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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.......

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.

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.

aloo gobi with flavors of nigella.......

Nigella seeds have become my favorite tempering spice lately...thanks to two of my bong friends.......i have been using this tempering in many ways since i started using it to make hot n achari style preparations.......

First came this fish fry...mirchi waali..

and the prawns in nigella n green chilly sauce..

then came mushrooms with spring onions

and then....turmeric soaked tofu n spinach stir fry

Being quite comfortable with this seasoning now i know how to handle it to develop new flavors..........

When you have cauliflowers this fresh.........right from the plant , you need to do justice to the freshness .....

You guessed right , fresh gobi meets nigella and some more seasonings of course to make this wonderful stir fry........i used the tender leaves and stems of the cauliflower too as they were so fresh and i don't want to waste the produce of my garden....my own hard work.....

I have posted a few recipes with this nigella tempering and turmeric red chilly seasoning earlier too but this one includes some more ingredients and as expected , it takes that seasoning to a new level........the hot spice mix paired with fresh n flavorful cauliflower florets make a stunning burst of flavors......

I made this stir fry about a couple of months back and it was repeated many times , the cauliflowers available in this season are good too ( the end of winter gobi is horrible ) and the stir fry turned well with them too......

ingredients...

to chop..

cauliflowers separated into florets 400 gm
one big onion chopped finely (i used my chopper)

to make a paste...
an inch piece of ginger
5 cloves of garlic
3-4 red chillies
turmeric powder
cumin seeds 2 tsp
black pepper corns 2 tsp

for tempering..
nigella seeds 1 tsp
fennel seeds 1 tsp
fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp
mustard oil 1 tbsp

preparation.....

heat oil in a thick base pan and throw in the tempering spices..

as soon as the seeds crackle add the chopped onions with  pinch of salt and fry till a few of the onions get browned.......not all of them.

add the paste and fry on medium flame till the oil separates and the spices get cooked and aromatic...

add the stems and tender leaves of the cauliflower if using ......and cook for a couple of minutes........

now add the cauliflower florets , salt to taste ....... mix well and cook on a very low flame ........let the florets get browned and cooked ............do not overcook and it should remain firm and a bit crunchy..........

It can be a side dish or a main dish according to the kind of spread you want..........good with rotis or with dal chawal.......quite a hot subzi and very very different from any punjabi style gobi........has a hint of bengali preparations but not completely bengali..........i loved it and so did everybody else......a balanced blending of flavors .......fusing a punju n a bong gobi subzi.....it was fun.