Kancha aamer tok jhal mishti achar

Or raw mangoes cooked with spices and sugar.
I was at a loss when it came to giving this a name.
We can call it the Kancha aamer mishti achar. Or kairi ki launji.
Or plain aam ka meetha achar.

Whatever the name,this is one quick achar that is absolutely lip smacking ... if you will forgive me the extra enthusiasm for this.
I had some raw mangoes in the fridge that I had initially bought to make the Aam Panha or Aamer sharbat. 
But then, when I took out one to cut for the Tauker dal, I saw they had already formed firm stones.
The thought of chewing on the stones made me think of achar.

I wanted to make the masala one but realised I had run out of mustard oil.
So made this sweet one .... keeping in mind the coming monsoons and all the parathas that I will be making.
( I did make the masala one too ... will try to make a post later. )

This achar tastes best when made with gur or jagerry.
But is just as good with sugar.
I did not have jagerry too ... so used sugar.

Yes, I do get these urgent "need to make this now!" pushes exactly when the right ingredients are not at hand.
But that does not deter me. 

So here is the quick Amer mishti achar.
Do use tart mangoes. The sweetness of the sugar gives a perfect balance to the sourness.
And the flavours of the roasted paanch phoron takes it to a new high.
I added a good dose of crushed red chillies to make it spicy. Do go easy on it if you cannot handle spice.

Need :


Raw mangoes - 6, medium sized
Sugar - 1 cup
Paanch phoron - 1 tsp of kalonji+fennel+mustard +coriander seeds + ½ tsp methi seeds
Red chilli flakes or powder - 1 tsp (preferable home made )
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp


 How to :

Peel and cut the raw mangoes into small sized cubes.
Spread them on an absorbent kitchen napkin or some paper napkins.

Let them dry for around 2 hours.
Since I live in a dry climate, I just let them sit under a fan and they dry up promptly.
You can also sun them.

Dry roast the paanch phoron in a heavy bottomed karahi or pan.
Cool and grind coarsely.

Heat oil.
Add the mangoes and stir fry, cover and cook till done.

Remove cover and add the sugar.
It will release water.
Let it cook uncovered till all water dries up.

Sprinkle the paanch phoron powder and the red chilli powder and give a good mix.
Remove from heat and cool.

Store in clean, dry, air tight glass bottles.

If you make a big batch and want to store, then do keep them in the fridge ... especially since the monsoons are coming. They will stay well for months.

Is this piece tempting enough?

Enjoy!!


If interested, you can check out my other achars here. 

Aam kasundi or Instant kasundi or Not Kasundi

Who cares?
Why bother when you have this wonderfully pungent, spicy mixture of fresh mangoes and mustard seeds and garlic, redolent with that zing of raw mustard oil, right in front of you?

When you hold your mixie in front of you, just after you have zapped all of the above, bring your nose closer and take a whiff, you are sure to go back home in a second ... numerous memories nudging each other to get a space in your thoughts ... while your eyes will water a little and your nose will tingle a little ... and that will not be only because of memories.

While I have seen Thamma make numerous kinds of achaars back home ( here is a glimpse of those hilarious memories), I have never seen her make kasundi.
Neither have I seen Dida making it, ever.
It is said that making the real, authentic Kasundi takes a lot of dos and don'ts. So not many people ventured into making it other than the older generation of grandmas.
And today, even they have moved away from it. Especially due to availability off the shelves. 

 When I had made this instant kasundi long, long back when I was a new blogger, ... eight years ago to be precise,  I was floored by the taste.
And every year, when new mangoes appeared in the markets, I would first make this kasundi and then move on to other chaatnis or achars. And then, just before the raw mangoes disappeared, I would make a big batch and store it in the fridge for the rainy days ahead.
Yes, literally.
Because this is the perfect accompaniment to all those fried sinful stuff that we associate rainy days with.

But have never made a blog post on this.
Every year, I have the most honest intentions of making one. But that never happened.

So this time I decided I would make a post after all.
Though I know I am 8 years too late.
At the time I made this for the first time, Kasundi was not available anywhere outside of Bengal.
At least I did not get it in Pune.
But today, it is available everywhere ... off the shelves.
But somehow, while I do have a bottle of Kasundi in my fridge always these days, the freshness and tang of this freshly made instant kasundi touches my heart as well as taste buds with a different kind of love.

