Thayir sadam with manga thundam (Curd rice with spiced raw mango “bits”)

One of my favourite dishes, this is a true South Indian culinary masterpiece. The spiced raw mango has a fusion of hot, sour, bitter and pungent flavours and the pairing with cool, creamy curd rice is unbeatable. I like to rub the mango pieces with a little salt before adding the remaining ingredients to make the mango bits more tender and juicy. For seasoning purposes, I prefer to add kala namak/black salt as it combines well with raw mango but you do not need to use it if it is unavailable or if you do not like the taste. 

Servings: 2-3
    

Ingredients

For the thayir sadam:

Cold cooked rice (whole-grain rice is works well in this combination; I used a mixture of white and red rice, as you can see by the slight reddish tinge the rice has in the photograph)

For the manga thundam:
2 medium raw mangoes

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon salt

To taste:

Salt, preferably kala namak/black salt

Chilli powder

Asafoetida powder

Roasted, powdered fenugreek seeds

Method
To make the manga thundam, chop the raw mangoes finely and rub well with the 1 teaspoon of salt, till the mangoes release some liquid. Toss with the spices (except for the mustard seeds) and salt. I suggest adding just a little of each spice at this point. Heat the oil in a ladle or small pan and fry the mustard seeds until they splutter. Add the mustard seeds along with the oil to the mango bits. Taste and adjust the amount of spices if necessary.

For curd rice, take the desired quantity of rice and mix with it enough yoghurt to obtain a consistency that you like. I prefer the consistency obtained by from a ratio of approximately 2:1 of volume of rice to yoghurt.  Serve with the manga thundam.