Methamba is a spicy mango jam made in summer season across Maharashtra and Western India. Summer is the most awaited season in most of India, because heralds the everloved, sweet, smooth, rich and vibrant mango.

Sweets and desserts made with mango are very popular. But today I’m sharing a recipe which is true to my roots, and dear to everyone from Konkan which is coastal Maharashtra, called Methamba (Methi- fenugreek, Amba – mango). It uses the unripe sour green mango, or “kairi”. The unripe green mango fruit has quite a bite, is very sharply sour, with white or pale yellow flesh and green skin before it ripens into a sweet yellow/orange soft fruit which we know better.

This authentic recipe, will make you pucker your lips with its tangy yet spicy, sweet and bitter profile owing to the beautiful balance of the bitter notes from the fenugreek seeds (methi) with the sour mango, sweet jaggery and earthiness of cumin on the palette.

It can be served as an accompaniment for any roti, chapati, bhakri, breads or chips and papads. My favourite way to eat this was either by itself, or rolled up in a chapati with ghee.

Recipe

Ingredients-

2 unripe mangoes medium sized

1 cup jaggery or any organic natural sugar

1tsp fenugreek seeds/ methi seeds

2 dry red chillies

1/4tsp Cumin seeds

1/4tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

4 -5 kadhipatta / curry leaves

Salt to taste

2 tbsp mustard oil, sesame oil or coconut oil. Or any high smoke point cooking oil

Method –

1. 1. Peel the mangoes and dice them into 1 inch cubes.
   2. Heat oil in a heavy bottom wok or pan. On medium heat add mustard seeds, let them crackle. Add cumin, curry leaves, dry red chillies, methi seeds and turmeric. The mix will sizzle.
   3. Add the chopped mango pieces. Mix well. Add water till level of the mango. Cover and let it cook on medium flame for 10-15 mins, stirring in between, till the mango is soft to the pressure of the spoon.
   4. Then add salt, jaggery and stir well. On low flame, let it cook till the mixture thickens, bubbles, turns a nice golden amber colour and fragrant. It should look like thick caramel sauce with bits of mango still intact. And it should not be dripping of the spoon when held up.
   5. Turn off the flame, leave the pan open. Let it cool fully at room temperature. Store in a clean, air tight glass or metal jar for 3-6 months in fridge, 10 days on counter (in humid summers).

Tip – For longer storage, let it dry further while it cooks on low flame. Lesser the water content more the shelf life.

Tip – Make sure the mango is cooked thoroughly before adding salt and jaggery. Adding them before can hinder the cooking and texture of the mango.