Coconut~Raw Mango~Ginger Chutney.

“Coconut~Raw Mango~Ginger Chutney” … A delicious spicy chutney prepared with the added goodness of raw mangoes that are in season now and available in plenty ... the tart taste of the raw mangoes adds in a delicious taste to the chutney and it goes very well when served with Idly/ Dosa or any other dishes … Yumz ….. 

** A little bit of spicy chutney served with Idly, Dosa, Tikki, Vadas etc. goes a long way in giving the tongue the satisfaction of having eaten a dish with full on taste. There was a time when I used to find preparing chutney a mundane task for just the two of us. Thanks to advanced technologies, those problems have now been a past thing and it is joy to try out things now. You must be wondering how so ??? Well for many reasons, First, I was too busy and always running short of time, so always had them with chutney podi or pickle and that was it. The other main real reason being that, there was a huge Electricity Problem and the refrigerator that was not upto mark as of the ones available now. Technology has improved so much in the last 2 decades that unlike the one I had when I married and settled in Mumbai, which had to be defrosted etc. now they are so good and retain the food kept too far better than how it used to be before. 

** But apart from that, it was the huge Electricity problem that Mumbai or for that matter the whole of India faced for decades without any action or rectification in the matter. We only paid huge bills while the problem of electricity never ever got solved. The load shedding and the often tripping of the same was so severe that it was worrisome to buy things in bulk and put it in the fridge rest it gets spoilt. I still remember a few horrifying incidences, and one of them was a time when I had been to the main fish market and had bought about 3-4 types of different fish, washed them well and put it in the freezer and to my dismay the electricity blew off within 8 hours and forget assuring giving us a time frame the phone itself was never answered. Somehow I gathered the information that it would not be started for another good 5-6 hours and I really cursed my luck and was literally in tears that a thousand bucks would go down drain. 

** Luckily I had coconut gratings ready in the freezer which too had to be consumed, so I sat through a good 3-4 hours cooking all the fish into curries, so that all I had to do was heat it till fortune struck and electricity would be back. It was way past midnight when I dropped dead on the bed after all the clearing, cleaning etc. and making a vow to me that I would never purchase anything that needed to be kept in freezer to avoid this unnecessary hazel. I shudder even now when I think of those days when I had to sit through the night working on my PC to finish off office commitments as during the day time there was no electricity and I had to finish of the work and handover the same. I must say it is a boon for the past 5 years that the electricity has been restored in proper manner and we hardly face such calamities now. This gives me a lot of time to prepare myself for a few days the dishes I desire to do. And yes, before I deviate more from the topic, let me tell you that now chutney and gooli have made way into my kitchen as storing them is easier. 

** Here is my simple recipe for “Coconut~Raw mango~Ginger Chutney” Recipe … My Style .. 

** Ingredients : 

Coconut : 2 cups freshly grated top white part. 

Raw Mango/Ambuli/Kairi : 1 small to medium size. 

Green Chillies/Hirwi Mirchi/Tarni Mirsanga : 4-5 

Ginger/Alle’/Adrak : 2 inch piece 

Salt to taste 

** For Tempering / Seasoning : 

Coconut Oil : 1 tsp 

Urad Dal / Split Black Gram : ½ tsp 

Mustard Seeds / Rai / Sasam : 1 tsp 

Curry Leaves / Kadipatta / Karbev : 5-8 fresh leaves. 

** Wash and wipe the raw mango/ambuli. Slice off the outer green skin as thinly as possible. Then slice the inner edible portion and cut them into small pieces. Discard the inner kattHo/seed. Keep this ready. 

** Note : I have used a smaller sized raw mango and it was sour. You can use any raw mango that is sour, but please use your judgment on addition for chutney depending upon the amount of coconut used or else it may turn out too sour/tart. You can grind with some check by tasting and then add on a little more if necessary and further grind to avoid the chutney getting sour. 

** Put the coconut, cut raw mango pieces, green chillies also cut into pieces, salt to taste and the ginger again cut into small pieces and grind to paste with roughly about a cup of water. Do not add all the water in one go, but keep adding as you continue to ground. Remove and add the ground chutney into a wide bowl, if too think add some water and bring to a semi thick consistency. 

** For Tempering / Seasoning : Heat oil in a small pan, when hot, lower the heat to medium and add in the urad dal and fry till the color changes slightly, now add in mustard seeds, when they splutter add the curry leaves, stir for a second and pour over the chutney in bowl. Cover and keep it for 5 minutes for the flavor to seep in. 

** Note : If possible use coconut oil for seasoning/tempering for chutney's though you can use any oil of your choice. We Konkani Saraswats have always used a lot of coconut oil in many of our dishes and were already aware of its health benefits, long back. It is only now that the entire world is going ga-ga over it proclaiming its benefits. I am sure our ancestors are having a hearty laugh wherever they are and enjoying this scene. 

** “Coconut~Raw mango~Ginger Chutney” is done and ready to be served with any dish like dosa, Idly, appos etc. of your choice. I served it with urad dal-moong dal-rava khotto/Idly steamed in jackfruit leaves basket and it tasted lovely. Do try out this chutney when raw mangoes are in season as they are now before they completely vanish. It is always a joy to relish seasonal veggies by adding them on to various dishes on daily cooking. 

** If you need to use the chutney a few hours later on, do not make it too thin, grind it thick, season it, mix it well, put it in an air tight container and immediately put it in the fridge. When you need to serve, remove and thaw for 5-10 minutes. Add in some boiled-cooled water and mix well to bring to consistency and serve immediately. This way it remains good for 2 days. Otherwise you need to put it in the freezer and thaw completely and use. But I always recommend using it freshly prepared. 

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