Mango-Jaggery Pacchadi (Manga-Vellam Pacchadi)

Some dishes have the invariable quality of making you home-sick and if you are home, bring fond memories of childhood. Most such memories are of mom cooking one of her specialties and we devouring it avidly, or of grandma making her specialty dishes and we as kids helping her out. The summer season causes a lot of nostalgia, whether it is the juicy pink watermelon, mild and smooth musk melons, or the sweet and tangy mangoes.

When it comes to mangoes, we are lucky to find a plethora of varieties, each with their specific characteristics that yield them suitable for various preparations. We have the raw mango we use for pickle, we have the varieties that are best eaten ripe and are a treat in fruit salads, custards and desserts... we also have the kili mookku mangai, that we eat raw, sliced and sprinkled with a dash of chilli powder and salt (ooo... the tanginess in some of these makes my skin crawl and at the same time my mouth waters :), thats weird... )...

It is the preparation that mom makes with this raw mango (kili mookku variety) that is the best nostalgic summer memory of all...

She adds a cup of shredded jaggery and a dash of chilli powder and salt to boiled raw mangoes and makes a smooth pacchadi. This is an awesome side dish with dosa, chappathi or bread. It works as a spread too... Well it can be eaten as such :)... That is what my daughter did when she first discovered its taste...

The pacchadi is a breeze to prepare. It would hardly take 5-15 minutes of preparation time and 15 mins cooking time. And you can multi task as you can see in the write-up below.


Ingredients:

Raw Mango (Kili Mookku variety) - 1
Jaggery(shredded) - 1 to 1.5 cups
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch

Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Slice the raw mango as shown. Add chilli powder, salt and turmeric and boil until soft. Add very little water to cook the mangoes.

While the mangoes are cooking, shred the jaggery. Once the mangoes are cooked, add the shredded jaggery and heat until a smooth gravy is formed. Allow the gravy to bubble a bit.

Temper with mustard seeds.

Verdict: Awesome side dish to any tiffin item. It serves as a good side to rice too.