mango Mango Mangoes........

Mango mango mangoes....mad I go behind mangoes!

Mango is not only the king of fruits but also the National Fruit of our country. It's an oldest fruit which has its place in hindu mythological story about Lord ganesha and Lord karthik (murugan) contesting with each other for winning the fruit and fixed a race to go around the world. It stands first among the trio (mukkani in Tamil) viz. Mango, Jack fruit and Banana.
  
Everyone eagerly awaits for the Mango season to arrive. Whatever be the variety of mango you get in your region, mango has a special place in people's heart.

Start of the season brings in the tender mango which is used in pickles. Nothing is comparable to its taste. It has a special aroma and the crunchy texture makes it even more interesting. I love my simple meal of Curd rice and Tender Mango Pickle.

Then arrives the fully grown raw mango. They can be pickled as well as eaten raw or mixed in chats and salads, we make a curry using a combo of mango + cucumber (manga kootan) and mango pachadi (a sweet accompaniment).

Many love to eat raw mango with little salt and chilli powder. mouthwatering isn't it? ;-)

Various types of pickles can be prepared and accordingly the shape changes.

• Normal pickle - with just salt & red chilli powder
• Instant pickle - we also call it manga curry served in feasts.
• Pickled in salt - which can also be used to make raita (arachakalaki)
• Avakkai - the famous pickle from Andhra Pradesh
• Thokku - the mango pieces looks mushy 
• Chunda pickle - sweet version from Gujarat
• Sweet & spicy Pickle - pickles using salt, red chilli powder and jaggery
• Tender Mango Pickle - plain salt as well as spicy version
• Lot more to go in this list as per the region and tradition.............

We can prepare "Raw Mango Rice" - a variety rice using the less sour variety known as 'thothapuri' which is little elongated with a curve at one end.

A traditional simple curry using raw mangaoes called "Manga Kootan" - specially made in the month of April (during the Malayalam New Year Vishu).

Then comes the season of ripen mangoes.....

wow! what a variety of them available in our country!! Let me try to list atleast those what I know (good memory game!) ......

1. Alphonso (ratnagiri / devgad etc)
2. Badami / Banganapalli
3. Thothapuri / kili mooku
4. Neelam
5. Chakkarakutti (TN special) - sweetest of all!
6. Salem Malgoa
7. Kesar

Mampazha pulissery (curry / khadi) using ripened mangoes never miss my menu during the season.


In Gujarat & Maharashtra you get the famous "aamras" during the season. Aamras and puri is a very good combination that goes in every gujarathi house during the season. The pulp of the sweet ripened mango is extracted and preserved to be used for this purpose. Hotels too serve aamras during the mango season as a sweet accompaniment to a thali.

I recently had tepla with aamras. wow! what a combo it was!!!!

waiting to taste this season's alphonso.................

wish you all a happy time munching into sweet mangoes.

Idli Upma

Nothing goes waste if used wisely. Those days there were no refrigerators available, hence our ancestors devised a new dish out of remaining food. The outcome is morkootan / morkozhambu, kaalan, Idli upma, Erichakari, sayalmani in kokum (left over chapathi in a gravy), etc.....

Made some idlies couple yesterday. I purposely made some extra idlies as we all love idli upma. Stored the extra ones in the refrigerator.

Humble idli takes its new form................yes, idli upma using leftover idlies.

Idlies kept in a fridge is perfect for crumbling to make idli upma to give the dish the right texture.

Ingredients :-

1. Idlies - 7 nos. (crumbled)
2. Mustard - 1 tsp
3. Black gram - 1 tsp
4. Sundried pickled chillies (mor milagai) - 6 nos.
5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
6. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. water - 1tbsp  
9. Oil - 2 tbsp 

The chilli is not the usual dry red chilli. these chillies are special green chillies that are soaked in sour curd, then sun dried. This chilli can be eaten as it is tasty and has unique flavour.

But you can use normal green chilli or dried red chilli too instead of this. 

Procedure :-

• Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds, Bengal gram. The mustard seeds will splutter and when the bengal gram turns golden brown, add asafoetida powder, curry leaves and then the chillies
• After the chillies are fried well, add the crumbled idlies, salt and sprinkle water, mix well.

• [I used dried pickled chilli which in tamizh is called thayir molagai or mor milagai because it enhance the taste and flavour of the upma.
• As the batter has salt and the chillies are already pickled in salt & curd and then sun dried, add salt accordingly.]

• Keep it covered, switch off the flame and leave it for 3 minutes
• Yummy & simple idli upma is ready!

 

Satin Ribbon Garland

Inspired by the works of Blogpal Sudha Kailas I wanted to do satin ribbon garlands. First time the outcome was not good. I put that aside for 3 years. Finally 7 months back I again tried to do it and it came out well.

This is the youtube video which helped me to understand the satin ribbon garland making. Hope it is useful to you too.

Parakeet - another winged visitor

Parrots visit our area everyday. During the dusk and the dawn they fill our place with their variety of tones... squeak, screech..... etc

I was trying to capture them in my camera for two years and finally succeeded taking a shot last week.

They normally sit on top of the trees or on cables running between tall towers. But this time a couple visited the cable hanging near our building finally I succeeded! ...... hurray!! here it is for your views

Lovely wild parrots isn't it?

Here is a video shot. Hear them squeaking happily :-).......

 

Similarly there is a song bird which is extremely shy to human presence. I can only hear them every morning and in the evening and sometimes during the afternoon if the climate is pleasant. Till now not succeeded to click a photo . Wish me goodluck pals :-)