Green mango rice, also known as Mavinakayi chitranna, is a tasty vegan rice dish made with raw mangos. It has a pleasant balance of tangy, spicy, and mildly sweet flavors from coconut. This dish is suitable for weekday meals and can also be a convenient option for lunchboxes and potlucks.
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Why you will love this recipe?
- This rice dish is both vegan and gluten-free, making it suitable for a variety of dietary restrictions.
- It's a straightforward recipe to follow, and it's an ideal option for lunchboxes and potlucks.
- The dish is bursting with flavor and utterly delicious, making it an excellent choice for any meal.
Mavinakayi means raw/green mango in Kannada. There are two ways of making the dish - add grated green mangos directly to rice or make it using 'gojju' (similar to chutney).
I use the second method which is authentic and traditional. The gojju is made by dry roasting spices, grinding it with mango and coconut, and cooking the mixture. This gojju stays fresh for up to one week in the refrigerator. In this recipe, I am using frozen green mangos. However, fresh green mangos can also be used to make this authentic raw mango rice.
Ingredients
Green mangos: Sour mangos work really well for this dish.
Rice: I have used Basmati rice to make this dish. Sona Masuri also can be used.
Spices: I use fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds which adds a distinctive flavor to the dish.
Chili: I used dried red chili, which can be replaced by green chili.
Jaggery: A very small amount of jaggery is used to balance the bitterness from mustard and fenugreek seeds.
Coconut: I use fresh coconut. It not only adds a mild sweetness to the dish but also helps thicken the gojju.
Peanuts: This is an optional ingredient but I highly recommend not to skip it. Peanuts add a good crunch to the dish.
Tempering (seasoning/tadka): Tempering is prepared using mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds, and curry leaves, which is a typical South-Indian tempering (called oggarane in Kannada).
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Dry roast mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chili, and curry leaves. Let it cool completely.
Step 2: Grind them into a fine powder.
Step 3: To this powder, add raw mango, coconut, and jaggery.
Step 4: Grind into a smooth paste using very little water.
Step 5: Heat oil in a frying pan or kadhai. Add peanuts and fry until they are crunchy. Set them aside.
Step 6: In the same oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, urad dal, and chana dal.
Step 7: Add the ground paste, turmeric powder, and salt.
Step 8: Mix well and let it simmer until the masala is completely cooked and the gojju thickens.
Step 9: Add the fried peanuts.
Step 10: Mix everything well and simmer for about a minute.
Step 11: Add the cooked rice.
Step 12: Mix gently taking care not to break the rice.
Step 13: Add cilantro, mix, and serve.
Variations and ingredient substitutes
As mentioned earlier, I use frozen raw mangos to make this dish. You may use fresh raw mangos if they are available. When using fresh raw mangos, peel the skin before using them. Either chop it or grate it and use it as mentioned in this recipe.
I prepare this dish using dried red chili (either Byadgi or Kashmiri, which are mild versions). You may replace it with green chilies. The only difference would be the color of the dish - green with green chili and reddish-brown with red chili.
I prefer to make this dish with Basmati rice. You may use Sona Masuri rice too. I have used 1½ cups of raw Basmati rice which gave me approximately 5 cups of cooked rice, which is perfect for the amount of gojju that this recipe makes.
Making gojju and then making the cooked rice in it is the authentic and traditional way of making this dish. However, you may skip making gojju. In that case, prepare the tempering as mentioned in the recipe, saute grated raw mango in it and toss it with rice.
Related: Cucumber peanut salad.
Useful tips
Use sour mangos to make this mango rice. If the mangoes are not sour enough, you may add a small amount of tamarind while grinding the gojju.
This gojju stays fresh for up to one week when stored in the refrigerator. Make the gojju ahead and just toss it with rice for an easy meal.
It is important to cook the rice until it is just done but not soft or mushy. Soak the rice for 30 minutes. Add lots of water and bring it to a boil. For Basmati rice, 15-17 minutes is sufficient. Drain the water and spread it on a plate so that it cools down completely.
You can make this dish with leftover rice too.
I prefer to fry the peanuts first and set them aside before cooking the gojju. This way, the peanuts will not lose texture and stay crunchy. I add the fried peanuts along with rice once the gojju is cooked. You may leave the peanuts in the tempering and cook gojju along with it.
Serve it with this South Indian-style kadhi for a complete meal.
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Recipe card
Mango Rice (Mavinakayi Chitranna)
Ingredients
For the gojju (masala paste):
- 2 cups green mango cut into cubes or grated
- ½ cup coconut (fresh or frozen) grated
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 6-7 curry leaves
- 5-6 dry red chili (adjust as per taste)
For the chitranna
- 1½ cups Basmati rice
- ½ teaspoon jaggery
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon split black gram urad dal
- 1 teaspoon split Bengal gram chana dal
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro
Instructions
Cook the rice:
- Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it for 30 minutes.
- Cook it until it is just done but not soft or mushy. Spread on a plate and let it cool completely.
Make the masala paste:
- Dry roast the ingredients for the spice powder (mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and dried chili) for a few minutes until aromatic. Let it cool.
- Grind it into a fine powder.
- To this powder, add mango, coconut, and jaggery. Grind into a smooth paste using very little water.
Make the chitranna:
- Heat oil in a frying pan or kadhai. Add peanuts and fry until they are crunchy. Set them aside.
- In the same oil, add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, urad dal, and chana dal. Saute for a few seconds.
- Add the ground paste, turmeric powder, and salt. Mix well and let it simmer until the masala is completely cooked and the gojju thickens.
- Add the fried peanuts and mix well.
- Add the cooked rice. Mix gently taking care not to break the rice.
- Add cilantro and serve hot.
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