Mangodi ki sabzi is a part of traditional Rajasthani and Gujrati cuisine. Rajasthan and some parts of Gujrat state have desert areas where rain is scarce. Getting seasonal fruits and vegetables used to be a big problem. Now because of transportation, you will get all kinds of fruits and veggies in the off-season also. But a few years back during summer getting a variety of vegetables was a major problem. So people used to have some alternate options. Mangodi ki subzi is one of them.
Mangodi is prepared mostly from yellow moong daal and white urad daal . Daal is washed and soaked overnight and in the morning would be grinded in a thick paste consistency along with hing (asafoetida) and red chili powder. Then a very neat and big size of plastic sheet will be spread on the terrace or any open area of the house where direct sunlight reaches. Ladies of the house along with their neighboring friends will start preparing mangodis on the plastic sheet. The process is exactly like the way we prepare pakoda in our hands before putting it in the oil. Here, very small size of mangodis (like marbles) are prepared with the tip of fingers. It’s a tedious task because mangodis are made for whole year. That’s why friend’s will help collectively everyday at someone’s house amidst gossiping and chatting while preparing mangodi. Actually, the term for preparing mangodi is called “mangodi todna”.
I had experienced the same at my mother’s house. In the evening mangodis will be covered with a dry cloth and in the morning cloth will be removed to let them dry in sun heat nicely. After 4-5 days, mangodis will be nicely dried up and they will be now stored in the kitchen boxes for whole year so that whenever there is a problem of vegetables, mangodis will be handy to use.
Come, let’s prepare this traditional Rajasthani/Gujrati sabzi of mangodi……
Ingredients :
Mangodi 1/3 cup
Potatoes (medium size) 2
Oil 3 tbsp
Mix of cumin and small mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Salt according to the taste
Coriander powder 1+1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder 1/4 tsp
Prepare a paste of one big tomato, one small onion (can be omitted) ginger and green chilies and garlic (optional).
Water 1+1/2 cup
Green Coriander leaves for garnishing
Process:
Mangodi is a complete dry ingredient, so when we cook it, it puffs up nicely. That’s why whole mangodi is not used – they are broken into small pieces by keeping them in a zip-lock bag or clean kitchen towel and crushed slightly with a rolling pin. Take care that we don’t have to turn them into powder form; they should still be in small pieces.
Heat one tbsp oil in cooker and add broken mangodis and shallow fry them on sim heat till they become light brown.
Take them out and keep them separately.
Again heat remaining oil in cooker and crackle mustard and cumin seeds with asafoetida. Add onion, tomato, ginger-garlic and chili paste (I omitted onion and garlic) and sauté it for 5 minutes.
Add coriander, turmeric and chili powder and sauté till it starts leaving the oil.
Add water and mangodi in the cooker. Add salt.
Let it boil for five minutes on medium heat and in between peel, wash and cut potatoes into small pieces and add in the cooker.
If you feel water is less, add some more and close the lid of the cooker. On medium heat let it cook for 5-7 minutes and switch off the gas.
When the steam from the cooker cools down completely, open the lid and transfer sabzi in a serving bowl.
Garnish it with finely chopped green coriander leaves and serve with hot rotis/phulkas.
