a one month break you have to torture us so :)

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  10. Boy!!!! I had to click on the comment about 10 times before I got in!!!!

    WOOOWW!!!!I saw this mangoes in brine at Linda and now you are on to it!!So many dishes in one post!!Wait a minute!!Look who's is talking?!HeHe!!

    They all look mouthwatering!!!There is one typo "Gujju for Gojju".
    I made a Gojju too for Nupur today.

    Great recipes Sia,thanks.I will try and see if I can find bottled Mango.

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  11. Uppu Mavina kai noDi bayi tumba neeru banthu. Slurrrrrrrrrrrrp
    Its been a few years now since I had mango in brine. I knew only a chutney with coconut and a saaru with this.
    Mosaru Gojju sounds tangy, a whole new level of taste.
    As usual Nice pictures there..

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  12. hi supriya
    the mango dishes are looking tasty!!!

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  13. @shn,
    yes shn, it is uppu manga. mom makes this with very sour mangoes which is best for these two dishes.
    and abt this yello colour, i've got only one thing to say;) "yeh peela rang kab mujhe chodega";)

    @rp,
    he he...sorry girl:)
    u need large mangoes for this recipe. use very sour mangoes for this dish which is tangy and sweet.

    @pravs,
    thank you dear:)

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  14. @kitchenfairy,
    what is chammanthi? please do post the recipe. i love the name:)
    and no...i was not a naughty girl;)

    @trupti,
    ha ha ha... till cows come home? he he he...
    so which dish did u try trupti? gojju or palya? handovah? now can i bribe u with something for that? :)
    checked the cute button. siuts the new theme:)

    @sharmi,
    now what are we waiting for girl? where r ur MIL's recipe? do post them.
    i very well understand what u feel when u see something like this:) i felt the same when i saw ur okra in tarmarind curry:)

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  15. @mahi,
    ha ha ha... u wink when u eat madngoes? now that is something i would love to watch:)

    @richa,
    thank you dear:) glad u liked it.

    @sandeepa,
    yup girl..come to UK. i will share my pickle treasure with u:)
    he he he... i am getting bored to death with this break. so thought i will take u all down the memory lane;)

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  16. @ashakka,
    what? 10 times? mmm... sahavasa dosha anta kanatte;) he he...
    ha ha ha...i can never beat u when it comes to posting so many mouth watering dishes in one post. so ashakka ur r still safe;)
    thanks for letting me know. i made the changes:)
    mango season nalli mavina kai na uppu neeralli haaki idi. i am planning to do same with some nellikai:)

    @manjula,
    try making them at home manju. i made this uppu mavinakai some 3-4 months back and it was really good to have it.
    gojji is something which is very close to my heart. i just love to eat it like lassi:)

    @swapna,
    thank you girl:)

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  17. Reading about salted mangoes brought water in my mouth. I simply love them. Never made palya with them though. We get very good raw mangoes here, will try this sometime.

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  18. Hi Sia, thanks for paying me a visit! :) Silly question, but were the mangoes in this recipe supposed to be ripe? They look firm to me...

    Sigh, we're 2 hours away from each other by Eurostar, so I suppose we have to rely on imports.. very hard to find good juicy ones here, they always seem to be plucked prematurely, and so are always hard. :( Nonetheless, if that's what your recipe calls for, then I just might... ;-)

    Hmm, the same "aam" in Hindi also means "ordinary", right? Like "aam janata".. wonder if there's any connection in the etymology.

    Beautiful post, anyway! Keep it up!

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  19. Sia do I have to tell you that my mouth is watering even as I read your post. Mango with salt and chilli powder oh my, summer was mostly about mangoes when we were kids. The raw mangoes we get here are sweet so it is really hard to get a kick out of eating with chilli powder and salt or making any dishes but I am going to try your second and third recipe anyway.

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  20. Hey Sia, I am so fond of Mangoes...and all your recipes looks wonderful... I am amazed to know you have 20 varities of Mango pickle...Phew !!!

    loved reading your childhood memories..

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  21. wow...wonderful post as always...yes Mangoes just wonderful simply wonderful...I too use to climb mango trees but in E. Africa not India...great memories of stealing mangoes from the tree next door..and getting into trouble...hehehe...what you a mischievous brat...never...that title belongs to moi...~grin~...take care...how is the curd making doing...happy to send you a method if you wish...email me okay...take care ben...back to drooling over the mango pics...~smile~...

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  22. This is the second time I came across a post about 'Uppu Manga' this week. Wonderful pictures and recipes, don't make me drool all over my keyboard... :(

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  23. Hi Sups!!!

    Wow!!!Mango feast.....Oh Hooo Summer started right??/
    We use to prepare mango with jaggery which is called in tamil as"manga vellam pacchadi"...
    We do instant pickle too like just chopping into small piece..mix chilli powder and salt,then season it with mustard,broken urad dhal,which goes well with curd rice..

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  24. Supriya,
    My mouth was watering as I read the post. Mangoes are my weakness too :) This mangoes in brine looks interesting,n new to me.We also ,make palya but gojju is again new. I can already imagine its taste :)
    Try havng raw mango with sugar sprinkled on it.What do you do with so much pickle , send some here :))))))))))

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  25. This is very new to me. We make mango and brinjal curry this is very different. Dal and chutney is my all time favorites.Looks delicious. My uncle will be going to India in june. Guess what I'm going to get new pickles, papad all yummy goodies :D

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  26. Wow, soooo nice presentation
    hmm well here we don't get those big mangoes i just miss those kuchkai mavinkai, i manage to prepare with the smaller variety.i haven't tried preserving it must give a try.

