Mango Rice
Mavinkaayi Chitranna as we call it.
Spring time in Bangalore has its own set of markers such as the blooming of Tabubias, Jacaranda, May flower, etc. By now the mango trees would have already borne young mango fruits.
By the time Hindu new year begins in March/April, they are ready for harvest. The edible ripe fruits would take couple of months more. Raw Mango rice is one of the popular dishes for the Ugadi festival. There are different ways of making it, 2 are listed here.
Category: South Indian dish
a. Plain Chitraanna
INGREDIENTS
Cooked rice – ½ measure/pavu (1 pavu = ~250 g), add a dash of oil and a pinch of salt while cooking and cook with less water (usually 1:2) so that it is not mushy
Peanuts: 1 handful or more
Oil : 6-8 tbsp or more
Grated raw/unripe mango : 2-3 tbsp or to taste (no need to peel it)
Chana (Bengal gram) dal : 1 tbsp (optional)
Onion: 1 large, diced
Green chillies : 3-4 finely chopped (could add dry chillies also)
Curry leaves : handful (preferably finely chopped)
Coriander leaves : finely chopped
Grated coconut : 2-4 tbsp or as needed
Turmeric powder : 1 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Sugar : pinch
METHOD
In a pan/wok, heat 4-6 tbsp oil and fry peanuts till done, remove and keep aside.
Now add mustard seeds to the oil, after they sputter fry chana dal till light brown and then add onion, chillies and curry leaves and sauté till done.
Add turmeric powder, salt (to taste), pinch of sugar and stir for a minute.
Turn off the heat (to prevent loss of Vitamin C in mango at high temperature) and add grated mango, mix well and then add rice and mix thoroughly.
Add coriander and grated coconut.
TIP:
I prefer finely cut chillies, curry leaves, so that they need not be removed. This reduces the garbage/wastage. The quantity can be reduced (say 2 in place of 3 chillies). Also, easy to consume finely curry leaves which has many health benefits.
Preparation Time : 30-40 min
b. Masala Mavinkaayi Chitranna :
INGREDIENTS
Cooked rice – ½ measure/pavu (1 pavu = ~250 g) – add 1 tsp of oil and a pinch of salt while cooking and cook with less water so that the grains don’t stick together.
Oil : 6-8 tbsp or more
Grated raw mango : 3-4 tbsp (or to taste)
Peanuts : 2-3 tbsp, fried in oil
Chopped coriander, curry leaves, hing, pinch of sugar
For GRINDING :
Dry red chillies: 4-5
Mustard seeds : 1 tbsp
Coconut gratings : 2 tbsp
METHOD
Heat 4-5 tbsp oil in a wok, and sputter mustard, add curry leaves (cover with lid) and a pinch of powdered hing.
Add the ground paste and sauté for a min. Remove from heat and add grated mango, salt, pinch of sugar, rice and peanuts and mix well.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.
Preparation time : 30-40 min
Variation :
Lemon rice is prepared by substituting raw mango with lemon juice
INFORMATION
Vegan : YES
Gluten Free : YES
Calorie Info :
1 cup lemon/mango rice has ~280 Calories
NUTRITIVE VALUE
Raw, unripe mango is a good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, an antioxidant. It is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of dietary fiber and Vitamin B6 and many minerals.
Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids, which are antioxidants. One 58 g lemon can provide over 30 mg of vitamin C. Recommended daily intake (RDI) is 75-90mg. It also contains energy: 16.8 calories, carbohydrates: 5.41 g, vitamin A: 0.6 mcg, and many minerals.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Lemons and raw mango which have vitamin C have a number of health benefits such as boosting immunity, good for skin and teeth health, heart health, digestive disorders, anaemia, weight loss, cancer prevention, etc.
ORIGIN
Mango (Mangifera indica) is native to southern Asia, especially Burma and eastern India. It spread early on to Malaya, eastern Asia and eastern Africa
Lemon (Citrus limon) the true home of the lemon is unknown, though some have linked it to northwestern India.
Water Foot PRint (is litres of water needed to produce the food) :
Mangoes : 1800 L/Kg ; Lime/Lemon : 642 L/Kg
UPCYCLE
This dish can be done with leftover rice, tastes even better that way!
GENERAL TIP:
Peanuts can be pre-roasted to save time. I spread them on the microwave plate and heat them for ~4-5 min (depending on quantity), mixing them in between. They can also be dry roasted. I store this in a small pack in the peanut bottle.
Mango lasts for few months in a year. You could grate raw mango and freeze it and prepare mango rice throughout the year. My daughter from Canada visits during January and she enjoys mango rice made using frozen mango gratings.
DID YOU KNOW ?
There are over 1000 different varieties of mango.
More fresh ripe mangoes are eaten around the world every day than any other fruit.
They were first grown in India over 5,000 years ago..
The vitamin content of mango depends on the variety and maturity of the fruit. When a mango is raw and green it has high vitamin C content. As the fruit ripens, the amount of vitamin A increases.
The oldest living mango tree is 300 years old and is found in East Khandesh. Surprisingly, this tree still produces viable fruit!
Can you believe that Mangoes are related to cashews and pistachios.
Mango leaves are often used at weddings to ensure the couple bear plenty of children !!
REFERENCES:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283476#nutrition
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1952/2#ixzz6J6uYe5ux
https://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report47-WaterFootprintCrops-Vol1.pdf
https://greenblender.com/smoothies/2158/fun-food-facts-about-mangos