“Aam Ki Launji (Sweet- Spicy Raw Mango Chutney/ Pickle)” … this is one of my favorite, delicious KhatHa MeetHa TeekHa pickle sort of a dish which I prepare when raw mangoes are in season, though you can use semi ripe ones too ... this time I made a few changes from my old recipe and it tastes simply fantabulous when relished with our own panpolo (neer dosa), tandla bhakri (rice bhakri), Oondi (rice dumplings) or parathas, roti, dosa, poori etc. etc. and I can eat a spoonful of it, just as it is too … Yummilicious …
** Life is so unpredictable, whoever thought that the world would face such a crisis, I mean it still does not register in mind to be true, that a virus can attack the whole world at this rate. Adding to the agony is that the vaccine has still not come to light, which means the fate of all human beings is hanging on a string of thread and anything can happen. Only God can save us from the calamity by somehow controlling this monster that is attacking the world left, right and center. Mumbai in India besides a few other cities is the worst hit place and we are still reeling under the pressure. Stores are closed and almost nothing is available locally though milk and medicine are available. But when it comes to veggies and groceries you got to rely on online stores who not only charge exorbitant prices but also provide only above certain fixed amounts which is definitely not my cup of tea.
** I am just going with the flow, praying that things improve soon and some luck strikes in, as I am in a fix when it comes to buying in bulk, as I cannot store them without access to fridge facility which has broken down at this very time putting me into issues. Well, my faith in God has always remained firm and he has always lead me on safely to shore each time I fell sick or came across crisis, so I just leave it to him. Yesterday, I was just sitting nearby my window reading a book late past midnight, as is my usual habit, when there was some loud dropping noises outside. Worried, I slowly peeked out and was surprised to see a lot of raw mangoes had fallen off the branch from neighbor building tree into my compound. Hubby went out to fetch them and gave it to me. I felt so thankful to God, off course they are semi ripe and damaged a bit due to the fall and had be done immediately.
** My tension got erased as to what I would cook for lunch the next day, I had potatoes, so I prepared gojju/ bajji adding on the raw mangoes, which is one of our favorite dish and we love to have it with rice. The lunch was sorted, and I wondered what I would do with the rest as preparing of pickle was out of question, not only did I have it in stock, but these were in semi ripe condition. That was when I though of preparing Launji a sort of pickle which is KhatHa MeetHa TeekHa and goes well with breakfast items like panpolo, bhakri, oondi etc. I have already posted a recipe of something in close lines to this one before but there is a huge difference in both the recipes. This time I changed the recipe and prepared it altogether differently after checking through various recipes on net, but finally preparing it in my own way to suit our taste and liking.
** Here is my very own recipe for “Aam Ki Launji (Sweet- Spicy Raw Mango Chutney/Pickle)” … My Style ….
** Wash, wipe dry about 2-3 large Raw or Semi Ripe Mangoes, say about ½ kg (500 gms). Slice off the edge portion and with the help of a sharp knife peel off the outer skin, or thinly slice it off. Now cut the edible flesh portion of the mango into cubes of bite size and discard the inner seed. Prepare and keep this ready before you start with the cooking procedure.
** Heat 2-3 tblsp of oil/ tel in a thick bottomed kadai, when hot lower the heat and add in 1 tsp of methi (fenugreek) seeds, 1 tsp of badisep (fennel/ saunf) seeds, 1 tsp of mustard seeds (rai/ sasam). When the mustard seeds splutter add in ½ tsp of hing (asafoetida) powder, ½ tsp of haldi (turmeric) powder and ½ tsp of kashmiri red chilly powder or any that you have.
** Fry for a second and then add in the prepared and kept mango pieces, 1 tblsp of kala namak (rock salt or any salt, +/- as per individual taste) and mix it well, till the mango pieces are well coated with the masala ingredients. Now add 2-3 tblsp of water, mix well, cover and cook on low heat, mixing often (to avoid it sticking to the bottom) till it is 50% cooked.
** Open the lid and add in 1 tblsp of sambar powder (I used Store bought), ½ tsp of badisep (fennel/ saunf) powder, 1 tsp of shunti (dry ginger) powder and ½ tsp methi (fenugreek) powder and mix well, if too dry you can sprinkle some water if absolutely necessary, but it is best to avoid water as much as possible. I have used only 2 tblsp of water while cooking the mangoes.
** Cover and cook till 80% done, do not overcook the mangoes if you want the pieces to remain intact, a few mashed is fine. Now add in about 3 cups of sugar (shakkar) approximately and mix well. Once sugar, you should not cover the kadai/pan, but cook open on slow to medium flame initially, mixing well till the sugar completely dissolves.
** Once the sugar has melted in, keep cooking for a few more minutes till you get thick syrup consistency with a glaze texture. At that point the launji is done and if you further cook, it will harden up. Finally add in ½ tsp of red chilly flakes (Optional) and ¼ tsp of Cardamom (ellaichi/ yellu) powder and mix well. Remove from fire and keep it aside to completely cool.
** The consistency thickens a little bit of resting, so do not overcook the mangoes initially. Also while cooling too, mix it in between a few times for even cooling. Despite that, if you find that the Launji has thickened and dried up too much, do not worry, you can still set it right, just add in 2 tablespoons of boiling water and keep mixing till it has mixed in well.
** Once the raw mango launji/ chutney/ pickle has cooled down completely, store it in an air tight glass bottle/ container and store it in fridge and serve as and when required. It remains good for over a month if kept in fridge in proper conditions. Do remember to use clean dry stainless steel spoon whenever you want to remove the same from the bottle to avoid it getting spoilt.
** “Aam Ki Launji (Sweet- Spicy Raw Mango Chutney/ Pickle)” is done and ready to be served. This is a KhatHa MeetHa TeekHa (sweet spicy tangy) pickle sort of a dish which I prepare when raw mangoes are in season, though I keep it on for a few days till it is somewhat semi ripe and then prepare the same as we love to relish those bite sized slightly sweet pieces.
** Do try out this delicious recipe when they are in season now, I vouch for the awesome taste that will be loved by young and old alike. It tastes simply fantabulous when relished with our own panpolo (neer dosa), tandla bhakri (rice bhakri), Oondi (rice dumplings) or parathas, roti, dosa, poori etc. etc. and I can eat a spoonful of it, just as it is too and it does taste heavenly, simply Bliss.
** Note : The amount of sugar added actually depends upon the mangoes used, if raw mangoes are used, the taste of which is too sour, then it needs more sugar and if semi ripe mangoes are used, lesser amount of sugar is needed, so use accordingly. I always use semi ripe mangoes for this recipe as it tastes wonderful while biting them on.
** I am also sharing the link below to my old recipe of “Khatta Meetha Teekha Raw Mango Pickle”, wherein I have used jaggery in place of sugar and is wonderful in taste too.
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Thanks.