Meth amba

I had been introduced to this tangy dish by my Mahrashtrian colleagues whilst I worked at office.I savoured it & was told the recipe. I wanted to try it years later. I googled it & got this recipe .I added a chopped green chilli to the dish .Rest of the recipe remains the same.

Ingredients : 2 tsp oil, 3/4 cup kairi chopped ( raw mango-used here is Totapuri raw mango ), 1 medium sized green chilli washed & chopped, 1/4 tsp powdered hing, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1/4 tsp  mustard seeds, 1/8-1/4  tsp methi seeds, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 2-3 tbsp chopped jaggery , salt to taste.

Method : Take oil in kadahi. Heat it on slow gas.Add mustard seeds.After they pop up, add methi dana. They will change colour & get aromatic. Add hing followed by chopped green chilli pieces. Fry for 10-15 seconds. Add chopped kairi pieces. Fry them nicely.Add hal;di. Mix all contents nicely. Add 2-3 tbsp water. Cover it cooked for 3-4 minutes. Add jaggery & salt. Mix nicely. I had added big chunks of jaggery. So added more water ( approximately 2-3 tbsp water ). Cook it for 10 minutes or till it gets almost dry. The mango pieces would be soft & mushy now. Put off gas. Add red chilli powder. Mix nicely all the contents with red chilli powder. Enjoy with roti & or rice.

This has to be stored in refrigerator.And that would be nearly impossible as this is so tangy that it gets over in no time. It will stay, just for 1 week, in the refrigerator but, believe me, it will get over before that ! It can also be used as a spread on bread.

I used totapuri kairi in this dish. If more sour varieties of kairi are used, jaggery & chilli powder & salt will have to be adjusted ( added more accordingly ) . Totapuri is sour & sweet too.

Mixed veggies stew : Rishi Panchami chi bhaji

My neighbor had shared with me years back this Rishi chi  bhaji. I simply loved it.And so was wanting to make it .Since Rishi Panchami comes once a year, only on that day ,can that veggies mix be brought conveniently in the city.

Last evening ,I went to market & forgot that the next day is Rishi Panchami ...it is the day after Ganesh Chaturthi.I went to market at around 11.15.One vendor told me to pick & choose.I went ahead. I spotted a Maharashtrian lady.She was selling Rishi Panchami veggies.I was thrilled that she will hand over me the mixed veggies & I just pay & come home & start cooking.Yet,she had just some veggies.Colcasia leaves or taro leaves or alu were missing.So also was lal math missing.The lady sitting next to her was selling green leafy veggies in bunches...alu leaves asa slo lal math.I requested her to give me 1-2 alu leaves & a small bunch of lal math.For a price, of course ! Mission accomplished, I moved to a grocer as the Rishi Panchami vrat needs a particular variety of rice to be cooked.I drew a blank.I decided that since I was making this stew just for my tast buds, I would have to make do with the rice at home.

Ingredients : 1-2 colcasia leaves or taro leaves or alu leaves washed & chopped, a tiny bunch of lal math ( Swiss chard ) washed &  chopped, 1 small piece of red pumpkin peeled & chopped, a small cucumber piece chopped,1-2  pieces of corn cob,4-5 big bhindis chopped, a small doodhi piece deseeded & chopped, 1 tiny karela deseeded & chopped, 1 small piece of shirali ( ridge gourd ) chopped, 1 small piece of goshali chopped  ( smooth gourd )  , some peas, some balck eyed beans from pods, etal ( The veggie vendor gave me a piece of avegetable which looked like a midget or tiny version of suran ...she told me to add it to the bhaji with other veggies .I roughly chopped it & pressure cooked with other veggies ), 1-2 green chillies chopped into 3 /4 pieces,1 teaspoon jaggery, 2 tsp tamarind pulp, 2 tsp ghee, salt to taste.

Method : I was in a hurry as I returned home at 12 noon.So I pressure cooked the veggiesincluding green chillies  for 3 whistles.

Take ghee in a kadhai.Add tamarind pulp .Add jaggery. Add salt to taste. Bring all to a boil.Add pressure cooked veggies.Let all the mixture come to a boil.Put off gas. Enjoy ! I ate this bhaji with rice. It will go well with chapatis as well.

My maid, whom I served this bhaji ,felt that I had simply boiled the veggies ! When I revealed that I had added jaggery , tamarind & ghee, she said it did not taste that it contained all that ! I guess, I added too little of the ingredients to maintain the subtelty of Rishi Panchami.Next time,I promise to add more of the ingredients !