This post has this instant kasundi mentioned when I made it for the first time, after learning it from another blogger friend. 

I have used less garlic because it can easily overwhelm the flavours of the raw mango as well as the mustard.
Also, I always add the mustard oil only after grinding is done.

Do not skimp on the mustard oil if you plan to store it in the fridge. Better if there is a layer of oil on the top to stop it from spoiling.

This is one of the easiest condiments with the minimum of ingredients.

Need :

Raw mango - 1 medium
Black mustard seeds - 2 tbsp
Yellow mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 4 cloves
Green chillies - 2 or 3
Salt - to taste
Mustard oil - around 5 tbsp or more if you are storing

How to :

Run everything in the mixer to make a paste.

Add the mustard oil and give a light mix.

Ready!!

While it is perfect on the side with snacks, my favourite, however is a dollop of this tangy, spicy stuff on plain, warm rice.
Try it.

And this is how I spent this hot, summer afternoon.

And this one is for all those wonderful women, balancing homes and work and children and relatives.
Even if you do have a store bought kasundi in your fridge, do go ahead and make this one day.
You will make a happy you. 

I am sure I made Thamma happy.

Aam ki chutney / Mango chutney

 
It has been one of those days when everything goes right.

Everything goes smoothly ... all errands done, all chores finished, every pending bill paid, 

every encounter positive.

Yes, the latter matters most to me.

After a spate of never ending dark days ... some days it seemed I would never ever be able to get up

 and face the world again 

... some days I had felt I would never be able to see the light of the next day,

a little goodwill and a little cheer handed to me

helps me move ahead.

Helps me realise how precious those few people are ... who stood by me ... from near and afar ...

giving me strength, love and the power to believe

that a better day will come. 

Again.

Which is why every smile that comes my way matters to me.

Every good word said to me takes me to newer heights of happiness.

Every good deed done to me reaffirms my faith in humanity.
Make me want to believe that every person is not like the ones who have come into our lives being friends, and left us all alone;
cheated, defeated and making a joke out of our trust in them.

 I was not like this. Not always. Not ever.

I flew through life ... with achievements and love. Doing good deeds.

Feeling secure. 

But time brings about tests.

Untold surprises. 

Testing our faith, our resilience. Our ability to still  have trust on the higher power.

And those who move ahead, survive.

Which is why today I appreciate every good in life even more than ever.

Because I know ... there is very little good left in the world.

And if a little of that has come your way, you are blessed.

I am blessed. I realise that.

And I know ... life will be a heady mix of the sweet, the bitter, the spice and the tang.

Love it ... and it will love you back.

Which is why, when the salesman at the store today, made a small gesture of
putting us in a different section of the store where only
special billings are done,
saving us the tedious waiting at the long, long billing counters,
I thanked him
and added a  "God bless you." spontaneously.
The smile on his face showed he was touched too.
Yes, I believe in the higher power.
He will give back what he has taken.
He will return every deed done ... to Him and to us.

Spicy, tangy, flavourful life.
 Just like this mango chutney my Ma in law makes. 

Simple, tangy and spicy. 

You'll love the flavours. And since it does not have a lot of masala, you will get that strong flavour of raw mango ... which I'm sure, all of us love.

Just that very fragrance tells us summer is here!

And this is very different from the Bengali Aamer chaatni.

Need : 

Raw mango - cut into thin slices ( I tried grated, but they turn into mush quick)

Whole jeera/cumin seeds

Salt

Hing / asafoetida

Haldi powder / turmeric

Sugar (can be done with jaggery too)

A little oil

Red chilli powder

How  to :

Heat oil. Add the jeera and hing.

Add the mango slices and stir fry on high heat.

Add the haldi powder, salt and sugar.

Cover and cook till the mangoes are done but not mushed up.

Add the red chilli powder and give one more stir.

Remove from heat and cool.

Serve cool, on the side.

Goes great with parathas or pulao.

Enoy!!

Celebrating Kichu Khon with Eggless Mango Cake

Warning : Long Post :-)

Two years back, on a whim I made an account on blogspot for my ramblings ... which I still do here . And then suddenly life took me on a whirlwind tour so fast I forgot who my own self was ..... leave alone blog. Then a year later when I came back to it, I decided to turn it into a log of my adventures in the kitchen.

And today Kichu Khon completes a whole year ! :-)

Learning how to cook does not only mean heat a vessel, dunk in stuff and wait for it to cook. After numerous accidents and burnt food, after numerous burns and scalds, after destroying the cooker completely for using it without enough water ... I learnt what this adventure is all about.

