UppuMaanga(Salted mangoes)

Back in my home,when the mango season arrives,there will be mangoes all around ,we could eat it all the time no matter what time is.And my amma used to preserve these mangoes in different forms,to have it in off-mango season as well.Different types of mango pickles,‘Manga Thera’(ripe mango pulp spread on a mat and dried in sun for 2-3 weeks and then rolled and preserved.Oh god..its so delicious..!!),Uppu Maanga are all her masterpieces.
Uppumanga(Raw mangoes in brine) and Kanji(rice porridge) -This combo has been my all time favorite and comfort food.Now after trying out many different cuisines,I could say I haven’t found anything as comfortable and delicious as this home made simple dish.Its really sad,that we cannot get those kind of mangoes used to prepare Uppumanga ,here in U.S.Small unripened mangoes,having thin skin is usually used for making this.As the peels are so thin,the brine will penetrate deeply inside.We call it ‘Nattumaanga’,sorry i don’t know any other name for it.

Nattumaanga

Traditionally,Uppumaanga is preserved in huge ceramic jars called ‘Bharani‘.See our blog queen Indira’s collection of Bharani’s here.
And now the recipe…

Ingredients:-

Mangoes as a whole – 1 kgs
Salt – 165 gm
Water – 3 cup

Method:-

1.Wash the mangoes well.Pat them dry and keep aside.
2.Boil water along with salt and allow them to cool.
3.Put the mangoes in a big ceramic jar or a ‘Bharani’ .
4.Now pour the cooled brine solution over the mangoes into the jar.
5.Tightly cover the jar and keep it in a quiet place for atleast 1 month.If you are preparing Uppumanga in a bulk,extra care has to be taken to prevent it from fungii attack.A handful of sand tied in a cloth ,attached to the top of the Uppumanga jar is one such method.The total salt taken is divided into 4 parts,and adding each part to the mangoes in 4 consecutive weeks also helps.Uppumanga preserved in this way will lasts for more than a year.

Uppumaanga stored in Bharani

Preparing Uppumanga Chutney:-

Mash 10 shallots and 5 green chillies together.Do not make it a paste,just beat them together.Again traditionally,this is done using a Mortar and Pestle.Pick 3 or 4 salted mangoes from the jar and add it to the mashed green chillies- shallots mixture.

Preserved Uppumaanga

Mix them well,and add 2 teaspoon full of coconut oil.Mixing them with hand enhances the taste,but the hot chillies can burn your hands too..:))
Yeah..Uppumanga is now ready to be served…Along with Kanji,it really pays a treat to your tastebuds as it deserves!!..

Uppumaanga Chutney

This is my entry to Revathi’s FMR#7- Comfort Food  and to Tony’s Weekend Curry Mela 

P.S :- I took the snaps during my last Kerala trip.