Mango Ginger (Manga Inji) & Fresh Haldi (Turmeric) Instant Pickle
(Low Oil, Good for Digestion, Diabetic Friendly)
Is there a slight nip in the air when you wake up early morning in your part of the world yet? Even though Mumbai doesn’t really experience major winters (tucked in heavy woolens), we love the fact that we receive some respite from the otherwise hot and humid climate.
Arrival of winters also mean enjoying piping hot food (fried food is what’s usually enjoyed during winters), fresh leafy vegetables etc. Don’t you just love the fact that when you visit the market for veggie shopping during winters, you are greeted with so much freshness.
For me, winter also embarks the arrival of two ingredients that I look forward too, one being the fresh turmeric and the other mango ginger. I love mango ginger so much that I end up just eating them while I am making this instant pickle at home for winters. The flavor of manga inji or Mango ginger is that of a combination of raw mango with the tang & the ginger for the spice which when blended with the fresh turmeric produces an amazing flavor.
Some facts about Mango Ginger or Manga Inji –
The botanical name of Mango Ginger is Curcuma Amada and this plant belongs from the ginger family Other well-known herbal plants from the Curcuma family are Indian arrowroot, turmeric, karchura. It is a seasonal plant and it’s often found in parts of Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himalayas, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in India.
Ayurveda and Unani medicine have been using Curcuma Amada (Mango Ginger) as a part of their herbal remedies for centuries as a starter, diuretic, laxative, expectorant, aphrodisiac and more. Indian households use this while preparing food as it is known to have antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant properties. It is a good appetizer and a calming agent. Anti allergenic and analgesic with antibiotic properties, they have properties that inhibit the growth of triglycerides in our body.
Some information on Turmeric, more specifically raw turmeric are as follows -
Raw Turmeric is bright orange-yellow in colour with a strong earthy taste, some hint of citrus flavours. Coined as one of the must have ingredients in kitchen pantry in Indian Households, Haldi or Turmeric powder plays an important role in Indian cuisine. We cannot imagine the most basic food “Dal” or “Lentils” without the yellow colour in it. Since most Indians love eating with their hands (extremely good habit according to Ayurveda too), they can vouch for the fact whether the haldi was present or not… hands stained with haldi due to deep colour of curries, dals etc. Similarly, a glass of haldi doodh or Turmeric Latte gives us relief from common colds, cough etc during the winter season.
Its incredible list of healing properties include antioxidant, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic and anti-inflammatory properties. A compound called curcumin found in Turmeric promotes repair in the stem cells of the brain that helps in the recovery from diseases like stroke and Alzheimer’s. Turmeric is also believed to be used extensively as part of the treatment of cancer patients as part of their daily diet.
This pickle is unlikely the normal ones where oil and salt content is high making it safe for Diabetics to consume. I am amazed at the way Mother Nature blesses us with each variety according to seasons, which if consumed, can only lead to better health.
The best part about this pickle is that it takes just 30 odd minutes including the cleaning, chopping etc and you are sorted for a week. Since its neither oily nor spicy, you can have the same for breakfast too. Makes an ideal accompaniment for theplas and parathas. If you need the recipe for Methi Theplas, please check out – Methi Theplas
Disclaimer – I am no expert nor a nutritionist. I have always been fascinated with the entire process of food, related information etc. Information source are various health magazines, Wikipedia and an article by Nandini Bhatia from NDTV Food about the importance and health benefits of turmeric.
Do Read the detailed recipe & notes below.
Recipe of Mango Ginger (Manga Inji Fresh Haldi (Turmeric) Instant Pickle
(Low Oil, Good for Digestion, Diabetic Friendly)
Preparation Time – 15 minutes
Cook Time – 5 minutes
Resting Time – 20 to 30 minutes
Ingredients
- Mango Ginger (Manga Inji in tamil) – 2 nos. (4 inch pieces)
- Raw Haldi (Fresh Turmeric) – 1 nos. (4 inch piece)
- Lemon Juice of 1 medium size lemon
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Methi seeds – 1 tsp
- Hing – a pinch
- Salt – as per taste
- Oil – 3 tsps
Method –
- Heat a pan and dry roast the methi seeds on low flame until slightly brown. Switch off the flame
- Cool and then pound the methi seeds coarsely in a mortar and pestle and keep aside.
- Peel the skin and finely chop the mango ginger and fresh turmeric.
- To the chopped ingredients, sqeeze lemon juice, add salt and mix well.
- Heat the pan again and add the required quantity of oil, add mustard seeds and wait until they crackle. Add hing, switch off the flame and immediately pour this over the chopped ginger and fresh turmeric mixture.
- Add a tsp of coarsely ground methi seeds and mix all the ingredients once again.
- Let the pickle rest for 20 to 30 minutes before transferring into a clean and airtight glass container.
Recipe Notes -
- Stays good in a refrigerator for 10 to 15 days.
- Adding methi seeds increases flavor. It can be optional in case you don’t like the bitter taste, however, highly recommend to add it since its good for diabetics as well.
- I use rock salt for all my pickle preparations.
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