I learnt that the oil has to be smoking hot before you let in those potatoes / fish. I learnt that just browning the vegetables in a fry does not mean they are cooked inside too. The water has to boil well before letting in the rice / noodles.

Iodised salt is different from plain salt ... so the amount you are using matters. Not to mention learning how to buy fish / vegetables ... and to knead atta .... the biggest challenge of all.

I had to learn the North Indian way of cooking, the Rajasthani way of cooking and for my nostalgic self the Bengali way of cooking. All the while wishing I had spent a little time everyday in the kitchen back home. But cooks consider kitchens their domain ... so had no luck ( now I consider it luck). :-)

Today I am confident in the kitchen ... can rustle up a snack from almost nothing ... and can serve a dinner for 6 ( that's the max I allow at home ... if more ... we eat out ) successfully.

When I go through my blog, I see how I have grown. And the number of dishes I have dished out amazes me .... and that is only the tip of the iceberg. Not all dishes we cook lands up in our blogs. I wonder if every woman kept a track of the number of dishes / snacks she made in her lifetime ... what would the figure come to?

Anyway ... am ranting now. One year back, with much apprehension I started off with my first post. Today I have a pretty ok kinda blog ... if not a very gorgeous one.

And I want to thank Everybody who has visited Kichu Khon and have cared to leave a line. I thank those who have stuck by me even when I had no comments ... who have encouaged me ... advised me and helped me with your suggestions. I have learnt so much from your blogs.

And for turning into such dear friends ( you know who you are .... I could not have done it without your continious support & love ). :-)
Today I can say I love my virtual world friends as much as I do my real world ones. :-)
My blog gets so many hits .... and am so happy about it. People spend so much time here ... visit so many recipes ... download snaps ... my site has even been ripped once ... (I take it as a compliment though ) .... return to the same recipes. BTW I would like to mention here that my most visited recipe is .... Kundru ki Sabzi !! :-)

I just wish they would leave a line here. It does not take much to say "I liked this" / "I did not like this". I am not about to pout or stomp my foot demanding a comment ... but I still think it is good manners.

Initially I was disheartened .... the number of comments never seemed to increase ... now I know better. So all you fellow bloggers ... don't judge the popularity of your blog by the number of comments it gets. :-)
I made an eggless Mango Cake to celebrate ... ok, ok ... I am still on the lookout for a reason to get rid of those mangoes. I have made this cake earlier with mango juice ( I used Slice ) ... but this time I have added milk.
Need : 

1 cup maida / APF, a little less than 1 cup powdered sugar, a little less than 1/2 cup cooking oil, 
a little cold milk [ ( use enough to make the batter of pouring consistency ... I prefer a batter that keeps on flowing when pouring into the baking dish .... and not fall in huge lumps .... (get the idea? ) ],

2 teaspoon baking powder, 5-6 drops of vannila essence, one meduim sized ripe mango pureed ( I used the Begunfuli / Badam variety ... they are quite fleshy ... if using a smaller variety you can use 2 or 3).


How to : Mix everything together .... you can use a hand blender too.
Add the milk after adding the mango puree. The batter should be thick but of pouring consistency. So adjust the milk accordingly.
Warm oven. Grease a baking dish with a little cooking oil / butter. Pour in the batter and bake at 130 - 160 degrees C.
The cake turned out to be dense, moist and very flavourful. I got two medium sized cakes from the above measurements.

Note : If you are preheating the oven ... check that it does not get too hot. If you have the Warm option .... use it to preheat.
I start the baking at a low temperature first ... it helps in cooking the inside of the cake ... and then increase the temp. to brown it.
Keep checking ( by inserting a wooden knitting needle / knife / chopsticks) and turning off the oven at intervals for proper and even baking and browning.

And if you see that the cake is done yet has not browned well ... keep it in grill mode for around 2 mins ... and then switch off the oven. Do not leave it even for a while when on grill ... it burns very quickly.
Go by your instincts and by what you see. You will get that perfect cake. :-) 


Here's a slice for everybody who has visited Kichu Khon. :-) Enjoy !!

