How I learnt to make an Ugadi dish over phone

Women are not born chefs. For most of them, it is marriage that forces them to enter the kitchen. My situation was also similar. I did not even know how to make a simple dish like uppittu.  

Marriage introduced me to the culinary side of mine and made me learn this art.

Half a decade ago, when I moved to the US with my husband, I had to rely on my grandmother's scribbled recipes or multiple calls to my mother residing in Bengaluru.

What started as a necessity soon led me to experiment with Karnataka cuisine and Indian food, which was a rarity in the place I lived.

My dishes were a talking point among our friends and neighbours and soon I started loving the kitchen.

For a person like me, who is a hardcore vegetarian, it was difficult to prepare a wholesome vegetarian dish. When I was in the US, I used to include eggs while baking.

Ever since I moved to India, I do not use them as my family members are opposed to this.

In my journey of curating my recipes, I developed an interest in food photography as well.

With the love and encouragement from my husband, who has been a part of my culinary journey since the beginning, I set up a blog to chronicle all my recipes. In fact, he was the one who set it up for me in the name of 'Slurpy Platter'.

My husband, who knew the nuances of photography, helped in the positioning and angles of the shoots as well.

Photography became an integral part of my project. I started paying more attention to the shoots which included placing the props in a particular way and adding to the detailing. I was enjoying everything about food.

Thanks to my husband for this, else I would not have known that I had a talent like this.  

I am not a professional chef, but I love exploring food so much that it has become an integral part of me.

The recipe am sharing today is  of Maavinkayi Saaru (instant raw mango rasam) as Ugadi is around the corner.  

With this tangy rasam, you will experience a burst of flavours that will leave you craving for more.  

It is simple and easy to prepare and is just perfect for a festival like this.

Ingredients

Raw mango washed, peeled and cubed: 1 cup
Jaggery: 1 tbsp
Green chilli: 3 nos
Cumin/Jeera: 1 tsp
Turmeric: 1 tsp
salt as needed

For Seasoning

Mustard: 1 tsp
Cumin/jeera: 1 tsp
Hing/asefetida,generous pinch also works: 1 tsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves: 8 to 10 nos
A handful coriander leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Pressure cook the chopped mangoes with a cup of water and turmeric for one whistle. If you don't have a cooker, you can cook it in a saucepan for 10-15 minutes until the mango is slightly tender.

2. Let the mangoes cool completely. Retain the water and grind the mangoes with green chilli and cumin to a fine paste.

3. Now add the ground paste with water and bring to a boil. Mix the ground paste with the cooked water and add 2 more cups of water (You will see lumps of the ground paste, give it a quick stir and let the lumps dissolve). Add salt, jaggery and give it a stir.

4. Meanwhile heat ghee in a small kadai and add the mustard, cumin, let it splutter, add the hing. Finally add the curry leaves and pour it over the rasam mixture. Top it off with fresh coriander.

Recipe Notes

The raw mango should be semi-ripe, as in it should have a green and red tinge. This makes the rasam sweet and sour and tastes great.

Sindhu Bharadwaj

(As told to Harini Naidu)