Tamil New Year Recipes | Mango Jaggery Sauce | Festival Recipes
Sigh - I miss home! Have been missing it for a long while now. Although I have managed to create a  beautiful one for myself in the place where I live, nothing beats the original - the place I grew up and have abundant of memories. I am sure many of you, like me, believe that your growing up years play a huge role in shaping up the way you are now. And of course - the food. When I really sat down to analyse and dissect my memories, I was surprised to find that most of them involved food in some way or the other.  Sitting with my mom during festivities preparing sweetmeats like Mysore Pak, Murukku, Akkaravadisal, Kesari etc, eating luscious homemade Badam Halwa, fresh mangoes and gulping down tender coconut water (plucked from the trees) in my grandma's backyard, eating spicy and addictive bakarwadis in my uncle's house, being a glutton for 'never-eaten-anything-like-it-anywhere-else' Puttu at my aunt's place.....and the list goes on and on.
Tamil New Year Recipes | Mango Jaggery Sauce | Festival Recipes
This Green Mango bought all the memories back to me during my last visit to the local Indian store. The roadside stalls with cut green mangoes sprinkled with salt and red chilli powder were abundant back home.  I remember the one right outside my school with all my friends clamoring around it to buy these tangy pieces. I used to stand in sidelines cos I never was one to like the tangy sourness of Green Mangoes. I do so now.  Call it maturity in tastes or simply being plain homesick - I buy these in hoards now, when I can get it.
  • Cook time:
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 4 people
  • Yields: Makes around 2 cups depending on the consistancy of the chutney
Ingredients
  • 1 large (about 350grms) Raw mango (see Tips)
  • 1-3/4 cups (about 350 grms) Jaggery, powdered
  • 1/2 -1 tsp Mustard Seeds
  • 2-3 tsp Ghee/oil
  • a pinch of Turmeric (optional)
  • 1-2 dried Red Chilli (optional)
  • pinch of Salt (to taste)
  • Special Seasoning for Tamil New Year Festival (see Tips)
  • 1/2 - 1 tbsp Neem Flowers (see Tips)
Tips
1. Mango: If possible, opt for the tangiest raw mango you can get. Tangiest makes the best tasting (in my opinion) giving a beautiful balance with the sweetness from Jaggery.

2. Tamil New Year Festival: An optional seasoning done only during the festival of Tamil New Year. This is a must for the occasion.

This Pachadi is a representative of Tamil word “arusuvai” meaning 6 tastes – Uppu (Salty), Thithippu (Sweet), Pullippu (Sour), Kasappu (Bitter), Uraippu (Hot/Pungent) and Thuvarppu (Astringent). Some recipes use an additional 2-3 tsp. of Tamarind paste, but I have never personally used it.

I am assuming that the ingredients associated with the said flavors are : Astringent (Mango, Turmeric), Bitter (Neem flowers), Pungent (Red Chillies), Salty (Salt), Sour (Green Mango & possibly tamarind when used), Sweet (Jaggery)

3.Neem Flowers: You can use both fresh or dried Neem flowers. In India, traditionally fresh Neem flowers are used. If fresh, try to use fully blossomed flowers, otherwise it would taste more bitter. But in the place where I live, I do not get fresh neem flowers and hence tend to use the dried version instead.
Method
1. Peel the mangoes. Its optional but I have always peeled it like my mom.
2. Now slice it into flat pieces.
3. Its OK if it gets uneven - it doesn't really matter.
4. To  a pan, over medium heat, add jaggery and 1 cup of water.
5. This is done to melt the jaggery - takes around 4-5 minutes
6. Filter this to a cup. This straining is essential to remove any scum or debris (that's mostly found in jaggery). Keep aside.
7. In the same pan, add the Ghee and when hot, drop the mustard seeds. Add Red chillies if using.
8. When it starts spluttering, add the mangoes.
9. Stir gently for few seconds. Add turmeric, if using.
10. Add about 1-1/2 cups water
11. cover and cook for around 5 minutes.
12. Remove the lid, give it a gentle stir and without the lid continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes or until it starts becoming mushy.
13. Now add the Jaggery water,
14. stir and simmer further for another 10-15 minutes,
15. until it comes together into a thick sauce. The consistency will depend on your family's preference. If it becomes too thick for your liking, add few tbsp of water to rectify it.
Alternate Pressure Cooker Method: There is another method to making this. Instead of cooking this mango over stove top, simply pressure cook it for 2-3 whistles along with turmeric.  Separately warm 1 cup water and add the jaggery to it. When it melts strain the jaggery. In the pan temper the mustard seeds and chilli. Then add jaggery water. Then add the cooked mango pieces along with salt. Cook until it comes together into a thick sauce. Tamil New Year Recipes | Mango Jaggery Sauce | Festival Recipes Tangy and sweet, this serves as an festive accompaniment to our South Indian feast. As mentioned in the "Tips section", if making this for "Tamil New Year's" day, then temper the neem flowers in ghee  until golden brown and add it to the pachadi. Tamil New Year Recipes | Mango Jaggery Sauce | Festival Recipes

Recipe Reference

from my kitchen notes

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4 Member Reviews

By Shruthi on May 1, 2013

This recipe wasn't very different from how I learned to make it from my mom.  Just looked it up for reference today since its been a while since I made it. Turned out just the way it should! :)

By Tribe Seshadri on Apr 14, 2012

I tried the Manga Pachadi recipe today and it turned out AWESOME!!!!! . Yeh! So simple to make and so tasty to eat.