Updated on the 26th: Am sending this cake to Srivalli's Mango Mela! :-)

Mango Pancakes

( Vegetarians can skip the egg and Vegans can use soya milk .... just add a little baking powder to the batter. )

It is the mango season now and so the fruit basket is groaning with mangoes ... and the whole complaint is not from the weight alone .... sometimes over ripe mangoes can cause an overwhelming smell that induces a kind of aversion to it. :-)

Well ... aversion may not be the perfect word ... but when I noticed I have been making my way about in the house avoiding that table with the basket .... I decided to do something about those reeking fruits. I usually use over ripe bananas to make Banana Pancakes. So knew what to do with the mangoes.

Was making pancakes for a filling breakfast before leaving for Bombay early in the weekend .... so just picked up a couple of mangoes and dunked them into the batter. And what lovely flavourful pancakes they turned out to be !

I usually do not like to blend or juice mangoes .... love to eat them as they are ... the burst of juices and the texture in the mouth sends me back to childhood days. And for the batter too I hand mashed them ... loved the little lumps of fibre in a biteful. :-)



Need : Roughly mashed fresh mango pulp, a little sugar, maida / APF, milk, egg(s), a little vanilla essence ( only if you are using eggs ) , a little butter / cooking oil.

How to : Make a batter of pouring consistency from the maida, milk, eggs, sugar.
Add sugar and the vanilla essence. Stir in the mango pulp.

Heat a non stick pan / girdle / tawa. Smear a little butter / cooking oil and pour a ladleful of the batter.
Spread it into a round shape. Wait for a while for it to brown on one side .... you can cover it if you want to .... but keep the heat low.

Remove cover , flip it over and cook the other side too.
The pancakes got a glorious yellow colour too! See ?

Serve with fresh mango pieces. You can spread a little honey or any other syrup of your choice on it if you wish to.

Enjoy!! :-)
Am sending this to dear Srivalli who is celebrating 2 years of blogging .... for her Mithai Mela .
Updated on the 26th : I am sending this Srivalli 's Mango Mela too. :-)
An update :
Our ugly little Quasimodo often pays us a visit. Hasn't s/he turned out to be beautiful? :-)

Aamras

Ever since I have started to blog I have been going thru a lot of other blogs ... enjoying recipes and writings, picking up certain things, learning all about events or just plain how to go about. Almost every blog has something written on Briana. Briana has been diagonised with cancer. And she is putting up a brave fight. Just look here for everything about Bri .

Learning about her has kind of shaken me.So much of difficulties, not to mention physical trauma....and so much courage.I may not know her ... but she is a person .. and needs people by her now.And so many people are rooting for her.I too felt like doing something ,however small. So took faltering steps .. visited Bee and Jai's Jugalbandi site, read up about Click and decided to send in an entry.


I maybe new here .. but one thing I have learnt ...if I need to know about something ... all I need is to ask. Delhibelle helped me with some usefull pointers and jugalbandi too replied to my queries.
Am no great photographer...but am trying. The colour for this month is Yellow .. for Bri. I decided what better than a mango. It is summer ... and the king of fruits is right here with us. Yellow at its purest form.... straight from nature....for Bri. No additives ....no other interventions.

We look forward to the torturous summers of India just to enjoy the king of fruits. Just as its colour and sweetness fill people with happiness , this Aamras is for Bri ...bright,colourful and sweet. Just as we wish all of Bri's days be filled with. And prayers for her health go with this too.
Get well soon Bri.

Aam ras : Take ripe mangoes of any variety. Peel and cut into chunks and churn in a blender.

Aamer Chatni (Mango chutney)

This is a sweet and sour chatni. The sugar gives the sweetness ... and the mango gives the natural sour taste.
If you want it very spicy then just increase the amount of red chilli powder.

Need : Raw mangoes (the Totaphuli variety is good for this as it is not too sour), Panch phoron powder , sugar, haldi powder, red chilli powder, mustard seeds, whole red chillies,curry patta, oil and a pinch of salt.

Panch Phoron powder : Take a few teaspoonfuls of Panch Phoron and dry roast on a heavy bottomed pan till it gives out an aroma. Cool and grind into a powder.

How to : Cut raw mangoes into thick slices or cubes. Heat oil in a kadhai. Add mustard seeds, whole red chillies and curry patta. Now add the mangoes and fry for some time. Add haldi powder, red chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook till the mangoes are almost done. Now add sugar. The mangoes will let out a lot of water now. Cook uncovered till water evaporates completely. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Panch Phoron powder and remove from heat. Serve cool.