Grating The Mango
When making Raw Mango Rice or Mangai Sadam, the only effort needed is to grate the mangoes. As the zero pesticide mangoes that I had bought, were fresh and supple, I washed them well and retained the peel, giving the rice a greener look than if the peel had been removed.
In most vegetables and fruits, there is nutrition in the peel and just below it, hence I try to retain the peel wherever possible. I read an interesting article recently, on why the Mango skin is to be eaten and not discarded.
You could slice the mango into small cubes, when making Raw Mango Rice or Mangai Sadam, but the version that I make tastes better when you grate the mango. If you use a large box grater, then it takes only a few minutes.
Raw Mango Rice/ Mangai Sadam Health Benefits:
As the grated mango is cooked just briefly in this recipe, it retains most of its nutrients. Some of the health and nutrition attributed to mangoes are:
The mango is rich in dietary fibre as well as in various vitamins and minerals. A good source of Vitamin A, vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E and in flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin. It has more Vitamin C content than the ripe mango fruit.
Mangoes also contain potassium, copper and magnesium as well as small amount of various other minerals. It is low in Saturated Fats, Cholesterol and Sodium and has a moderate glycemic index. Refer this article here.
The mango peel is rich in phyto-nutrients, such as the pigment antioxidants like carotenoids and polyphenols. Of course there are two sides to this question - though the mango peel has nutritious and health benefits, there is the risk of pesticide residue lingering on the peel. Hence using organic vegetables reduces this risk. Here are some of the pros and cons of having the mango with the peel: healthline
Green raw mangoes are a rich source of pectin and are sour in taste because of their oxalic, citric, malice and succinic acid content.
Cancer Fighting properties:
Mangoes contain poly-phenolic flavonoid antioxidant compounds, and recent research suggests that mango fruit has been found to protect from colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. The Raw mango has more antioxidants than ripe mangoes. These antioxidant properties help to protect the body against cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Other Sour Mango Recipes On This Blog
Raw Mango Thokku/ Spicy Relish
Raw Mango and Bhindi/ Okra Curry
Raw Mango Rasam with Neem Flowers
Bharwan Karela/ Bitter Gourd Stuffed with Raw Mango
Mango Rice - How to make Raw Mango Rice or Mangai Sadam
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cooked Rice
- 1 cup Raw mango grated
- 1.5 tablespoons Sesame oil / gingelly oil Or sunflower oil/ mild vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds /rai / kadugu
- ⅛ teaspoon Sesame seeds /white til/ ellu
- ½ teaspoon Split bengal gram lentils /chana dal/ kadala paruppu
- ½ teaspoon Split black gram lentils /broken urad dal / ulutham paruppu
- 2 dry red chili
- 2 Green chilies
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon curry leaves minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons peanuts
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida powder /hing powder/ perungaiyam
- ½ teastpoont salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons grated coconut
Instructions
- Pressure cook the rice for 2 whistles, keeping it slightly moist but not watery or soggy. When done and the cooker has let off steam, spread the cooked rice immediately on a plate so that it does not become sticky.
Preparation
- While the rice is cooking, wash the mango well and grate it along with its peel (see the introduction above on the advantages of keeping the peel). Mince the ginger, the curry leaves. Slice the green chilies. Remove the stalk from the red chilies. Grate the coconut. Measure the mango and all the other ingredients and keep them ready to hand, so that they can be added quickly without risking burning them on the stove.
Making Mango Rice/ Mangai Sadam
- Heat the oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, and after they crackle, add the sesame (ellu/ til) seeds. Sauté for 5 seconds while the seeds crackle, keeping the stove on low heat.Add kadala paruppu (chana dal)/ split Bengal gram lentils. Sauté for 5 seconds on low flame and add the ulutum paruppu (split urad dal). Sauté without letting the lentils blacken or burn.
- Keeping the stove on low flame, add the dry red chili. Turn them over so that they fry uniformly.Add the green chili slices and scald them.Add the grated ginger, sauté, and add the curry leaves. I always mince curry leaves as otherwise they get discarded on the plate and the nutritional benefits are lost.
- Add peanuts, sauté for 2 minutes or till they are nicely browned and fried.Add turmeric powder and then the hing powder, sauté for 2 minutes till the raw smell of the turmeric has gone.
- Add the grated mango, stir and turn it so that it is all covered in the spices and oil. Add grated coconut and salt and sauté for 3 - 5 minutes till the mango is cooked soft. Stir frequently so that the mango and coconut do not stick to the pan.
- Add the cooked rice, and still keeping the stove on low, stir the rice gently for 3 minutes or so, without breaking or mashing it, until it is mixed with the mango and spices.Remove from the stove.
- Serve hot with microwaved or roasted pappad and with a simple pachadi/ raita. Tastes good when packed in the lunch box /tiffin box and eaten later, at room temperature.
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