Friday, May 7, 2010

aam ka khatta meetha achar | gudamma | khattmithhi | aam ki launji | raw mangoes preserved in hot sweet n sour syrup


kachhe aam ka khatta meetha achar

Indian summer means mangoes everywhere. Green mangoes, yellow mangoes, red tipped mangoes, round mangoes, oblong mangoes. Mangoes and more mangoes. Time to eat them now and to preserve them for the coming days.

This khatta meetha achar is a traditional UP preserve called khatmithhi, gudamma (gud is jaggery n the name suggests gud + aam) and paagey aam (meaning mangoes in sugar syrup). Call it by any other name, it is the hot favorite khatta meetha aam much like a gujrati chhunda and is a must do in this season.

For the last two years I am gifting a small jar of this to one of my neighbors as she likes it very much and this time when she asked about the recipe I decided to post it here.

You need raw mangoes for this preserve and if you do not find perfectly raw white flesh mangoes, you can go ahead with the yellowish flesh raw mangoes, it should be sour in taste so that khatta meetha (sweet n sour) taste is done justice with. If the mangoes are very firm and raw it will result in perfectly shaped firm pieces after cooking and if the mangoes are half ripe or slippery while cutting pieces you may end up with a mushy textured preserve. 

The good thing is, it does not affect the taste or shelf life of this preserve, so go ahead with making this preserve with whatever type of raw and sour mangoes are available in your part of the world.

kachhe aam ka khatta meetha achar


It's a step by step procedure and i think it will be easy even for a first timer to make it perfectly.

ingredients ...

raw mangoes 2 kilo
sugar 800 gm to 1 kilo ( depending upon if you want more or less syrup)
water 800 ml to 1 L
2 pinches of salt
fenugreek seeds 1 tsp
fennel seeds 2 tsp
red chillies whole 6-8 ( to your taste )

procedure ...

Dry roast the fenugreek, fennel seeds and red chillies in a pan and powder them in the spice grinder. Keep aside.

Peel the raw mangoes with a potato peeler, cut them into 8 pieces and discard the cotyledons, keeping the hard seed coat intact.

Mix with the sugar and water in a stainless steel pan and start cooking.

kachhe aam ka khatta meetha achar

Keep stirring frequently and keep the flame medium as it may froth up n spill...

kachhe aam ka khatta meetha achar

It will start frothing n bubbling more and more as the syrup gets thicker........

kachhe aam ka khatta meetha achar

At this point it needs to be stirred frequently and cooked on very low flame as it may stick to the bottom.....

kachhe aam ka khatta meetha achar

Dip the spatula in the syrup and drop the syrup in the pan to check consistency....it should fall making a string....one string consistency as we call ek taar ki chaashni ..........

The color should be shiny and translucent and that is the indication that the preserve is ready.......

kachhe aam ka khatta meetha achar

Add the spice mix and stir to mix properly, so that the spices release their flavor in the hot and sour syrup. Put off the flame and fill the preserve in sterilized glass jars.

It can be made thinner (with lesser sugar) to consume within a few days as it keeps in the fridge for a week or so. The preserve is quite sticky and is a common accompaniment of a simple daal chawal lunch during this season.

kachhe aam ka khatta meetha achar

It is made in Bengali families too and they call it aamer chaatni every family may have their own version but I found one thing very interesting that the sweet chaatni is served in the end of the meal ,just before the dessert in Bengali meals. The chaatni is not eaten along with the meal as it is done in UP families.

Most UP homes will serve this gudamma with every meal during summers. Some people even mix this pickle with daal chawal and eat as a mix which I find repulsive somehow, but it just shows how much people love this khatta meetha aam ka achar. Gudamma or khattmithhi as you may call it.


33 comments:

  1. Wow Sangeeta, love the look of it. I love this pickle season :)

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  2. oh and forgot to say, yes, I would like a bottle for myself :)

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  3. i love this achaar...:)

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  4. very nicely explained.. it's aam season alright on your blog too, first aamchoor then this.. will give it a try sometime

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  5. Dear sangeeta
    This is my all time favorite in summer time. In fact I am eating it since I am back.
    Have a nice weekend

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  6. Ohhh remember gudamma...my grandma made it every season by season....thks for sharing Sangeeta n also for refreshing my childhood memories.

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  7. my mom gets this whenever she come shere,,,:-)thnks for postin the recipe

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  8. Thanks Priya.....hey you'd get the bottle if you follow the instructions.......or just come n collect it...:)

    Yes it is aam season on this blog of mine n i am behaving like a granny....making all the achar n chutney things:)

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  9. Sangeeta i just luv this khatta-meetha achar...i like to hv it specially with tehri...my mommy always make it just for me.

