Ambe dal / kairi dal / Indian salad with lentils & raw mangoes
‘Ambe dal’ a Maharashtrian chutney or salad prepared in month of ‘Chaitra’..the first month of the Marathi new year. It is the time when raw mangoes are in season.
It is a must for Chaitra Gauri celebration wherein the married girls visit mothers house and worship Goddess Parvati (Gauri )who is believed to visit her maternal home this time of the year. Ladies in traditional saris celebrate Chaitra Gauri Haldi-Kumkum. The goddess is decorated with fresh fruits and flowers and offered ‘panha'(raw mango drink) as well as ‘ambe dal’. It is celebration of joy of the newly wed girls and the raw mangoes.
I have fond memories of visiting neighbourhood houses during this month. I was always known as a shy girl but I never mind to visit any place for serving of the ambe dal . The dal used to be served on fresh leaves of mango tree which was another attraction. The celebration being girls, other girls were in demand as well.
How much time it needs?
Apart from the soaking time for dal, it hardly takes to whizz up this salad in 10 minutes.
Any special ingredients?
If you call raw mangoes a special ingredients then yes… only fresh raw mangoes which are little sour/ tart, firm are a must.But nowadays raw mangoes are easily available in India and all over the world specially in the mangoes season.
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- Wash and soak chana dal in water for minimum 4 hours.
Steps to make:
2.After 4 hours, drain the dal. Add dal, slat ,sugar and green chillies in a blender.Make a coarse-fine mixture without adding any water.
3. Mixture should look like this.
4. Wash, peel and grate the raw mango with fine grating attachment. Transfer dal mixture and mango to a mixing bowl..
5. Preparing tadka/ tempering: heat oil, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, red chillies and curry leaves. Just before adding tadka to dal mix, add the turmeric.
6. Add coriander &/or scrapped coconut and give it all good mix till well combined. Ready to serve.
: Recipe Card :
| Prep Time | 05 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time | 3-4 hours |
| Servings |
people
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- 1 cup chana dal (split chickpea / Bengal gram)
- 1 raw mango (medium--firm, fresh)
- 1-2 green chillies (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp freshly scrapped coconut (optional)
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves
- 2 dry red chillies
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Ingredients
For tempering/ tadka:
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- To start with, wash and soak the dal for at least 4 hours.
- After 4 hours, drain the dal and add it to blender with green chillies ,sugar and salt. Using the 'pulse' setting, grind the dal to coarse- fine mixture. NO water needed while grinding.
- Wash, peel and grate the raw mango with the fine grater.
- Transfer the ground dal, grated mango to a mixing bowl and give it quick mix.
- To prepare the tadka, heat oil in a small pan. once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds.As they crackle, add asafoetida, chillies and curry leaves. Turn off heat and add turmeric powder.
- Pour the tadka over the dal-mango mix. Add the chopped coriander and the scrapped coconut (optional). Mix everything till well combined.
- Serve cold as a salad or side to dinner or as snack for evening tea.
- When you grate, check how sour is the mango.If it just too sour, better to use half quantity or soak in water for 10 minutes, drain and use.
- If the dal mixture is too chunky or coarse, the whole salad doesn't come together properly and looks like a split mess.
- Traditionally the salad is served on mango leaves.
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