Maa Inji Thokku, Mango Ginger Pickle

          After, all the festive food for the last couple of days, most of us should be tired of seeing sweets and snacks, so today's post is going to be a spicy and tangy Thokku/Pickle with Maa Inji/ Mango Ginger. I actually made this some time back, when I had a couple of bags of maa inji, the same time, that I had made the simple pickle with it and the rice. This thokku is again easy to make, and it tastes very good with curd rice, or mixed with some plain white rice, or even as a side to idlis, dosas and rotis..

Need To Have

• Grated Mango Ginger - 1 cup
• Tamarind - small lemon sized ball
• Red Chilly Powder - 3 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Jaggery Powder - 2 tablespoons
• Fenugreek Seed Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste

Original recipe here.

Method

          Peel, wash and grate the maa inji/mango ginger, using a fine grater and keep. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup warm water for 15 to 30 minutes.

          Heat 3 tablespoons of oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts sputtering, add the curry leaves, followed by the grated mango ginger and saute it for 5 minutes.

          Take the extract from the soaked tamarind, strain and add it to the mango ginger. Add the red chilly powder, asafoetida and salt and cook for 10 minutes on medium/low heat.

          Then add the jaggery, fenugreek powder, mix and keep cooking on low heat for another 20 minutes ( keep stirring in between ). Cool it completely and store it in the refrigerator.

Note
Depending on your spice level and the spiciness of the chilly powder, add more or less of the chilly powder.
Don't omit the jaggery, it brings together the taste, the thokku should have a spicy, tangy taste with a hint of sweetness.