METHAMBA

Methamba is a Marathi word and it is a pickle recipe which is made with raw mango/ kairi, jaggery and chilli powder and some other ingredients. Methamba is derived from words methi [fenugreek] and amba [mango].  It tastes really delicious, little sweet, sour and tangy. this recipe is easy and quick. A Maharashtrian quintessential recipe, tangy yet with a difference. In India, pickles plays a very important role in Indian foods, Indian people oftenlly makes pickles of different varieties and in huge quantity and enjoys with their everyday meals. Sometimes it is packed in tiffin boxes of small kids as their school lunch with chapattis. Even I remember those days when I used to have this pickle in my lunch box and me and my friends used to share the tiffin and enjoy the lunch. Usually pickles goes good with roti, paratha or simple dal-chawal. You can make some in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. So here we start with the easy and quick recipe of Methamba.

INGREDIENTS:

500 gms Kaccha Aam

500 gms Sugar/ Jaggery

2 teaspoon Cooking Oil

1½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

1½ teaspoon Methi Seeds

1½ teaspoon Sauf/ Fennel Seeds

1 pinch Cardamom Powder

1 pinch Saffron

½ teaspoon Haldi/ Turmeric Powder

Salt to taste

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Peel and slice the mango.

STEP 2 – Heat oil; add methi, sauf, mustard seeds.

STEP 3 – Add mango slices, turmeric and salt in it and mix well.

STEP 4 – Cover and cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes till semi-cooked.

STEP 5 – Add sugar/ jaggery and chilli powder and mix it. Cook on low flame for approximately 10 minutes.

STEP 6 – When gravy thickens, add saffron and cardamom powder.

STEP 7 – Store in a jar.

NOTES:* You will have to adjust the amount of jaggery and red chilli powder as per sourness of mangoes.
             *Here I used sugar for my recipe but jaggery tastes much better than sugar.
             *Keep the thickness of the pickle according to your choice.