Uppu Mavina Kai/Mangoes in Brine

I looooooooove mangoes… Sweet, sour, mild, pickled, raw, ripe, salted, juicy, aromatic, succulent, heavenly perfumed… I can safely call it my first love, because my love affair with them started even before I knew what actually love is all about. Even decades later, the these heavenly mangoes still has their magnetic hold on me. It is more than a mere fruit to me. It represents my blissful childhood days of endless summer days. The memories of those sunny, glorious summer vacations are still fresh in my mind. Fond memories of eating sour raw mangoes with salt and chilli powder and of biting into a lush, golden mango and get that sweet, sticky juice squirting all over my chin and cloths without worrying about anything. Ah!!! It feels like just yesterday, climbing mango trees with my sister and cousins and aiming a slingshot at our neighbour’s tree. I still can’t understand how this tantalising, magical fruit turned me from Miss Goody Girl into mischievous brat. These are some moments of my life which will always remain fresh and will always bring smile.

Uppu Mavina Kai Palya

Mangoes are seasonal. So like many Indians I too like to hoard them so that we can enjoy this fruit throughout the year (no wonder mango is our national fruit). I don’t have to worry about pickling them as I usually get my cartons of spicy, sour, sweet pickles from Amma, MIL and my aunts(Did I tell you that I have got over 20 varieties of pickles in my pantry;) But I did one good thing of storing them in salt water. There are two wonderful recipes of mangoes in brine. These are my all time favourite recipes of mango in brine. I usually make them when ever I walk down the memory lane which just happened to be yesterday when my sister was busy making me go green with envy by mentioning how mango season is in full bloom in India and how she is taking full advantage of it. So without taking much of your time let me directly come to business :)

Uppu Mavina Kai Mosaru Gojju

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Uppu Mavina Kai/Mangoes in Brine
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: -
Serves: -

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Ingredients:
1 large Mango
¼ cup Salt
1 cup Water
A glass bottle

Uppu Mavina Kai/Mangoes in Brine

Method:
Add salt to boiled water and keep it aside to cool completely.
Cut mangoes into little big pieces and place them in an air tight glass bottle.
It is recommended to use glass bottles instead of plastic container as it has high salt content.
Now pour the salted water into the jar till all mango pieces are covered and close the lid tightly.
Keep this jar in cool, dark place for at least 1 week before using them.
This way you can store them for at least 6 months.

Uppu Mavina Kai/Mangoes in Brine

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Sweet Uppu Mavina Kai Mosaru Gojju
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 1-2 mins (tempering)
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients:
1 cup Uppu Mavina Kai/Green Mangoes in Brine
½ cup Jaggery
1 ½ cup Sweet Yougurt
¼ cup Red Onion, finely chopped
1 Green Chilli, finely chopped (Optional)
1 tsp Mustard
1 Dry Red Chilli
Few Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Oil

Uppu Mavina Kai Mosaru Gojju

Method:
Remove excess water and chop mangoes into small pieces.
Mix them well with curds, jaggery, chopped red onion and green chillies. You can add more jaggery if you like it sweet.
Season it with mustard, red chilli and curry leaves.
Chill them before serving with rice and chapatti.

Uppu Mavina Kai Mosaru Gojju

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Uppu Mavina Kai Palya
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 5-10 mins
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients:
1 cup Uppu Mavina Kai/Green Mangoes in Brine, cut into bite size pieces
½ cup Jaggery
1 Green Chilli, finely chopped (Optional)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Mustard
2 tsp Urad Dal
1 Dry Red Chilli
Few Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Oil

Uppu Mavina Kai Palya

Method:
Take oil in a pan and add urad dal, mustard and red chillies.
Sauté them till urad dal turns golden yellow and mustard starts spluttering.
To this add chopped green chillies, turmeric powder and curry leaves and sauté them for few seconds.
At this point you can also add a tbsp of chopped onions if desired.
Now add mangoes in brine and mix well.
Cook this in medium flame fro 2 minutes.
Add jaggery powder and cook in medium flame for another 2 minutes till a syrupy base is formed.
Remove from fire and serve hot as a side dish with rice or dosas.

Uppu Mavina Kai Palya

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Note:
Gojju and palya are sweet side dishes. Add red chilli powder if you like them hot and spicy. But it tastes best sweet and sour.
Note that you don’t need to add any salt to these dishes as they usually have high salt content. So it is better to check them for the saltiness before cooking. If they are very salty then immerse them in big pot of water before cooking for few minutes to remove excess saltiness.
Also take a look at lovely Linda's Mangoes in Brine Dal Recipe.

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Uppu Mavina Kai Palya

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Did You Know?
Mango is known as aam in Hindi and amra in Sanskrit. Amra is first mentioned in the Shatapatha Brahmana, which dates back to 1000 BC.
According to Varadrajan, author of The History of Tamil Literature, the eye of a woman is compared to a tender mango cut in half, with the stone being the pupil of the eye.
Alexander the Great was a big fan of Indian mangoes and The Mughal Emperor Babur called it "O Fairest Fruit of Hindustan." His grandson Akbar planted 100,000 mango trees in Dharbanga.
The British, too, were enamored with the mango and created special cutlery to eat it in a "civil manner."
Mangoes are effective against sunstroke and are used in a variety of drinks to lower body temperatures and quench thirst in the hot summer months.
Rich in Vitamin C, mangoes are used throughout the year in the Indian diet, with the pickled green mangoes helping to ward off colds.
Even the powdered seed is used as a cure for dysentery and the twigs of the mango tree are handy as toothbrushes.
(Source: www.littleindia.com)

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