Pacha Kadumaanga

I have been so busy over the weekend that blogging was the last thing on my mind. Here, in the Northeast of the US, the weather is getting colder, which means a lot of work to get the house and yard in shape for the winter. So, my husband and I were outside all day, clearing the yard of debris, and thatching the lawn so we can overseed it before the first frost. Not that we have a great lawn. What we do have is an over-enthusiastic dog, who thinks he is a puppy even though he is three and a half years old. Anyway, this long diatribe is causing me to digress from the purpose of the blog, which is to write of all things yummy. Right now, the focus is going to be on a dish that, while it mimics the mango chutney, is as different from it as chalk from cheese. It is a dish that really is a condiment - not a side dish. My mother used to make at home when I was a child - though my father and older brother did not like it very much.

I must admit that it takes some getting used to. The raw mustard (pacha kaduku) that is ground into this dish gives it a piquant flavour that has people either loving it, or hating it. Unlike its more popular cousin, the 'arachu kalakki' , 'pacha kadumaanga' does not add curd to alleviate its rather strong taste. It is one of those dishes that stands on its own, demanding that it be liked for what it is, not for what it can be. So, without much ado, here is

Pacha Kadumaanga

1/2 raw mango *

1/2 a coconut, grated

1 tbsps mustard seeds

10 - 12 red chillies

Salt

Tadka

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 - 3 red chillies, broken into pieces

1 sprig curry leaves

Wash, peel and slice the mango roughly.

Grind to a smooth paste with grated coconut, chillies, mustard and salt.

Use as little water as possible. Remove to a dish.

Now, add a 1/2 cup of water to the empty mixer bowl and swill it around.

Add it to the ground mango-coconut paste, and mix well. Check the seasonings.

Add more salt if necessary.

In a small kadhai, heat coconut oil till it smokes.

Add mustard.

When it begins to pop, add broken red chillies and curry leaves.

Pour over the pacha kadumaanga.

* I used barely one side of the green mango that I picked up from my neighbourhood Indian store. Before you add the tadka, check to see that the tastes are balanced. If it is too sour, grind a little more coconut and add it to the dish. On the other hand, if it is too bland, you may need to add some more mango pieces. In which case, take two spoons of the ground paste, and grind it along with the extra mango.

It was a hit at the Ona Sadhya, and my husband jealously guarded the little that was remaining, while I was packing the other dishes for our friends to take home. :-)

©2008 Anuradha Warrier

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