Mango Pachadi (மாங்காய் பச்சடி)

Mango Pachadi is the must dish on a Tamil New Year's day - the first day of the first month Chithirai in Tamil Calendar. This usually falls around April 14th of every year.This dish is also an important dish in Kerala as part of Sadhya (Feast in Malayalam). Specialty of this dish is, it has all 6 tastes combined together. 

Preparation Time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients:
1. Raw mango - 2
2. Red Chillies - 4
3. Salt - to taste
4. Jaggery -  1 cup crushed/grated
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
7. Curry leaves - 5
8. Asafoetida - a pinch
9. Oil - 3 tablespoon
 10. Neem flower - 5-10

Preparation:
1. Slice mangoes into thin slices.
2. Heat oil in a pan and when it is hot add mustard seeds.
3. When it splutters, add red chillies and Asafoetida and fry well.
4. Add curry leaves, sliced mango,turmeric powder and required salt and little water (around 75 ml) and cook for 7 minutes with closed lid.
5. When the mango is almost cooked, add the jaggery and cook in a low flame for another 5 to 10 minutes until the jaggery melts and mixes with mango to give a shiny look and the oil separates.

Yummy, colorful mango pachadi is ready. This is a very good side dish for mostly Sambhar, Rasam or Curd rice.

Note: After the dish is ready, add neem flowers and mix it. Since I did not have neem flowers when I prepared this recipe, the sixth taste was missing ;)