Tag Archives: mango

Kacha Aam ka Achar – Raw Mango Pickle

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Kacha Aam ka Achar7

This is a quick and easy recipe with ingredients that most Indian families have in their pantry. Recently, my local Asian grocery store has been selling raw mangoes. I am sure, like me, many of my Indian readers had mango trees growing in their gardens. As children, we could not wait for the tiny raw mangoes to grow large enough so we could pick them from the tree and eat them with chilli powder and salt. I wonder how many mouths are watering while you reminisce plucking raw mangoes from your mango trees or from your neighbor’s mango trees! I would love to hear your stories.

This is not a traditional mango pickle recipe that uses a lot of oil, salt or preservatives. I usually make this with one or two small raw mangoes and the pickle doesn’t last for more than two or three days. If you make this pickle just for yourself, then refrigerate it after a day.

Kacha Aam ka Achar – Raw Mango Pickle
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Serves: 6-8

2 small raw mangoes, (about 4 cups, cut into small cubes)
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2-3 teaspoons chilli powder, (depending on heat and your preference)
3 teaspoons salt

Place a small non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and when it shimmers and gets hot, add the mustard seeds. It will splutter all over the place, so quickly cover with a lid and turn off the heat. (Clarification – don’t turn the heat back on, but leave the pan on the burner.) When it stops spluttering, remove the lid, and add the garlic slices. Sauté in the oil for three seconds. Add chilli powder, salt, and the mango. Mix well so that all the mango pieces are well coated with the mustard, garlic, chilli, and salt spiced oil. Set aside to cool. In a couple of hours the spices and mango will meld, making this simple pickle a great accompaniment to any rice and curry meal.

MargaretsHome.com Turns One – Celebrating with a GiveAway

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Mango and White Chocolate3

MargaretsHome.com turns one year old today! To celebrate, you, my dear reader, are invited to take part in a giveaway. The giveaway is not sponsored, it’s just my way of saying, “Thank you,” for taking the time to subscribe to my blog and participate with your comments. You keep me motivated and inspired. Giveaway details are at the end of this post.

I must confess that blogging is time-consuming when you do everything by yourself – shop for ingredients, cook, set up a photo-shoot, take a “million” photos, clean up, write, edit, and finally post. Photography is the most challenging part for me, but, its totally worth it when I get comments like, “I don’t like it when I drool on my keyboard,” and, “Wow. . .my mouth is watering. . .I am going to try and make this.” So, please keep your feedback coming.

For those of you that have been part of my blogging journey, I’ve posted my favorite mango and white chocolate cheesecake recipe. A piece of this cheesecake will make you feel like you’re in heaven!

Mango and White Chocolate Cheesecake
Adapted from Gourmet Baking

For the Crust
1 1/3 cup almond flour
½ cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and set a rack in the middle. Line the bottom of six mini springform cake pans with parchment paper.

Mix all the ingredients for the crust. Put three tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of the mixture into the bottom of each mini pan and press lightly to make the crust. Put the mini pans on a 12×17 inch baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly brown. Cool while you prepare the cheesecake batter.

For the Mango and White Chocolate Cheesecake Batter
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cups white chocolate chips
2/3 cups mango puree, (I used Alfanso mango puree from the Indian grocery store)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a metal bowl, over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips, stirring occasionally until smooth.

In a large bowl, of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Blend in the melted white chocolate, mango puree, and vanilla.

Divide the cheesecake batter into six equal portions and pour the batter over the cooled crust in mini pans. Bake in a water bath at 300 degrees F for 50-60 minutes. Or, until the edges are set but the center is still slightly jiggly. Cool and refrigerate overnight.

For the Mango Jelly
1½ cups mango puree
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water

Add mango puree and sugar to a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil. Add a tablespoon of water to the gelatin and microwave for 10 seconds. Stir into the mango puree. Remove from heat and cool in an ice bath to room temperature. Once cool divide the amount of jelly into six equal portions. Pour over the mini cheesecakes. Refrigerate overnight.

For the Garnish
1 small bunch champagne grapes
½ cup strawberries
½ cup blueberries
½ cup raspberries
a few mint leaves

For the Glaze
½ cup sugar
1 cup passion fruit juice
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons corn syrup

In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring sugar and half cup passion fruit juice to a boil. Dissolve cornstarch in the other half cup of passion fruit juice and add it to the saucepan. Cook, stirring until mixture thickens and looks clear. Stir in corn syrup. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Cool completely.

To Finish
Remove the cheesecake from the pans and set them on small cardboard cake rounds. It helps to use a hair dryer on low heat to remove the cheesecake easily.

Decorate each cheese cake with a few grapes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and mint leaves. Add a touch of glaze over the fruits. There you have it! My favorite mango and white chocolate cheesecake.

THE ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY – this giveaway closed on September 30, 2013.
How to Enter:
1. Visit http://www.margaretshome.com and subscribe by e-mail to MargaretsHome.com (use the subscribe button at the top right). One lucky winner will be randomly chosen from my e-mail subscriber’s list. If you’ve already subscribed, you don’t have to subscribe again.
2. Leave a comment on the giveaway post (today’s post dated, September 10, 2013). Only one comment per person, multiple comments are welcome but only count as one entry.

Official Giveaway Rules:
1. Eligibility: This giveaway is open to readers with US shipping addresses (No P.O. Box). Void where prohibited by law.
2. Minimum age for entry: You must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
3. How to enter: Subscribe to margaretshome.com. and leave a comment on this blog post. (If you have already subscribed, you don’t have to subscribe again. Just make sure you enter a comment on this blog post.)
4. Entry limit: A limit of one entry is allowed per e-mail address. You may not enter more than once, whether or not you use a different e-mail address. No e-mail address equals no valid entry.
5. Entry Deadline Date: All entries for this giveaway through this site must be received on or before September 30, 2013, at 8:00 p.m. (EST).
6. Winner selection: Winner will be chosen randomly.
7. Winner notification: Winner will be notified within five (5) days after the closing deadline date.
8. Claiming Your Prize: Winner must respond within five days of notification and provide me with a mailing address (No P.O. Box) or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected.
9. Publicity: Acceptance of prize constitutes the winner giving the owner of Margaretshome.com permission to announce your name and prize on a blog post.
10. Prize: The prize is a Multifunctional Digital Kitchen Scale worth approximately $40.00. Winner may not substitute the prize for any other prize or for cash.
11. Privacy: Your privacy is important to me. I will not disclose your address or phone number when required to ship your prize, to anyone except if I use a company to ship your prize. Your e-mail will not be shared or sold.
12. Purchases: No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win this giveaway.
13. Chances of winning: Odds of winning are based on number of entries.
14. Disclaimer. The owner of Margaretshome.com will not be responsible for a) any late or lost entries; b) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, Internet, or other computer or communications-related malfunctions or failures; any giveaway disruptions, injuries, losses or damages caused by events beyond the control of the owner of Margaretshome.com blog or by unauthorized human intervention; or c) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the giveaway.

Good luck!