Ada Manga is the kind of pickle that tastes of a Kerala summer: raw mango slices cured in salt and turmeric, coated in a fiery masala of chilli, roasted mustard, fenugreek and hing, and then left to dry under the sun until they turn chewy and intense. SuperChef Nandakumar’s Malas Ada Manga needs patience more than skill, and the reward is a dry pickle that keeps well and lifts the simplest bowl of rice and curd.
Oru Engakkadan Harmony
Recipe by: SuperChef Nandakumar
Ingredients for Ada Manga (Dry Mango Pickle)
- Raw Mangoes flesh only – 500 gms.
- Chilly powder – 200 gms
- Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
- Fenugreek Powder – 1 ½ tsp
- Mustard Powder – 1 tbsp
- Hing (Asafoetida) Powder – 1 tsp
- Sesame oil – 3tbsp
- Rock Salt – to taste
- Lime juice – 1 lime
How to Make Ada Manga
- Wash Mangoes thoroughly and Pat dry with a kitchen cloth. Slice Mangoes vertically to reasonable thickness.
- Now dry roast fenugreek seeds, Mustard seeds and powder them coarsely. Keep separate.
- Rub in salt and turmeric Powder, mix well with your clean and dry hand. Keep for two days in a glass jar in bright sunlight. On the second day, shake the bottle well and keep back in sunlight.
- After that, strain the salt and turmeric water, from mangoes and Keep separate.
- Heat Oil in a Kadai add chilly powder, roasted and powdered mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and hing. Add the mangoes into the masala mix and blend well. Add lime juice.
- Spread a pine mat on a place where there is enough sunlight and put a white cloth fully to cover the mat. Now spread evenly the masala mixed mangoes on the white cloth to dry up.
- Continue this process for 2 days and in case you feel it’s over dried then sprinkle little salt water mix which we kept separate. Dry the mangoes for a day more and bottle it.
How to Serve Ada Manga
This goes good with Rice and homemade curd or even with rice gruel on a rainy day. You can see the smile on a Keralite.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ada Manga?
Ada Manga is a Kerala-style dry mango pickle. Slices of raw mango are cured in salt and turmeric, coated in a chilli, mustard, fenugreek and hing masala, and then dried in the sun before bottling.
How long does Ada Manga take to make?
Allow about five days: two days for the salted mangoes to cure in a glass jar in the sun, and then two to three days of sun-drying once the masala is added.
What if the mangoes dry out too much?
Sprinkle a little of the salt and turmeric water you strained off earlier, then dry the mangoes for another day before bottling.
What do you eat Ada Manga with?
It goes well with rice and homemade curd, or with rice gruel (kanji) on a rainy day.
Chef Nandakumar Menon or ‘Chef Nandu as he is known evolved into the Super Chef series. He was at the CASINO HOTEL in Kochi and later at the remarkable COCONUT LAGOON in Kumarakom. Both iconic Hotels and restaurants of repute for the quality and consistency of food offered at their restaurants. Coconut Lagoon where Chef Nandu headed the kitchen moulded him to cater to international clientele from all over the world coming in to experience the magic of the backwaters of Kerala and Kerala itself as a unique destination.
From his early Catering Technology days at Adayar, Chennai and training at the famed TAJ MAHAL INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, Mumbai, Chef Nandu was back again at the Welcome Group’s ADAYAR PARK INN, Chennai.
Later he headed the setting up of the various F&B outlets of the ABAD PLAZA group, Kochi as its Corporate Chef.
And then with the Quilon Beach hotels, Chef Nandu created a redefined art of culinary expertise. His clientele were Doctors, Cashew businessmen and of course celebrities from the tinsel world, the cloyed connoisseurs had a different feel with his nouvelle cuisine.
He still loves to cook and share his valuable experience of the world of food with The Daily Brunch and its readers in our series on SUPER CHEFS.
Cheers!
