Maavina Hannina Gojju (Ripe Mango Curry)

It is mango season here, as you'd have guessed from the outpouring of mango based recipes in the Indian food blogosphere. I'm amazed at the variety of mangoes out there. I knew only about Alphonso, Malgoa, Raspuri, Badami and Thotapuri varieties until I moved back and discovered a whole new world of mangoes. I'm enjoying them all! Click here to have a look at all the varieties grown in India. Quite amazing, this fruit. Use it in flavored rice, curries, chutneys or make kheer, ice creams and smoothies. A hit guaranteed!

My sister makes this amazing gojju (a spicy-tangy-sweet curry) with ripe mangoes. The mangoes are of a particular variety called shakkargutli or sakkar putani, which are very small, sweet and a bit more fibrous than the other varieties I mentioned. The raw mangoes in the picture are alphonso that look really big in comparison with the mangoes in the curry. Shakkargutlis are really that small. Here is her recipe with one kg of these mangoes. She is one who believes in doing it big and going all out! You should see the amount of dosa and idli batter she makes in one shot! :)



Ingredients:
Small mangoes (sakkar putani/sakkar gutli/sugar baby)1 kg (peeled and kept whole)
Hing - a big pinch
Chana Dal - 3 tablespoons
Urad Dal - 3 tbsp
Methi Seeds - 1 heaped tsp
Red Chilies - 10-12 regular or 20-25 Byadagi (broken into 1" pieces)
Tamarind - 1 orange sized ball soaked in water for an hour
Jaggery - 4-5 tbsp shredded
Oil - 2-3 tbsp
Coconut or copra shredded- 1/2
Mustard seeds and hing for tadka



Method:

Heat 1 tsp of oil. Put in hing, methi seeds and chana dal and roast on a low flame. When the dal is partially done, add urad dal and roast well. When almost done add broken chillies and roast on low flame until it gives off its aroma. Once cooled, grind with copra/coconut with a small amount of water until a chutney is made. Keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil and add 1 tsp mustard and hing. After it splutters, add the ground masala and water. Stir and cook for 5 mins on low flame. Add tamarind juice and jaggery and salt to taste. Check for balance of flavors and adjust accordingly. Add enough water to make a watery gravy. Cook gravy for about 5 minutes. Now add the peeled mangoes and boil for 2 minutes. Keeps for a week if you use only copra and increase the quantity of oil.