Thank you for sharing your special secrets with all of us and making better cooks of us as well!

 

 

 

Read All 4 Reviews →

27 Comments

By sinder jit toor on Aug 13, 2020

cooking flows in my blood even though i m a writer And read and write for myself but my family n friends expect new tasty healthy n flavored dishes from me i m simply a chutney lover too.made a lot n trying to introduce some thing exiting . i really appreciate ur process and presentation even though i made mango chutney recipes of my own .i love the way u were describing ur childhood memories .that s spice for life.

By reva on Mar 26, 2018

Can we substitute star fruit for the raw mango?

I havent tried it personally. But since green mangoes are sour, try using the star fruit that is the sour variety - not the sweeter one. --DK

By drona on Aug 13, 2015

My mother inlaw and I tried this recipe. It was simple but yummy. Tq

By jagroop on May 16, 2014

how to store this pachadi and for how many days

By Divya on Mar 30, 2014

We, sindhis, make this chutney with sugar, red chilli pd , salt, vinegar, tej patta and methi seeds. Taste is same ofcourse. ! Its my favourite .

By Rajani on Apr 16, 2013

:wink: Happy New Year. Same pachadi made at our new year lunch too, only with more red chillis. Enjoyed yours.

By Amutha on Mar 15, 2013

GOOD RECIPE INDEED. It will be much tastier if you add the following at the end. Take a tea spoon of raw rice and half a tea spoon of fenugreek ( venthayam ) and fry it in a dry kadai until it turns brown. Allow it to cool and make powder coursely . ( karakarappaka podikavum ). when u turn off the flame , add this powder and stir the pachadi. You wil enjoy it .

By Elizabeth Mars on Jan 30, 2013

This looks great. Is this recipe suitable for preserving or does it need to be used quickly

By jagannath on Dec 26, 2012

fantastic receipe..I tried it in amsterdam and I had all the ingridients including the dried neem leaves. Its excellent.In Europe we get dried jaggery powder, so when you strain the jaggery after boiling, there is no scum left which made it easier for me...Yummy thanks

By Disha on Nov 5, 2012

Hello, can you please tell me any alternative to the jaggery? I cant find it in my home country :(

By sumesh nain on Jun 5, 2012

nice way to help me made a green mango recipe

By Pallavi on May 5, 2012

In Jammu region, this dish is called "Ambal" ..its' a dogri delicacy and every happy occasion demands it...Here, we make it with pumpkin instead of raw mangoes, and it is served with Moong dal and chawal, beside Rajma...Loved the Raw mango variation..will surely try it!

By Asha on Apr 26, 2012

:) Looks yummy!! Will try it, thanks for sharing.

By Joe on Apr 14, 2012

This pachadi looks apitizing!I have a suggestion -instead of the neem flowers(which is very rare to find in USA and Canada,can't we substiute it with fenugreek seeds,while we do the tempering? Taste of Fenugreek seeds come under bitterness (as a substitute for neem flowers) :idea: .More over, raw mangoes goes well with the fragrance of fenugreek seeds.I tried this and the result was 'yummy'!

By Bharti on Apr 2, 2012

Tempted to make it.....awesome :-D

By Archana on Apr 2, 2012

Love it. I have mangoes in the fridge so this is it.

By san on Mar 31, 2012

I bought a mango other day and was thinking what to make , and I see your recipe today.Bingo !!!Will update you soon.

By Vaishali on Mar 30, 2012

This reminds me of my mother cooking the same. I have never tried it, but feel inspired and a bit homesick. So will definitely give it a try myself. Thanks.

By vanamala on Mar 30, 2012

Very nice dish....

By Disha on Mar 27, 2012

Ah, thank you for the pictures, they incite me to cook this ;)

By Kanchan on Mar 27, 2012

I had prepared this once, and totally loved it. You just reminded me to buy raw mango n try this once again.

By CurryLeaf on Mar 26, 2012

Yum Yum. Liked it and will be making it. Love the combo and love ur post on the 6 tastes. Too tempting as I love raw mangoes. :-P

By shobha shenoy on Mar 26, 2012

tangy sweet yummy pachadi everyone loved this at home .thanks you Chef in

By San on Mar 26, 2012

My ever fav mango pachadi, i would not like to share this with anyone at all coz i love to eat it myself :) Superb pachadi divya.

By bergamot on Mar 26, 2012

The pachadi looks great

By LadyInRead on Mar 26, 2012

Thank you! am going to try it out soon.. love your blog and visit it often..would love your comments on my blog

By pavithra on Mar 26, 2012

I love this kinda pachadi's .. Way too tempting and drooling Dhiv's.Yumm yumm Yumm :)