Come summer and it is the season of the king of fruits aka mango. From the luscious Alphonso to the parrot shaped Totapuri, there are close to a whopping 1500 varieties of mango grown all over.  Banginapalli, Sindura, Chausa, Ratnagiri, Neelma, Malgova, Raspuri, Langra and Kesar are popular mango varieties grown in different regions of India.  Intrinsic to savoury recipes as well as desserts, mangoes find their way into pickles, ice creams, milkshakes, cakes and even rasam and sambhar. 

Raw mango rice is an authentic recipe that is delicious and full of flavour. Made from freshly ground spices, this one tastes just as great even at room temperature and hence is favourite during festivals and family get togethers.  The ground mixture can also be mixed with flattened rice (poha) and millets like quinoa.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice washed and drained
• 1 cup grated raw mango
• 1/3 cup freshly grated coconut
• 3-4 red chillies
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2-3 tsp powdered jaggery
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 3-4 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp asafoetida
• Salt to taste

Method

• Take the rice is a container, add 2 cups water and cook for 2 whistles in a pressure cooker.  Allow the rice to cool, fluff with a fork if needed.
• In a blender grind the coconut, half of the grated mango, one tsp of mustard seeds and the red chillies to a paste.
• Heat oil in a pan, add the rest of the mustard seeds.  Once it splutters add curry leaves, the ground mixture and fry well.
• Then add salt, turmeric, jaggery, asafoetida and the rest of the grated mango and fry till the oil leave the sides of the pan.
• Allow for the mixture to cool and then mix it with the cooked rice.
• Serve with appalams

Notes:

• Adjust the quantity of the mango depending on how sour it is.  If the mangoes are very sour you can reduce its quantity.  The salt, red chillies and the jaggery should also be adjusted per the taste of the mango.
• The ground masala by itself can be used as an accompaniment to rotis, dosas and also as a bread spread.

This article was originally published in Seema magazine. For more recipes click here and here.