The Recipe Room

Mango Pachadi is a delicious Indian side dish which is actually quite fun to make. It is best served with rice and curry like this yellow thai chicken curry.

One of the key spices that gives this dish its distinctive flavour is asafoetida. This Indian spice is said to be very good for digestion. This is helpful, since many of my friends here in England say they find Indian food quite heavy. However, if you add a nice digestive ingredient like asafoetida, it makes for much better digestion and can be found at your local Indian market.

Ingredients:

• 1 large mango
• ½tsp turmeric powder
• 10 red chilli peppers, minced
• 1tsp mustard seeds
• 2tbsp jaggery
• 1/2tsp chilli powder
• Pinch of Asafoetida
• 1.5tsp rice flour
• Salt to taste
• 600ml water
• 5tsp oil

 Preparation Method:

1. Peel the large mango. You can use a normal potato peeler to do this because mango peels are quite thin. In fact, I have always found mangos very easy to work with.
2. Next chop the large mango into small pieces. These can be roughly 2 centimetre pieces. But again, I mean very roughly.
3. Add the mango to a pot, along with the turmeric powder and the water. Bring the water to the boil, then lower to medium heat. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the mango is cooked. You will know the mango is cooked when it is soft.
4. When the mango is cooked, remove it from the water
5. Mince the red chillies and set them aside.
6. In a separate pot, heat up oil on a very high flame. Add the mustard seeds. They will start to pop and crackle. But be careful they do not the splatter on you, or you will get burned.
7. Lower to medium flame. Now add the minced red chillies, jaggery, chilli powder and asafoetida to the pan. Fry for 3 minutes.
8. Now add the mango to the pan. Add another 150ml of water and stir slowly on a low heat for a few minutes.
9. Add salt to taste.
10. In a separate bowl, combine 300ml of water with the rice flour to make a paste.
11. Add this paste to the pot and stir slowly until thick.

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 40 minutes

Pear and Mango Chutney is a very sweet, mild chutney that goes well with my Bhaturas or vegetable samosas. Spread it on the Bhaturas, which are puffy fried breads, for a delicious afternoon snack, or a sugary breakfast.

You could also try this sweet chutney spread over a meat or fish dish. Try it over these chicken and pear burgers, since they already have a hint of pear flavour inside the burger. My chutney would be the perfect complement.

Like most chutneys, you can store this one in Tupperware or a glass container, and it will be fine for at least a month.

Ingredients:

• 1 large raw Mango
• 3 medium Pears
• 450g Sugar
• 10 almonds, finely chopped
• 10 cashews, finely chopped
• 2tbsp. raisins, mashed
• 5 cloves, ground
• 2tsp. Cinnamon Powder
• 4tsp vegetable oil
• 400ml water
• 1tsp. salt

Preparation Method:

1. Peel the large mango and the pears. It will be no problem if you use a normal peeler to do this.
2. Chop both the mango and pears very finely and put them both into one bowl. Set the bowl aside.
3. Heat the vegetable oil on a medium flame in a pot or a deep pan.
4. Lower the flame and add just 2 tablespoons of sugar to the oil. Slowly stir the sugar, until it turns light brown.
5. Now add the water.
6. Raise the heat to high and bring the water to the boil.
7. After 3 minutes of boiling, add in the rest of the sugar and allow it to come to the boil again.
8. Chop the cashews and almonds very finely. Add them to the pot and stir.
9. With a fork, mash the raisins in a separate bowl.
10. Place the raisins to the pot and stir.
11. Grind the 5 cloves in a mortar with a pestle. Now add them to the pot and mix slowly.
12. Add the cinnamon to the pot and stir.
13. Add a pinch of salt. I know this is a sweet chutney, but salt actually brings out the favour of sweet foods. Add just a pinch, and you will see that the flavours will become more intense.
14. Now add the mango and pear.
15. Cover the pot and lower the heat. Let simmer for about an hour.
16. Remove from the pot and let cool.

Makes: 2kg of Pear and Mango Chutney
Takes: 2 hours

An Indian lassi with cardamom and pistachios is a lovely yoghurt drink to have during a hot meal or afterwards as a dessert. It is a variant of a fruit smoothie such as this strawberry and blueberry smoothie.

A lassi is made using yoghurt, water, spices and mango or other fruits. It is especially good with hot food like the Indian cuisine because the proteins in the yoghurt protect the inside of the mouth from hot chili and other spices.

Lassis are full of good stuff and are believed to promote digestion and prevent bloating. I remember the first time I tried a mango lassi as a healthy dessert. I was a student, and my Mum made it for my friends and I as an after-school snack. It was so delicious, that it took my breath away. Needless to say, from then on I was even more excited to arrive home after a long day of hitting the books.

Had I not been taught to eat (and drink) in moderation, I could easily have drunk 3 glasses of the stuff! My Mum, knowing my appetite for this drink, wisely chose to make it every now and then, but not too often. It was always a special treat when she made this snack.

When I moved out on my own, I learned that this Indian smoothie is easy-peasy to make yourself at home. It couldn’t be simpler! If you have a blender, put away the fizzy drinks and try this healthy one instead. I´m positive it will become your new summer favourite.

Ingredients:

• 2 tall glasses (preferably ice-cream glasses)
• 200ml of plain yoghurt
• 100ml of full-fat milk
• 200g of chopped mango
• 6 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 pinches of cardamom
• 100g of ice (optional)
• 1 pinch of salt to enhance the flavor of the mango.
• 2 tablespoons of ground pistachios

Preparation method:

1. Peel and remove pit from mangos. Chop into chunks and place in blender.
2. Add the yoghurt, milk, sugar, spices and ice.
3. Blend for 2 minutes until smooth.
4. Pour into tall glasses.
5. Sprinkle the ground pistachios over the drinks.
6. Serve immediately with a straw.

Makes: 3-4 portions
Takes: 10 minutes
Level: very easy