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  10. Looks delicious and perfect with parathas and puris.

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  11. Hmmm... I got to taste this too.... All thanks to dear hubby..... It is very chatpata kind & my mouth is already secreting or rather oozing saliva..... ;-) Well prepared prep.....

    Happy Mothers Day!!!!

    Ash....
    (http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

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  12. OMG Sangeetha..My naniji(grandma) used to make this achar..Ur make me nostalgic..She used to make all kinds of pickles for us and we used to eat thema ll when we visited her for our summer vacation..Love ur step by step directions.. Awesome achar..thoda khatta thoda meetha..Maza aa gaya..thanks for sharing this recipe.

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  13. Hi Sangeetha, looks refreshing. we too make something like this.. in tamil its called manga patchadi.. good one with step by step instructions...

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  14. I really loved this achar ... My mum used to make this achar and I used to hog it like anything ...thank u very much for posting this recipe .. I am going to give it a try for sure

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  15. Thanks everybody.....
    Yes , this achar is such a popular thing n such a childhood favorite with all of us.....i will keep reminding you all of you daadi n naani in my posts ...that is for sure.

    I am so smitten by the traditional food that every time i have to choose what to post from my collection of drafts ( i am very slow in posting my recipes n they wait in drafts for months sometime ), i select the time tested favorites.

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  16. i too want a bottle! i love khatta meetha aam chutney! i never realised mango chutney is so popular outside india!! firangis, particularly brits love it and is a staple with north indian food here in the emirates!

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  17. Thanks Rajni , this is a revelation for me too that it's such a popular thing outside India too...tell me whenever you are in Delhi n i'll be delighted to share a bottle with you......and this humble gift stands for everybody here...:)

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  18. Hi Sangeeta ji, I ask my mother to make this particular Achaar for me everytime I am in Lucknow during the mango season. My mom makes huge portions of this Achaar and I keep it in my fridge round the year. Love it with Arhar Daal-Chawal or Tehri. I am missing home and my mum now :(

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    1. Hi Fariha, I know how a UPite can be nostalgic abut this achaar. Why don't you try making it yourself now? It's not that difficult.

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  19. My mouth is watering like anything.I want to eat this.Will hop to the market today and will get the raw mangoes.Had raw mango dal today for lunch.

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  20. i like this aachar... i love it... yum yum

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  21. i like this aachar..very much... yum yum........

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  22. Completely new recipe for me. Will definately make

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  23. Hi Sangeeta ji,
    I am a regular visitor of your blog now whenever I am in the mood to cook something new...
    I am in a fix these days as I have lots of ripe mangoes (those yummy Malihabadi dussheris) lying in my fridge and I dont know what to do with them...
    Can you suggest some recipes involving ripened mangoes please...help would be greatly appreciated :)
    Thanks and Regards

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    1. It would help knowing how you want them to be used Fariha.

      Like if you want them to preserve for later use you can just chop them and freeze. Later it can be used to make kulfis, Ice creams and even the cheesecakes that I have posted on HFDV.

      If you want to make aam pappad or fruit leather you can always do that. A procedure I am going to post this season positively, I make it every year but somehow it does not get posted.

      If you want to make something for the current season, you might think of making some cakes or pancakes with them.

      jam will be a good idea if your family loves them. let me know what do you want, may be I'll post a recipe or ideas around it.

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  24. I would love to make kulfis and cakes with the mangoes...I tried making some muffins with it using the banana muffin recipe substituting bananas with mangoes...they sank in the middle :(
    can you please send me the link of the recipe of the cheesecakes that you have posted? my mail ID is fariha.nadeem@gmail.com
    Thanks and Regards

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  25. Thank you so much for the help Sangeeta ji :)

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    1. You are mot welcome Fariha. Hope the links in the mail are useful for you.

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  26. Can you post a recipe for mango panna concentrate? I was trying to search on net and when I came here saw a picture of panna glasses alongside the link to your Homealone blog. So I get hopeful...may be you can suggest a way to make panna from a concentrate. I do not like to add preservatives and color to my food..hence finding it tricky...

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    1. Yes I do a aam panna concentrate but that is without any preservatives and needs refrigeration, lasts for 2 weeks maximum. Will post the recipe very soon.

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  27. What is d shelf life of achaar

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    1. This achar sya for a year if you cook it to the consistency shown. It looks glazed and shiny when done. To be doubly sure, use about 500 gm sugar per kilo of raw mangoes.

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