What’s the best thing about summer apart from heat? Yes, Mangoes. The king of fruits. The bright yellow color spreading all over the markets, tickling your taste buds, Mango is the unanimous winner every summer. Whether ripe or raw, its aroma just pervades your senses. So what’s so special about this magical fruit? It is rich in nutrients, abundant source of vitamins and is an antioxidant. Keeps your blood pressure down, good for skin in summers, helps in better eye sight and yeah the beta carotene present has qualities to prevent and control cancer and tuberculosis.
More than anything, it’s the taste of the Mangoes that makes it most sought after thing. We have hell lot of varieties that can be made using Mangoes. And south of India, being the large contributor of mango production and consumption, have some really lip smacking dishes, which are always a huge hit. Let us look at some of the dishes using raw mangoes.
1. MuddaPappu – Avakai:
This combination is as great as Mani Ratnam – A.R.Rahman. Seriously the best combo in south Indian Mango Dishes. Muddapappu is one of the South Indian Andhra Recipe usually made with Tur dal (kandhipappu in Telugu) or red gram lentil. It is one of the protein rich recipes, no Andhra thali is complete without this recipe.Whereas Avakai, is the luxury every Telugu person will possess despite of their status. The word avakai is an amalgamation of two words namely-“avaalu” meaning mustard and “kai” meaning raw vegetable pieces, specifically raw mangoes.A typical avakai recipe involves brining raw mangoes in a mixture of spice powders and salt. This combination is a tradition which will never go down in history as a memory.
2. Raw Mango Rice:
A mango variant of Lemon Rice or Pulihora. A traditional dish made on Sri Rama Navami, which indicates the entry of mango season. Popular in Telugu states and Tamilnadu, it is perfect for a light lunch. The rice is cooked with raw mangoes, curry leaves, peanuts and roasted lentils.It is a healthier alternative during summers thanks to its cooling properties. Pair it with paapadand raita for a whole meal.
3. Green Mango Prawn Curry:
A staple summer dish in Kerala and Goa, this is a favorite among seafood lovers. With the tangy flavor of mango, crispiness of prawn and sweet touch of coconut milk, this goes well with steamed rice and appam. Perfect for breakfast and lunch, this leaves people licking the bowls away.
4. Aam Panna:
The inevitable coolant. The smooth summer drink, this hydrates your body after a hot day work. An aromatic and flavored easy-to-make drink, which is far better than having carbonated drinks outside. Also it has anti-oxidants in the form of black salt, mint and sugar.
5. MamidikayiPachiPulusu:
A special dish of Telugu states, especially Telangana, this just cools down all the heat produced by heavy food items. This healthy variation of regular pulusu which has chopped onions, ginger and tamarind juice, this one is replaced with boiled raw mango juice and simple tadka. This is a simple dish and easy to make, is generally served cold or medium hot along with rice.
