Mango Rasam

Today I’m posting one my favorite comforting soup made with raw mango pulp. Mango rasam! Light on the stomach, easy to make and absolutely flavorful. In many telugu speaking households you will find home cooks whipping up a variety of raw mango recipes other than the famed avakai (mango pickle) and its likes including pachadi, pulusu, pappu (dal), curry and rasam.

Down South, in Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Karnataka especially in the Mangalore region, mango rasam is prepared during the mango season. Appe huli (mango rasam) is a traditional Mangalorean delicacy served at weddings and special occasions. Mango rasam is called maavina saar or saaru in kannada, mamidikaya chaaru in telugu and pacha manga rasam or mangai rasam in tamil. With minimal ingredients yet high on flavor, mango rasam preparation is almost similar across all regions with slight variations in terms of tempering and the use of rasam powder. This particular mango rasam recipe does not call for the use of rasam podi

Ingredients

• Raw mango - 1, medium size, peeled and chopped
• Jaggery - 1 tbsp (can increase if mango is too sour)
• Green chilies - 1, slit
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Salt to taste
• For tempering:
• Oil - 1/2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/2 tsp (split gram dal)
• Red chilies - 2, tear and de-seed
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. In a vessel, add 1 1/2 cups of water, turmeric, one green chili, salt and the raw mango pieces. Bring to a boil and simmer with lid. Cook till the mango pieces turn soft. Allow to come to room temperature. Once cool, grind the mixture to a fine paste or mash with a ladle.
2. In another vessel, add the ground mango paste and enough water (approx 3-4 cups) and mix well. It should be of watery consistency.
3. Add jaggery or sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer for 7-8 mts. While the mango rasam is simmering, prepare the tempering.
4. In a small pan, add oil. Once the oil turns hot, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add urad dal and allow the dal to turn red. Finally add curry leaves and asafoetida. Turn off flame and pour the tempering into the hot mango rasam.
5. Turn off flame and place lid. Allow the flavors to meld for a few minutes and then remove to a serving bowl. Serve warm with white rice or serve as a warm soup.

Tips

• You can pressure cook the whole green mango along with skin in a cup water and pressure cook till soft. Once cool, you can extract the juice and discard the peel.
• Tempering can be done in ghee or oil.
• You can add a tsp of rasam powder while the rasam is simmering.
• You can add 1/3 cup of mashed yellow moong dal for a variation.