Miscellaneous recipes

Maavinakaayi gulamba | Raw mango sweet preserve

By Leena Hegde, Puttanamane

Ingredients A quick look Step by step Notes

A gulamba is typically a fruit or berry sweet preserve. Fruits or berries are cooked in jaggery along with optional spices to get a consistency like jam or syrup.

Sweet, tangy, and aromatic Maavinakaayi gulamba or raw mango sweet preserve is made with unripe green mangoes. This is one of the ways that we can naturally preserve the raw (unripe / green) mangoes, and enjoy it after the season is over.

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Cool off time

0 Total time

55 mins

Course

Varied

Diet

Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty level

Moderate

Servings

~ 300 g

Ingredients

4 medium or 6 small raw (unripe) mangoes or 400 grams grated mangoes
½ cup jaggery or as required
5 cardamoms
2 to 3 cloves
10 to 15 saffron strands

Cookware / Utensils

Bowl
Grater
Pan
Spoon or Spatula
Mortar and pestle
Glass jar or Bharani (A jar made of mud / clay / ceramic)

Instructions

Preserving raw mango in jaggery

Wash and grate mangoes.

Note: I am not peeling them off. If you want you can peel them. If mangoes are store-bought, soak them in salt water for about 30 minutes before using or wash and peel the mangoes.
Rinse cloves and cardamom seeds. Powder them using mortar and pestle.
Add powdered spices, jaggery, and a few strands of saffron.
Mix well and cook on a medium heat while stirring occasionally.
After 10-15 minutes, the mix starts thickening. Now stir the mix frequently.
It will thicken more. Continue to cook while stirring continuously now.
Switch off the heat at jam like consistency.
Let it cool completely. Then store it in a glass/clay/ mud jar.

Step by step guide

How to preserve raw mango in jaggery

1. Wash mangoes. I am not peeling them off. If you want you can peel them.

Note: If mangoes are store-bought, soak them in salt water for about 30 minutes before using or wash and peel the mangoes.

2. Grate the mangoes.

Note: One of the mangoes was slightly ripe, and it got juiced out when grated. So do not be surprised to see juice in the below picture.

3. Rinse cloves and cardamom seeds. Powder them using mortar and pestle.

4. Add powdered spices, jaggery, and a few strands of saffron.

5. Mix well and cook on a medium heat while stirring occasionally.

6. After 10-15 minutes, the mix starts thickening. Now stir the mix frequently.

7. It will thicken more. Continue to cook while stirring continuously now.

8. Switch off the heat at below shown consistency. I took total 41 minutes to achieve this consistency by switching between low to medium heat.

9. Let it cool completely. Then store it in a glass/clay/ mud jar.

Notes

Mango: Do not use too sour mangoes. For too sour mangoes you need to add more jaggery. Besides, this makes the dish sour. Instead use slightly sweet or tangy mangoes.
Cooking time: Cooking time may vary depending on the type and thickness of the cooking pan, and intensity of the heat applied.
Storage: Let the mango gulamba cool down completely before transferring to a jar. Store the gulamba in a clean and dry jar. Keep it in clean, cool and dry place. Use clean and dry spoon to scoop out.
Shelf life: Mango gulamba stays good for about 1 to 4 months at room temperature. However, the shelf life depends on climate and room temperature condition. Shelf life may get shorter if you have kept the container lid open for a long time, or if you have used wet or unclean spoon to take out the gulamba, or if you have not achieved the right consistency.