What is raw mango, kaccha aam, kacchi kairi?

· Chutneys are usually prepared with sour, unripe mangoes and green chillies.
· Raw mangoes are eaten raw with salt as accompaniment.
· In Maharashtra, a spicy, sweet and sour semi-liquid side-dish called meth-amba is made from unripe mango slices, jaggery and fenugreek seeds. They can be served with poories and polies, like jam.
· Raw mango is used to prepare pickles, choonda and aamchur.
· In Goa, miscut is a spicy mustard-oil pickle made from raw mangoes.
· Fhodd is a water-pickle prepared using raw mangoes preserved in a brine solution (with dried red chillies).
· Aam panna is refreshing summer drink made of raw mango juice and flavoured with jiggery or sugar, cumin and mint.
· Raw mangoes can be used in salad and served with sea foods.
· Green mango rice can be prepared by grinding raw mango pulp with red and green chillies, ginger, stir frying them in oil with mustard seeds and adding it to rice. This tangy rice can be served hot with curd and pickle.

How to store raw mango, kaccha aam, kacchi kairi

Raw mangoes should be stored in cool, dry place. They can be stored in refrigerator for 4- 5 days maximum.

Health benefits of raw mango, kaccha aam, kacchi kairi

Raw mangoes, called as kacchi kairi, are rich source of Vitamin C, thus it is helpful in building immunity and fighting against diseases, adding glow to your skin, cure bleeding gums and maintaining hair health. Being low in calories, they help boost metabolism and can be consumed by weight watchers. The fibre in it makes it an acceptable choice for heart patients too. Raw mangoes are a fair source of vitamin A, potassium and B vitamins. Eating raw mango with salt helps to overcome thirst, beat sunstroke and maintains electrolyte balance. In tropical countries, raw mango pulp with sugar, water and cardamom is consumed to keep the body cool.

Raw mangoes are usually firm and easy to chop. Hold the mango by its flat surface and start cutting the slice slightly away from the core. Remove the seeds and start cutting each slice vertically and then horizontally into small, fine pieces. If required, first peel the raw mango and then start slicing and chopping as desired. Chopped mangoes with skin are used especially in pickles. Chopped raw mango without skin is also added to sambhar. Chopped mangoes with skin are often served with salt as an accompaniment with meals. Finely chopped raw mangoes without skin are usually added to sea food preparations such as shrimps, fishes and prawns. Roughly chopped raw mangoes with skin mixed with jaggery, salt, turmeric, red chilly powder kept in air-tight jar for a week gives a spicy, non-oily pickle.

Raw mango has a firm skin and pulp. It can be easily grated on grater. Thinly grated raw mangoes without skin are usually used to prepare the choonda (traditional sweet-spicy pickle of Gujarat). Thickly grated raw mangoes with skin are used in preparing mango rice and also used as an accompaniment for seekhs, kebabs (minced meat), grilled chicken and fish. Grated raw mangoes are used to prepare mango-onion takku (grated onion mixed with grated mangoes and stir fried in oil with mustard seeds, red chilly powder, turmeric and salt to taste). Unpeeled, grated, raw mangoes are used to prepare mango-coconut thick chutney by grating mangoes and coconut with green chillies.

Raw Mangoes can be cubed easily. Hold them flat on chopping board and slice the piece little away from core. Remove seeds, if any and make crosshatch marks on the pulp without cutting the skin. Invert the piece of mango, the pulp will bulge out like umbrella and cut the pulp at the line of skin. The cubes will come off easily. Cubes can also be cut along with skin. Raw mango cubes with skin are commonly used to make chutneys and pickles. Raw mango cubes are also added to salads. Cubes are pressure cooked and then the pulp is grinded to make refreshing Panna drink. Cubed mangoes are also used in preparation of fish and prawn curries.

Take 1 cup of chopped raw mango and ½ cup of water, blend it in a mixer till smooth and strain it through a strainer to get raw mango juice. This will yield approx. 1 cup of juice.

Raw mangoes are first sliced into big pieces and then the vertical strips are made uniformly. Strips can be enjoyed with salt as an accompaniment. It is also used in salads and garnishing fish, prawn and shrimp curries. Strips of raw mangoes are dried and grounded to prepare aamchur.

Raw Mangoes can be sliced easily. Hold them flat on chopping board and slice the piece little away from core. Thick slices are used to prepare the dried mango, pickles and chutneys. Thin slices are usually served as accompaniments with chicken and fish dishes.