Ingredients
- 1 kg semi-ripe mangoes (any variety, but for best results and taste, either alphonso, or, even better still, the `bottle’ mango, `batli keri’. Best to use are small green, totally unripe mangoes. But then add more jaggery, according to taste.)
- 200 gms jaggery (more, if mangoes very raw and sour. Can use sugar to substitute for jaggery, but the flavor will not be the same. If using sugar, I would suggest palm or cane sugar or raw sugar.)
- 1-inch piece of cinnamon
- 2 cups water (approximately)
- Salt to taste (coarse salt or rock salt)
Method
Peel the mangoes, remove the seed and slice lengthwise. (Depending upon size of the mango, you can halve the lengthwise slices, as per requirement. Mango should be in chunky pieces, do not slice too thin.)
Pour water in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add jaggery, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, peppercorns, and cardamoms and cook over a medium flame, stirring occasionally. Once the jaggery has melted, add salt, mangoes, and cook over a low flame, stirring occasionally, being careful not to break the mango slices. Cook till a syrupy consistency is achieved, then remove from heat and cool completely.
Serve as an accompaniment to papeta-ma-ghosh.
The murambo or ambakalio can be stored in glass jars and refrigerated for one month.
The sweet relish also makes an excellent accompaniment to the all-time favorite, dhansak, whole masoor, and even to vaal, or to several other dishes, use your imagination, and taste. And it would also make a yummy and fairly healthy snack for children, spread out on toast and butter instead of jam, or rolled in wheat-flour chapattis.
- Substitute Peaches or Apricots for variety !