Currently in season is one of my favorite ingredients – Mango Ginger aka Mamidi Allam (Telugu), Manga Inji (Tamil), Mavina Shunti (Kannada). If we follow the lead of the season, one can eat the best foods our body needs during the season.
Mango ginger takes myriad forms in our kitchen especially savory like chutneys, relishes and a variety of pickles. One of my current favorites among them that I just can’t get enough of is this Mamidi Allam Pachadi.
Milder than regular ginger, lighter in color with a flavor of raw mango that sets it apart, fresh Mango Ginger is a treat for the senses. Know what’s the twist? The Rhizome is neither related to Mango or Ginger. Guess what then? Turmeric! We now know why Gujaratis call it Amba Harad.
So sublimely flavorful. A must do winter indulgence!
Andhra Cuisine is famous for its Pachadi (savory relishes and chutneys) and fiery Pickles. This is almost like a pickle but not. Ingredients used are primarily Andhra pickle ingredients, a combination of mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds with red chillies.
Mamidi Allam Pachadi is an awesome condiment to make with Mango Ginger.
It can brighten up an everyday meal just like that! I can even eat it by the spoonful as is. It is that addictive. Take my word.
Among the many recipes that I learnt from my mum-in-law, this has got to be one of the better yet.
At least, it is the reigning current favorite that we seem to be polishing off! I’ve made it thrice by now and I’m pretty sure I’ll be making many many more times before the season of Mango Ginger wanes.
If you must include one relish from Andhra cuisine into your repertoire, this has got to be it. Simple to make. Don’t bother about spoilage or shelf life as it hardly stays without being eaten for that long.
Best way to eat Mamidi Allam Pachadi is to mix it with steaming hot rice and a drizzle of Ghee as the first morsel. it will surely tickle your taste buds.
It pairs equally well with Dosas and in particular Pesarattu, the Andhra Dosa variant.
If you can’t find Mango Ginger, you can always make this with regular Ginger. The flavors might differ a bit, but it will be tasty for sure. You might have to add more jaggery as Ginger is pungent by itself.
Spicy and mildly Sweet Mango Ginger Relish in Andhra Style
Makes about 1-1/2 cups of relish
- 100 gms Mamidi Allam / Mango Ginger (5-6 6 inch x 1 inch pieces) /About 1 cup grated Mango ginger
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp methi / fenugreek seeds
- 1/4 tsp hing
- 14 byadagi red chillies
- 1-1/2 tbsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp jaggery
- 1 small lemon size tamarind or 2 tbsp thick tamarind pulp
- 1/4 cup peanut oil + 2-3 tbsps for topping
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Soak the Mango Ginger in water for 10 mins to loosen any dirt. Scrub and wash clean. Rinse well and towel dry completely.
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Roughly skin the mango ginger roots using a spoon. Not Peeler as it will take out quite a lot of the skin and also the fragrance along with it.
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Coarsely grate the Mango ginger (avoid fine grating). Makes about 1 cup
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Heat oil in a skillet or kadai. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, add methi seeds and red chillies and pan fry on medium until the methi seeds are golden brown and fragrant and the red chillies plump up. Do not let them burn.
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Reserving the oil in the Kadai, strain the spices to a small mixie jar and set aside to cool completely.
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In the remaining oil in the same kadai, stir fry the coarsely grated Mango Ginger for a few minutes until the raw smell goes away and it appears shiny/translucent. Do not let it burn.
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Switch off and let cool completely.
Grind the spices to a fine powder. Add tamarind paste, roasted Mango ginger, salt and jaggery and grind to a smooth paste. Try not to add water.
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Taste check and adjust salt/jaggery as per taste. It will be spicy with a mild hint of sweet.
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Transfer to a clean (non-reactive) glass bowl, top it up with few tbps of peanut oil as the top layer. Store airtight in the refrigerator.
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Tastes yum with steaming hot rice and ghee or as a side with Dosa, Pesarattu and the like.
Always handle with a dry spoon.
Make sure to buy fresh tender Mango ginger root.
You can increase or decrease the amount of Jaggery as per your taste.
It will easily store well in the refrigerator for a few months.
Aam aada, that’s what we call it in Bengali. I rarely could find it in Bangalore or may be didn’t know where to look for it. My Mom loves this ingredient and usually adds freshly grated in light pure veg curries, at the end for that flavor. I will ask Ma to try your recipe next time she finds aam aada.
Wow! Never knew it is used even in Bengali cuisine Kana.
This is a nice spicy with a bit of sweet kinda relish. Let me know how it goes if your Ma does try 🙂