Mavinakayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice)

Mavinakayi Chitranna or raw mango rice is a delicious rice recipe from Karnataka, that is a mandatory Ugadi festival dish.

It is tangy, spicy and flavorful, and is perfect for lunch box or dinner.

Check out this traditional Karnataka style raw mango rice recipe which does not include onion and garlic.

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Ugadi/Yugadi is the Hindu new year celebrated in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, also known as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra.

It falls in the month of March/April and it is celebrated across India in different names and ways.

In Karnataka, Ugadi is celebrated by starting the day with bevu-bella (neem-jaggery mix) followed by a festival meal.

A quintessential part of the Ugadi meal is the raw mango rice or mavinakayi chitranna, as it is known in Kannada.

Since the festival is approaching soon, I wanted to share this traditional recipe of mavinakayi chitranna.

Try it out and make it a part of your festive meal, or of course on any other day when raw mangoes are in season.

Festival or not, this dish is always in my weekly menu during summers. 🙂

What is Mavinakayi Chitranna

Mavinakayi Chitranna is a rice dish made of rango mangoes, grated coconut, Indian spices, cooked rice.

There are different ways in which this dish is made.

One of the traditional ways is by preparing a chutney/gojju and mixing it with rice.

The chutney is made by dry roasting fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and grinding them with raw mangoes, green chilies or dry red chilies, coconut, jaggery and salt.

It is then tempered in oil, cooked until it becomes dry and mixed with rice.

The chutney stays good upto a week when refrigerated, and can also be served with idli, dosa, chapati or rotti.

You can make the chutney/gojju in advance and mix it with rice as required.

Ingredients Required

Raw Mango-

Use a sour variety of raw mango preferably. You will need 2 medium sized mangoes or 1 large.

If the mangoes are not sour enough, you will have to use some tamarind or lemon juice.

Cooked Rice-

You will need cooked and cooled rice to make this.

Leftover rice would work best, or if you are using freshly cooked rice, make sure it is cooled completely.

Sona masuri rice is the most suitable for this, but you can also use basmati rice if you like.

Fenugreek Seeds and Mustard Seeds-

Fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds are used to make the chutney (gojju).

They are used in small quantities, dry roasted and grounded along with other ingredients.

These seeds add a distinctive flavor to the dish.

Green Chilies or Dry Red Chilies–

You can make Mavinakayi Chitranna using either green chilies or dry red chilies.

The only difference is the color of the dish, it would turn out green with green chilies or reddish-brown with dry red chilies like Kashmiri or Byadagi specifically.

In this recipe, I have used green chilies.

Jaggery and Tamarind–

Jaggery is used to balance the sourness from mangoes, bitterness from fenugreek and mustard seeds, and the spice from the chilies.

You can increase or decrease the quantity based on how sour the mangoes are.

Tamarind is optional, and can be used only if the raw mangoes are not sour enough.

You can use lemon juice instead of tamarind, if you have to increase the sourness.

Cilantro (Coriander Leaves)-

If you are making the green variety of the rice, you can use cilantro while making the chutney.

For the red variety with dry red chilies, you can skip this.

They are also used for garnish after preparing the rice.

Coconut-

You will also need grated coconut to prepare the chutney.

Coconut helps in the thickness of the chutney, adds taste and some sweetness too.

Freshly grated coconut is the best option, but frozen also works.

Ensure that you thaw the frozen coconut by bringing it room temperature and then use it.

Tempering Ingredients-

Oil or Ghee

Mustard Seeds

Urad Dal

Chana Dal

Asafoetida

Curry Leaves (fresh or dry)

Peanuts (with skin)

A basic south Indian tempering has to be prepared to saute the ground chutney.

You can add peanuts also at this stage or do a second tempering before mixing with rice.

Adding later ensures the peanuts remain crunchy.

Variations

With onion and garlic–

The recipe I have shared here is a no onion no garlic variety.

However, if you like, you can add onion and garlic in the tempering.

You can add sauteed garlic and grind along with the other ingredients in the chutney too.

However, adding onion and garlic would definitely change the flavor of the rice.

Without making the mango chutney-

You can make raw mango rice without making the chutney.

This variety tastes very different than the one mentioned here.

It would be similar to lemon rice but with grated mango instead of lemon juice.

To make this, prepare a tempering of oil/ghee, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, asafoetida, turmeric powder, green chilies and peanuts.

Add grated raw mango and saute it for a few minutes.

Then add cooked and cooled rice, salt, grated coconut, chopped cilantro and mix everything well.

Serving Suggestions

Mavinakayi Chitranna can be served as is, since it is a blend of all the flavors.

If you like, you can also serve it with coconut chutney or yogurt.

Some people also have this with tomato rasam, you can try it too.

To summarise, this Raw Mango Rice is

How to make Mavinakayi Chitranna/ Raw Mango Rice

Note: 1 cup = 250 ml

Step 1:

In a pan, dry roast 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds on low heat until they turn brown, and transfer them to a mixer jar.

Dry roast 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds until they start popping, and transfer them also to a mixer jar.

Dry roast 5 to 7 green chilies. This step is optional though.

Transfer these also to a mixer jar along with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida.

Grind everything to a coarse powder without adding water.

It is important to powder the mustard and fenugreek seeds before adding the raw mangoes, this ensures they are powdered fine.

I added the green chilies at this stage to increase the volume of ingredients to grind since the mixer jar was slightly big and to also ensure that they are well ground.

Step 2:

Now wash and chop 2 medium sized or 3 small sized raw mangoes with skin into small cubes.

