KHATTA MEETHA AAM KA ACHAAR|SWEET & SOUR MANGO PICKLE

Summers are knocking at the door. The much anticipated season of the “King Of Fruits” is here. The Summers,in India, is welcomed whole-heartedly despite the scorching heat and glaring sun, just to enjoy the delicious summer fruit- Mango. The fans of this superstar are great in numbers maybe following The Beatles and BTS’s fans.(Ok sorry maybe not so many and so dedicated.)

Apart from being delicious this fruit has a high nutritional value. It is an excellent source of Vitamins, Minerals and Antioxidants. Mango boosts our energy levels as it has high calories. According to a source – One cup of mango slices has about 100 calories, almost no fat, and 25 grams of carbohydrates. It’s also almost sodium free and has about 3 grams of fiber. Mangoes are also high in potassium, and folate and add fiber to your diet. But still ripe mangoes are a little infamous for promoting weight gain. But Don’t worry! Because today’s recipe requires unripe mangoes. In a nutshell it has all the benefits of Mango subtracting the weight gain. I’ll come to the benefits later. Let us dive straight into the recipe because before the main content all the text for most of us goes like –

“Apart from being delicious, brrr(scrolls)..RECIPE”

Familiar with this? I do this too.

THE INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED-

1. Unripe Mangoes – 3(medium sized).
2. Mustard oil. – 2 Teaspoon
3. Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
4. Fennel/Aniseed – 1/2 teaspoon
5. Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
6. Panch Phoron – 1/2 teaspoon
7. Celery. – 1/2 teaspoon
8. Turmeric – 1/2 teaspoon (powder)
9. Black Pepper. – As per taste
10. Salt. – As per taste
11. Jaggery. -As required (200 g*)
12. Mango powder – As required.
13. (Amchoor)

*This is just a rough idea of the ingredient used, you may need more or even less.

RECIPE :

Now that we have the ingredients, let us look into the Recipe.

Peel the Mangoes and Cut them into small -somewhat- square shaped pieces and put them aside.

Now take a vessel and place it on the stove on medium- low flame and take 2 teaspoon of Mustard oil in it.

Take some Mustard seeds and put them into the vessel followed by Fennel (सौंफ) , Cumin seeds (जीरा) ,Panch Phoron (पाँच फोरोन) and Celery/Carom Seeds (अजवायन).

When you get some popping sound, add turmeric and after sometime add the square shaped cut Mango pieces into the vessel.

Then fry the mangoes with all the spices for a little and add one cup of water to it.

Add a pinch of salt to it and add more water. (Keep in mind that you don’t have to make a personal pond in the vessel. Lol)

Cover the vessel until you see the Mangoes simmer inside.

Once it is simmering, its time to add some jaggery into it. Amount of jaggery depends on how much quantity of the pickle is being prepared.

Cover it again and keep it in that position until you see the jaggery liquefy .

Once it is liquefied, Stir it nicely to mix the jaggery with the spicy mangoes.

Check the mangoes. Is it already seethed, if yes then add our final ingredient — Amchoor powder/ Mango powder to it. The quantity will be a little less than half a teaspoon. This may vary with the quantity of pickle.

Once the contents in the vessel gets thick after cooking it for sometime, Mash the Mango slices gently (You don’t have to make paper mash after all) and turn of the gas knob or electric flow. And let the pickle cool down.

Note- All of this will be on Middle to Low Flame, there is no need of changing it at any point in the recipe.

Next step? Put it in a bowl and then introduce it to the refrigerator.

Now your pickle is ready to be served and devoured whenever you want something sweet and sour with your meal/snack.

HEALTH BENEFITS :

Unripe Mangoes-

There are so many health benefits of Unripe mangoes.

• Reduces Weight– Ripe mangoes contains a lot of Sugar which adds to those extra pounds but Unripe mangoes does not have that much sugar in it. So it is a good alternative clearly.

• Provides Energy – Raw Mango gives us a lot of energy. Do you feel drowsy in the afternoon after lunch hour. Binge on a raw mango to get rid of it.

• Treats Liver Disorders – Chewing a piece of raw green mango leads to an increment in the bile secretions and cleans the intestines of infections.

• Good for Prickly Heat- Raw mango is very good for prickly heat and even prevents dehydration and sun stroke. It deserves the love in summers, right?

• Develops the Immune System- Eating Raw/Unripe Mangoes helps in building our immune system keeping us Healthy.

Jaggery –

• Improves Digestion- In India, Jaggery is highly recommended after meals because it activates the Digestive enzymes and functions which boosts the process. This reduces strain on the intestines and digestive tracts.
• A good cleansing agent – Jaggery effectively cleans the lungs, respiratory tracts, food pipe, stomach and intestines.
• Relief from Constipation- It has high fibre and thus helps in relieving constipation. It stimulates bowel movement further cleansing the body.
• Gives Energy- Jaggery though not a source of carbohydrate as simple as sugar but a complex one has many benefits. It gets digested and absorbed gradually after consumption, which gives you constant energy instead of quick energy bursts,which is not healthy and can even lead to diabetes, and hence it is good for your organs.

Mustard Oil and Seeds-

• Good for Cardiac health- Mustard oil msy help in protecting you agsinst Heart disease. This oil is rich in Monounsaturated fats and Polyunsaturated which helps in reducing bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol. This in turn lowers blood fat levels which prevents obesity, kidney disease and hyperthyroidism.
• Anti-Bacterial – Mustard oil,when consumed, can fight bacterial infections in the digestive tract. It is an effective Anti-bacterial agent.
• Rich in Nutrients- Mustard seeds which is very popular in American cuisine is a rich source of Nutrients. It contains Selenium, Zinc,Copper,Iron, Calcium and other important minerals. It also has manganese which is used by the the body as a cofactor for an antioxidant enzyme. Copper helps in production of new Erythrocytes.It also has Vitamin E.

Turmeric –

• Anti-Inflammatory– Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties and so it reduces inflammation. This may also reduce the aggravation that arthritis feel in their joints.
• Pain relief- Turmeric is a pain reliever and this explains the fact that it is good for joint pains, cramps etc.
• Reduces the risk of Cancer- Curcumin has protective effects against pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer and multiple myeloma.
• Helps in Digestion – As a result of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it is a good spice that can contribute to healthy Digestion.

The other ingredients also have health benefits. But these were some important ones.

A Word Of Caution

Excess of everything is a poison. Though this pickle is tasty and you can even store it for days, I would recommend you not to eat it in high amounts on daily basis. Its good if you enjoy it once a day or maybe twice sometimes but make sure you don’t overeat it.

Lunch time or after lunch would be ideal time (according to me) because of its benefits of boosting energy and preventing drowsiness. Avoid this at night after 6 or 8 p.m because of its high carbohydrate content which is good for energy to work throughout the day but at night, since this energy is not used much and we soon go to bed, this may lead to gaining weight. We all know, eating anything heavy or more energy giving food at night leads to fat accumulation. So its the same logic.

Hope you have a nice day! Did you change something in the recipe? Do you wanna add something to this? Connect with me! Hit that follow button/ email me. ;D