Raw Mango Rice :: Green unripe Mango rice :: Kache Aam ke Chaawal

As I have ranted so many times about myself not being a “Rice” person, it’s kind of awkward if I post a recipe based on rice and then praise the taste and flavors. But, here I am again with another rice preparation which I can very much vouch for. As you all know by now, that I had never had so many rice varieties ever before but only the plain old Dal-Rice, which I still love the most. And moreover, the kind of rice dishes we get in the restaurants are laden with loads of oil and no fresh vegetables. So that’s another major reason which has kept me away from having rice ( read: anything apart from the plain boiled rice ) for almost all of my life. To top it all, I am very fussy about the stuff I eat, It has to be the right balance of flavors and nutrition. I strongly believe if I am not getting nutrition out of anything I should at least be able to get the best taste. And that doesn't happen often when I eat out.. So there you go..

But now, when I have started cooking and experimenting with various cuisines and styles I have kind of developed a taste for rice. And I mostly like the dishes I prepare at home because then I can be sure of the quantity and quality of oil and vegetables I have  used. And also, I can get the right balance of spices as per my preferences. 

Lately I have been experimenting  lot with South Indian recipes, and have managed to post some good ones like this Chana Dal Vada Curry, Chettinad Vada Curry, Lemon Rice, Hyderabadi Veg Biryani etc. And I have loved them all... 

But I have yet not developed the taste for tamarind that much. I like it when its subtle, but the moment it gets over powering, that tanginess just gets too much for me.  I have discovered that I don’t like my food that tangy. So then why this raw Mango rice then ?

Well, one of my Mallu friends got this Raw Mango rice once for me, and I quite liked it too. I wanted to recreate the magic in my kitchen and I was hoping my family ( a.k.a. my Darling Husband ) would like it equally. Turned out, he has worse taste buds than mine. He ate it quietly, not complaining but he was also not much impressed with the tanginess of the dish. Lesson learnt – let the taste buds get used to this flavour gradually. And add less amount of raw mango in the food.

Another reason for preparing this dish, was  the plenty of benefits that raw mango offers. For those who are not aware, Raw Mango is generally green in colour, though the ripe variety is available in a number of colours including yellow, orange, red or purple. The centre of the fruit has a single seed, which is oblong and flat. The raw mango is highly appreciated for its nutritional value they are excellent source of Vitamin C, which is comparatively more than ripe mangoes. Lets have a look at some more health benefits of unripe Mangoes below:  

Benefits of Raw Mango, some taken from this website here and some from my own notes 

• Raw mangoes are good source of B vitamins that are beneficial to maintain good health it can be used in preparing numerous dishes. Due to the presence of vitamin C, they are highly beneficial in strengthening immune system and help in throwing away from all waste products from the body
• Eating Green unripe  mangoes with salt prevents the excessive loss of water from the body and helps to quenches our thirst. In addition,it also protects us from the negative effects of very heat waves. 
• Drinking unripe mango juice prevents the excessive loss of sodium chloride and iron during summer which happens due to excessive sweating.
• Dried mango powder called Amchur is highly beneficial in treating deficiency of Vitamin C in ones body. 
• Eating raw mangoes,a rich source of pectin, mixed with honey and salt is highly beneficial in treating gastro-intestinal disorders. It is also considered as very effective medicine for summer diarrhea, dysentery, piles, morning sickness, chronic dyspepsia, indigestion and constipation.
• Unripe mangoes are extremely beneficial in treating blood disorders because of its high vitamin C content. 
• Boiled unripe mangoes juice mixed with sugar, cumin and pinch of salt helps to treat the prickly heat,sour throat and sun stroke in summer.
• It Helps in treating liver disorders as it increase the secretion of bile acids and clean the intestines of bacterial infections.
• It is helpful in treating morning sickness.
• Being rich source of Vitamin C,it improves stamina and helps to fight against diseases.
• As an alkaline food,it helps to control acidity to some extent. 

So there you go, all the above benefits were enough to lure me into trying this wonderful dish. That and this Giveaway from my dear friend Priya where she is celebrating her Blog Anniversary and we had to try one recipe from her Blog. And I chose this one happily :) 

In the recipe below, I have adjusted the amount of raw mango as per my liking and preferences, so the end result will not be extremely tangy and sour. I have provided the original measurements in the notes, just in case you need to check.  Let’s jump on the recipe now:

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Cuisine:-  South Indian

Spice Level: Tangy/ Sour, crunchy 

Recipe Level:  Medium 

Shelf Life: Up to 12-15 hours at room temperature, up to 3-4 days in the Fridge

Serving Suggestion: With Poppadam ( Paapad ), chilled Raita or any simple curry 

Nutritional Facts:- Cooling, Rich in Vitamin C, B and many more other benefits metnioned above. 

What you need?

• 3 Cup Cooked Rice, cooled at room temperature 
• 1/2 cup Grated mango -  pulp of 1 mediums sized green mango
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 
• Salt as needed

To grind together:

• 2 tbsp Shredded mango 
• 1 tbsp Shredded coconut 
• 2-3 Garlic pods - 2
• 1/2 inch piece of Ginger 
• 2-3 Shallots ( optional, I didnt use any) 
• 1 tsp Cumin powder - Jeera powder 

For the seasoning: 

• 2 tbsp Oil 
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds 
• 2 tsp Bengal gram/channa dal 
• 2 tsp Urad dal 
• 2-3 dried Red chillies 
• A generous pinch of Asafoetida ( Heeng/Hing)
• 1/4 cup Peanuts 
• A handful of Curry leaves 

Preparations: 

• Cook rice with enough water, just to keep the grains fluffy and separate. Once cooked, spread on a tray or plate and let it cool down at room temperature. Keep aside. 
• Grind together all the ingredients listed under "Grind" in a course paste and keep aside.  
• Wash, peel and grate raw mangoes. Keep aside.  
• Heat oil in a pan and fry peanuts at low flame. Keep aside. 

How to make? 

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add bengal gram, urad dal, red chillies, green chilies and asafoetida. 
• When Dal turns golden brown, add turmeric powder, salt needed and curry leaves.
• Add ginger and fry for half a minute or so. Now add the shredded mango mix and combine well, cook for 2 minutes until raw smell goes away.
• Check for spice, and adjust if necessary. 
• Add cooked rice, fried peanuts and ground paste, mix gently using a fork taking care not to break the rice. Check for salt, add if required. 
• Enjoy mango rice with chips or papads as side dish. 

Some Tips and Notes : 

• My friend, whose recipe I tasted first did not add any coconut or ground any paste. But in this recipe, Priya had used it hence I tried this version of hers. I liked both of them equally, after adjusting the taste to my preferences. 
• The original recipe used 2 medium green mangoes, but I have only used one here simply due to the reason that I don't like my rice as tangy as this was. You may use adjust it according to your preference.  
• Peanuts can be replaced with cashew nuts, or even toasted almonds
• I have fried peanuts here, since I like the taste but you may simply dry roast the peanuts if you like.  
• Leftover rice can be used to make this dish. 

Hop onto Priya's Blog for more information on her Giveaway. , Linked to Breakfast Recipes event running @ Cooking for all seasons.