Kairiche saar (raw mango soup)

Yes, you read that correctly. Raw Mango Soup otherwise called Kairiche Saar. 

Most people are probably used to having raw mango as a pickle or in chutneys and relishes like the Marathi muramba or Gujarati methambo. Some may be used to seeing it added to dal to give it a sour note. Perhaps finely chopped in chaat or street food. At some point you may have even tried the refreshing Kairiche Panha, a drink made from cooked raw mango and jaggery, spiced with a little saffron. And if you’re fond of Thai food you would have definitely tasted their raw mango salad – tart, spicy and refreshing, all in one go.

But very few people would have heard or tasted a soup made from raw mango. I call it soup because it’s easier for someone to visualize the dish.

After the resounding success we’ve had at our supper club with the Tomato Saar (tomato and coconut milk soup), especially in its new avatar as a sorbet, I was keen to see what other traditional recipe I could play around with. So my mother suggested I try making kairiche saar. Surprisingly even I had not had it before, but since I liked kairiche panha, I could imagine how this would taste.

The first attempt was not so good, because my mom suggested I blend the raw mango and cook it in the same way I do the tomato saar. The result was a jade green pulp that didn’t seem to want to go anywhere. It just sat there, looking glum.

So I did some research and realized that cooking the raw mango, in much the same way that we make panha, would yield a better result. And it did – the soup I finally produced was really tasty. The key in this dish is the combination of sufficient jaggery to balance the tartness of the raw mango and the heat from the green chillies and other spices like cumin and curry leaves.

This is best enjoyed with rice. Or if you’re like me, you’ll just end up drinking spoonfuls of the saar on its own. Now like the tomato saar I have to try and convert this into a sorbet. Or perhaps as Aniruddha suggested, into an ice lolly!! 🙂

Priya

Kairiche Saar

• 1 raw mango, cubed (1 cm)
• Grated or chopped jaggery (slightly less in quantity to the chopped raw mango)
• 1 tsp cumin
• pinch of asafoetida
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 7-8 curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil

Method:

• Boil the raw mango cubes covered with water, till they are soft. Do not overcook and make them too pulpy. Drain and reserve the water. In your cooking vessel, heat 1 tsp of oil. Add the cumin seeds. When they begin to pop, add the asafoetida, followed by the chopped green chilli and curry leaves. Add the raw mango cubes and mix well. Add a cup of the reserved water, salt and the jaggery. Stir well and allow the jaggery to melt. Let it cook for a couple of minutes and then turn off the heat.
• You can adjust the amount of jaggery to your personal taste – if you like it sweeter add more, If you enjoy the tartness of raw mango, add less.