Alternatively, you can grate them. Add the chopped mangoes into the same mixer jar.

Also add a small piece of jaggery. Add more or less depending on how sour the mangoes are.

Add in 5 to 6 stalks of cilantro (coriander), 1/2 cup grated coconut, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

The mangoes I used were not sour enough, so I added 1 teaspoon tamarind also. You can do the same.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and grind everything to a coarse paste. Do not blend it fine, and add as less water as possible.

The chutney has to be thick without much water.

Step 3:

In a wide pan, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil.

Add in 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.

Add in 1 teaspoon each chana dal and urad dal, 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida and 1 sprig curry leaves.

Let the chana and urad dal turn golden brown.

Step 4:

Next, transfer the ground mango chutney.

Mix well and saute until the water content in the chutney is removed and the chutney turns quite dry and coarse.

This can take upto 15 minutes, and the color of the chutney also changes slightly.

Now the chutney is ready and it can be stored in a refrigerator once it comes down to room temperature.

You can immediately proceed to make the raw mango rice too.

Step 5:

To mix this chutney with rice, you will need leftover rice or freshly cooked rice.

If you have freshly cooked the rice, spread it in a plate to cool it completely.

You will need 3 cups cooked rice, made using 3/4 cup raw sona masuri rice.

Since I like the peanuts to remain crunchy, I prefer frying them separately after making the chutney.

If you do not want to do this, add these along with other ingredients in tempering in step 3, but the peanuts will soften.

To make the rice, in a wide pan add 1 teaspoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (optional), 2 tablespoons peanuts with skin, and 1 sprig of curry leaves.

Roast until the peanuts turn brown. Do not burn them.

Step 6:

Add in the prepared chutney, and the cooked cooled rice.

Mix everything well adding 1/2 teaspoon salt or as required.

Lastly, garnish with chopped cilantro.

Also, if you have not used tamarind in the chutney and if the rice is not sour enough, you can also add some lemon juice.

More Karnataka special rice recipes you might like

Tomato Rice

Akki Usli

Bisi Bele Bath

Mavinakayi Chitranna (Raw Mango Rice)

Praneetha A Goutham

A vegan south Indian rice recipe made of raw mangoes, grated coconut, Indian spices, and cooked rice. Flavorful, delicious, and comforting lunch box and dinner recipe.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Indian, Karnataka

Servings 4

Calories 438 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Note: 1 cup = 250 ml

To make the raw mango chutney

• 2 medium size raw mangoes - i.e 2 cups chopped cubes with skin
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 5 to 7 nos. green chilies - adjust as per taste
• 2 small pieces jaggery - adjust depending on how sour the mangoes are
• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 5 to 6 stalks cilantro (coriander)
• 1 tsp tamarind - optional, only if mangoes are not sour enough
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 + 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1/2 tsp salt - or as per taste
• 3 tbsp oil - to saute the chutney, I used groundnut oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds - for tempering
• 1 tsp chana dal
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 sprig curry leaves

To make the raw mango rice

• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds - optional
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 to 3 tbsp peanuts - with skin
• 3 cups cooked rice - made from 3/4 cup raw sona masuri rice
• 1/2 tsp salt - or as per taste

Instructions

 

To make the chutney

• In a pan, dry roast separately 1 tsp fenugreek seeds on low heat until they turn brown, and 1/4 tsp mustard seeds until they start popping.

  Also roast 6 green chilies (optional step). Add these to the mixer jar along with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, and 1/4 tsp asafoetida.
  
• Blend everything to a powder without adding water.
  
• To this, add 2 cups chopped raw mangoes, jaggery piece (s), cilantro, 1/2 cup grated coconut, 1 tsp tamarind (if required).
  
• Blend everything well adding 2 to 3 tablespoon water. Use as little water as possible to get a thick chutney consistency.
  
• In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add in 1/2 tsp mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add in 1 tsp each chana dal, urad dal, 1 sprig of curry leaves, 1/4 tsp of asafoetida.

  Let the lentils turn golden brown.
  
• Transfer the ground chutney, mix well and saute well.
  
• After about 15 minutes, the water content in the chutney is removed and the chutney turns slightly dry and coarse.

  At this stage, the chutney is ready.
  

To mix with rice

• If you are cooking rice freshly, cook 3/4 cup raw sona masuri rice in 1.5 cups water for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker.

  Then cool it (3 cups cooked rice) well by spreading it on a plate.
  
• Since I like roasting the peanuts separately for them to remain crunchy, I did not add them previously in the tempering while sauteing the chutney.

  To do this, heat 1 tsp oil in a wide pan, crackle 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (if using), 1 sprig of curry leaves, and 2 to 3 tbsp peanuts.
  
• Add in the prepared chutney.
  
• Add in the cooled rice, salt as required and mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro
  

Notes

1. If you use peanuts while sauteing the chutney, you can immediately add rice to the prepared chutney. There is no need to do a second tempering. 
2. If mangoes are not sour enough, and you are not using tamarind, you can add lemon juice to the rice while mixing. 
3. To make the red color mango rice, simply replace green chilies with Kashmiri or Byadagi dry red chilies. You will need about 6 to 8 of them, roast them before using. 
4. Skip the peanuts if you are allergic. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 438kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 7gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 595mgPotassium: 347mgFiber: 6gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1244IUVitamin C: 59mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Mavinakayi Chitranna, Raw Mango Rice

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I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed preparing it and writing it down for you all. 🙂

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