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  27. Hello Sia, I am so fond of mangoes....and what are you doing with 20 variety of mango pickles...hope not having mango pickle masala in every dish :-))

    Loved the beautiful color and presentation of mangoes...

    My previous comment didnt seem to be saved.

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  28. @shilpa,
    lucky u. i have to travel some 25 miles to get very raw mangoes, but in the end its worth every hurdels:)

    @Shilpa,
    a warm welcome to spice corner:)
    u need raw green mangoes for this. sour mangoes are the best for both recipes.
    we get nice, juicy, golden magoes from pakistan here. they are very delicious. although little pricy, taste compensates for everything:)
    ha ha... aam and ordinary? i dont think so. but yeah, its quite funny how they use this word:)
    and what i meant by leisure is when i am quite relaxed. i guess thats the best time to go through all your wonderful recipes:)

    @ISG,
    u r right dear. we can't think of summer w/o mangoes:)
    i too love "khatta" mangoes with salt and chilli. and guess what? i have some khatta mangoes in fridge:) come over here and we can enjoy eating them:)

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  29. @sushma,
    thank you girl:)
    yeah... i love eating pickles. he he... kya kare, control nahi hota;)

    @dilip,
    now, why i am not surprised to know that u used to climb mango tress and steal mangoes from neighbours?;) he he he...
    haven't tries making curd yet. but will surely do it sometime soon. right now i am happy with tesco's yummy yogurt:) but still homemade curd will be definately better than store brought. will mail u if i have any queries bahi:) thank you:)

    @sig,
    stop drooling and come over here girl:)

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  30. @usha,
    yes... summer has started in india, not here:( wish i was there. my sis is busy making me go crazy with mango treats.
    now u must post that recipe of mangoes with jaggary. is it similar to what i have posted here? instant pickle or any other, i love them all:)

    @archu,
    girl, i envy u. u must be having gala time there. do send me some, wait, cartons of mangoes;)
    he he... i love pickles. r u pickle crazy like me? give me ur postal address and will parcel u some:)

    @padma,
    mango and brinjal? wow... my fav fruit and fav veg. please do post the recipe...plz plz plz...:)
    grrrrr... why u killing me now? i will give u my address, do parcel some here;)

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  31. @roopa,
    what is kuchkai mavinkai? is it a mango dish or mango itself? do let me know.
    roopa, do u have blog? please doleave ur blog url as i would love to visit ur blog:) and thank you for ur compliments:)

    @sushma,
    sorry dear, i moderate my comments. first thing in a morning i check my blog and post the comments:)
    he he...u r almost close. i do have mango pickle masala in every dish;)

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  32. woh!!!! sia!! thank u for visiting my blog!!
    and woh!! what can i say??when i think about mangoes back at home, the taste lingers in my mouth and mind as well...
    amazing recipes!!!

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  33. just now noticed that u'r side bar has moved down on the template?
    is it me or can u see that as well?
    never seen amazing snaps like this!!!
    really great

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  34. @paddukoti,
    a warm welcome to spice corner. thank u for ur lovely words:)
    i have pirposely put that slide show at the bottom. still haven't figured out what to do with it:)

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  35. Oh my!! Nange ee laptop kithukondu thin beku anistha ide :) Looks so inviting and delicious. Great job Sups!

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  36. Heyyy..Your pickle takes me to my grandma's kitchen and the big pot ( bharani) in which she preserves the tangy, salted mangos in brain...ohhhhhhooo..i am drooling.enjoy.!

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  37. Hi Supriya,
    Henegya ninage 20 varities sikidu? indianda bapaga ella hothukondu bandeya? hmm enna baili neeru batha iddu anu yavaga hopada eno?
    hmmm

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  38. @deepa,
    ayyo...haagenadru madbedi:) illige bandu bidi. laptop nu uliyatte, nimge palya mattu gojju tinda haagu agatte:)

    @maneka,
    is it ur first visit to my blog? a warm welcome:)
    i love those pickles in bharani(r u from karnataka by any chance? coz bharani is a kannada word)

    @soumya,
    ondu dodda bagli bare pickles idddadu:) enna atte tumba bage uppina kai madtavu:) haangagi ammandu matte attedu seruvaga tumba bage aidu:) he he...

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  39. Sia, Feel like having it from the plate and bottle. Nice flashback and good info. Beautiful pictures. I need to prepare something now to have this as side dish :) Viji

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  40. yummmmmmmmmmm!

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  41. Hi Supriya, my goodness it all looks SOOO delicious! The mango in brine I got is tasty, but so hot from chiles it's packed with -- I would really love to try with just the salt to get the real flavor of mango on its own. Maybe this spring :) Thank you for the link - Indira's mango dal was good with the pickled kind, too. I did not know the other name -- amra -- no wonder when I was asking for dried *amla* the shopkeepers kept pointing me to amchur powder ;)
    Lovely write-up!!

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  42. 20 varieties? 20!!! 20!! !Lemme in!!!

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