The cool misty mornings of late Febrauary / early March are now a month old memory. Hot and clammy days are here and I’m really looking forward to the arrival of the monsoons in June. Though the monsoons bring their own set of discomforts, it’s a season I enjoy very much. It’s a welcome respite from the heat of the summer, and a good time to relax indoors with a book and a hot cup of tea.
The summer does have its own advantages though, one of them being mangoes!
Mangoes have slowly started arriving at my market for a couple of weeks now but are so expensive, I’d rather wait another couple of weeks till mangoes flood the market and the prices come down.
Luckily for me, a friend ensured I didn’t wait that long by gifting me some mangoes, both raw and ripe, that her mother had brought over from Kerala (harvested from their backyard). Some of the raw mangoes were made into Maangakari, while one mango was used up to make this very tasty mango chutney.
I use the term “chutney” here as I don’t know of another that comes close to describe this. A chammandhi is a very thick coconut based spicy chutney from Kerala, which usually eaten with rice or “kanji” which is a rice gruel/ porridge. Traditionally made by grinding on a stone slab with a pestle (called an “ammikallu”), chammandhis come in a variety of tastes depending on what is added to it.
Chammandhi is somewhat similar to thogayal (another type of thick coconut chutney) but does not contain lentils. This chutney from Kerala has become a part of our cuisine too, but our Palakkad Iyer version does not use shallots, which many maanga chammandhi recipes typically do.
To make a good maanga chammandhi, the mango used must be raw and quite sour. Remember that this is a spicy preparation, and the chillies are needed to balance the sourness of the mangoes along with the salt. This chammandhi is best when served with kanji (which is bland) and pappads. I also serve this with mulagootal or mulagushyam.
While on the topic of mangoes, a comparitively poor mango season has been predicted this year due to unseasonal rains. Rain during the flowering season of the mango trees causes the flowers to fall resulting in fewer mangoes than usual. So it was heartening to see so many mango laden trees on our trip back home, last week. My sister-in-law has one such mango tree in her backyard, which partially leans onto her terrace which makes plucking mangoes very easy. I came back to Goa with a huge bag full of green mangoes from her tree, and have spent most of the past two days turning them into Maanga Thokku and Chundo.
Pachcha Maanga Chammandhi - Raw Mango Coconut Thick Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 cup unpeeled, grated raw mango
- 1 cup fresh grated coconut
- 2 to 3 green chillies
- to taste salt
Instructions
- Do not peel the mangoes but wash them well, and pat dry. Put all the ingredients in your mixer/ grinder and grind to a reasonably smooth thick paste. It is ready to serve. Do not add any water, except for a couple of teaspoons full if absolutely necessary.
Indhu says
this is a very nice idea for chutney… would go very well with spicy foods 🙂
jayasree says
this chammanthi and kanji is my comfort food for dinner during summer. I do sometimes add shallots. Good presentation.
Raaga says
I have 2 raw mangoes today 🙂 :):)
Parita says
hey priya…welcome back, hope you had a good vacation, yummy mango chutney, love your presentation 🙂
sra says
I’ve had chammandi podi in hostel. It was too roasted and too coconutty for me.
Asha says
YUMMO! Looks delicious! I get frozen green mango here which is half ripe and soggy when it’s thawed! 😀
FoodyGuru (Srimathi) says
I have never tasted this before Aparna. Will try when I get my hands on some raw manga. Looks like its a simple one. Manga tree picture captures the mood of summer and brings memories.
Priya Suresh says
Wow this is really yummy..never had this!
Soma says
Raw mangoes already… i am drooling. when i buy raw mangoes here, i do not get to do anything with it most of the times..w e all eat it raw with salt & pepper!that tree makes me go & get some of the mangoes:-D my uncle had a mango farm.. i am dreaming of that.
Madhumathi says
Mango chutney sounds interesting..We have a huge mango tree in our home..Will try this soon..Love the presentation 🙂
Prathibha says
even we prepare the same way, but we add garlic tadka to it…lovely chutney that goes well with hot rice n ghee..yummy..
Cham says
Oh all India blogger bring all this mango post! Guys we feel nostalgic, look at that mangoes and of course ur chutney! Delicous 🙂
Superchef says
i can soo imagine having this chammanthi with kanji!! mm..love the combo! i got some nice raw mangoes here as well. Made a mango and drumstick curry, reserved some for making mangakari. Is that the terrace of raji periamma’s house?? looks familiar, thats why. 🙂
ThePurpleFoodie says
I’ve had a raw mango chutney and I’ve had a coconut chutney. But a nix of the two? Sounds intriguing!
TBC says
My mother makes this manga chammanthi and I just love it.The mangoes we get here (ripe or raw) are simply pathetic! 🙁
Aparna says
So you’re making this, Raaga?:)Sra, chammandi podi is something entirely different. That’s made with roasted coconut.Yes, it is Manju. That mango tree has supplied me with a lot of mangoes every summer! 🙂
Ksenia says
Mangoes! I love them =) They are one of my most favourite fruits. Since I have been experimenting with raw food, I have tried many different green smoothies for breakfast. Maybe it would be interesting to substitute some of them for a mango coconut chutney =DAparna, I’m sure I will enjoy my new blogger’s life 😉
A_and_N says
Sorry I meant this when I said Pachadi in the Bread post 🙂 – A
Jayashree says
I use the terms chammanthi and thogayal interchangeably. This tastes so good with manga that’s just beginning to turn yellow, doesn’t it???
Nags says
ooh i love this chammanthi! tangy and yummy!