Mango pachidi, a traditional Tamil Regional New Year dish made in South-India. This pachadi/relish is a mix of sweet, spicy, sour and bitter taste.
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Tamil New Year
Puthandu (புத்தாண்டு), also known as Puthuvarudam or Tamil New Year, is the first day of year on the Tamil calendar and traditionally celebrated as a festival. The first month of Tamil New Year is Chithirai, so the day is also known as Chithirai Thirunaal. Tamil New Year mostly falls on 14th April every year.
While Tamilians across the globe celebrate Tamil New Year, same day, other regions of India, celebrate their respective Regional New Year.
Like Keralites celebrate Vishu, Sindhi’s celebrate Cheti Chand, Bihu for those in Assam, Baishakhi in Punjab and Pohela Boishakh in West Bengal. Ugadhi, Telegu New Year is celebrated one day ahead of Vishu and Tamil New Year.
The Celebration & Tradition
We in Tamilnadu celebrate the day with temple visits, pooja at home and of course a delicious spread. The famous elai sapadu, food served in banana leaf, happens this day. The one dish, that gets definitely made is the mango pachidi.
A traditional tamil brahmin lunch served on a banana leaf. The dishes served from left to right, Mango Pachidi, Avaraikkai/Broad Beans Curry, Sweet Potato Fry, Mint-Coriander Lentil Vada, Vendaikai Thayir Pachadi/Okra Raita, Applam, Capsicum Sambhar, Carrot Kootu, Paruppu Rasam, Yellow Pumpkin Kheer.
About Mango Sweet Pachadi
Mango pachidi/pachadi, a traditional south-indian style relish and a must do recipe for Tamil new year. This pachadi/relish is a mix of sweet, spicy, sour and bitter taste, signifying that the coming year will a mixed bag of all these emotions. No taste lasts long, so enjoy every moment of it.
The pachadi is quite simple to make, you need good quality raw, tangy mangoes and some jaggery. Amma used to make neem flowers relish separately, but I usually add it to the same pachadi for the nice flavor. The cardamom and clove added to this optional, but adds a nice touch to the relish.
The Color
The color of the mango pachidi depends on the jaggery used. Usually I use the pale colored jaggery for making the pachadi, but this time around bought the darker variety, so my pachadi looks dark. Whatever be the color, the taste of it remains the same, with tadka of chilies and neem flowers, this is a wonderful dish with lots of life values.
Apart from being a traditional Tamil New Year dish, this can also be used as a relish and enjoyed with roti’s and bread. We love it to have it roti’s as it resembles the taste of mango chundo.
The Ingredients
- Raw mangoes, I have used thothapuri mangoes for this pachadi.
- jaggery, any good quality jaggery or jaggery powder can be used.
- Cardamom and clove is used to flavor the pachadi.
- A little salt to highlight the sweet taste
- Tempering, mustard seeds, red chilies and few dried neem flowers are used. All the 3 ingredients are important.
Step by Step instructions to Mango Relish
Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions
- Wash, peel and cube the mangoes. Pressure cook it without any water in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles. Place the cubed mangoes in a bowl inside the cooker and cook.
- Let the pressure releases on it own. Make jaggery syrup by melting jaggery in enough water, strain for any impurities.
- Boil the strained jaggery syrup. To this boiling syrup add the cooked mangoes. Let the syrup reach a saucy consistency.
- To this add powdered cardamom and clove. Once it becomes nicely saucy, take it off the heat.
- To add tempering, heat a pan with oil, splutter mustard seeds, add broken red chilies and dried neem flowers. Pour this tadka over the mango pachadi.
- Serve the pachadi warm or cold.
If you have tried this recipe and like it, give it a star rating or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #icampinmmykitchen and tagging me @priyasrinivasan.
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Recipe
Mango Pachadi | Tamil New Year Special | Raw Mango Relish
Ingredients
- 2 nos medium sized raw mangoes, 125 grams when weighed
- 100g grams powdered jaggery, or equal amount
- 2 nos cardamom
- 1 no clove
- a pinch of salt
Tempering
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds/kadugu
- 2 nos red chilies, broken
- 1 tablespoon dried neem flowers
Instructions
- Wash, peel and cube the mangoes. Take the mangoes in a small bowl, place it inside a pressure cooker. Do not add any water to the mangoes.
- Pressure cook it for 2-3 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally. Remove the mangoes and set it aside until use.
- Let us make the jaggery syrup. In a heavy bottom vessel, add water and crushed jaggery to it. Let this boil and jaggery melt completely. Once the jaggery melts, strain it into another vessel and remove the impurities.
- Now let this strained jaggery syrup, come to rolling boil. Add the cooked mango pieces to this and let this syrup boil and thicken.
- While it is boiling, add crushed cardamom and clove powder to this. After 8-10 minutes, the syrup will be almost thick. Check the consistency, this pachadi/relish thickens as it rests.
- Take it off the stove, heat a small tadka pan with oil given under 'Tempering', splutter mustard seeds and add crushed red chilies to this.
- Next add dried neem flowers to this and saute until the neem flowers turn crisp. Add this sizzling tadka to the pachadi.
- Pachadi is now ready to be served, serve it along with the new year spread.
- Any leftover pachadi can be stored in the refrigerator.
Video
Other Traditional Recipes
When I made a video for this Mango Pachadi recipe, I collaborated with few of my fellow bloggers to celebrate the Regional New Year.
Usha from My Spicy Kitchen, joined us for the celebration with this finger licking, carrot pulihora. Prema from Premas culinary, made this delicious Rava Payasam. Veena from Veenas Vegnation brought her trademark Akkaraadisal to celebrate the New Year.
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Unknown
pachadi luks yummy…Mupparru vadai,super.nice combo…
Srividhya Ravikumar
Wow.. both are looks delicious.. drop in at my site whenever.. following you
kitchen queen
happy tamil New Year yummy vadais and delicious pachadi.
Priya Suresh
Pachadi and vada makes me hungry…yummmy!!
Unknown
Yummy looking chutney and vadai. I wish, I had it now in my plate 🙂
Poornima Sawant
mmm yummy sapita maadiri oru aanandam 🙂
great dear…. keep going like kinetic V2222222222…………. VROOM VROOM poikite irukum
Lata Lala
With combination of sweet, spicy, sour and bitter taste this pachadi must have created magical notes in the mouth. This is awesome chutney recipe worth trying.
Mayuri Patel
What a lovely mango pachidi. Just reading all the ingredients that have gone into it, makes it sound so delicious. Is there an alternate to dried neem flowers?
Priya_Srinivasan
Thank you mayuriji, if you can find fresh neem flowers you can add them too. Taste wise, Neem signifies the bitter taste, if you have bittergourd dried ones, you can add that to the tempering and add to the pachidi. they also, signify the change of season and has some connection to building body’s immunity to the seasonal change.
Poonam bachhav
Such a delightful raw mango treat for your New Year ! The pachadi sounds absolutely lip smacking with that jaggery and spices going in with raw mango.
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey
Mango pachadi looks so delicious! lovely colour and texture, go well with thepla.
Sapana Behl
This sweet, spicy, tangy and lip-smacking chutney is such an amazing recipe to try. I love mangoes and I love chutneys so this pachadi is a win-win for me. Will definitely try …
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
Oh Priya, that manga pachadi is calling my name! I absolutely love the version with the neem flowers and one simple dish has so many flavors incorporated. Just love the color of your pachadi 🙂