By now, all of you have already been introduced to pahadi food culture. Be it Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, North Bengal, or any mountain region of India, everywhere there's some unique cuisine that adds to its vibe. If you look closely, you will realize that pahadi food is uncomplicated, rustic, and mostly made with local produce. It stands true for Himachali cuisine as well. It is slow-cooked and has heavy use of spices like cloves, cardamom, red chilli, and turmeric. You will also find some tanginess in almost every recipe, as it makes the food easy to digest while keeping you warm. In this article, we will talk about one such Himachali dish, called Mahni - a stew made with tamarind and spices.
What Is Mahni? How Is It Different From South Indian Rasam And Bengali Tok?
Mahni is a light and flavourful curry, made with tamarind pulp, red chilli, and some spices. It is usually served warm, with the sides of rice and dry sabzi.
Now, some of you must be thinking it sounds quite similar to rasam or Bengali summer delight - tok. Well, we agree these three can be referred to as distant cousins, but each has its unique characteristics, making them stand out in the lot.
While mahni usually uses tamarind as the base for gravy, it is the boiled dal for rasam. On the other hand, Bengali tok is majorly a summer dish that people enjoy cold and as a drink after a meal. You can also have rasam as a drink (specifically a hot drink), but mahni should quintessentially be mixed with rice and eaten.
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Himachali Mahni (Tamarind Curry) Recipe | How To Make Himachali Mahni At Home:
You will find different recipes for mahni on the internet. Here, we got you a recipe, shared by Chef Anahita Dhondy on her Instagram handle.
To make the dish, Chef Anahita used tamarind pulp, degi mirch, mustard seeds, green chilli, gram flour, jaggery powder, and some spices. She carefully blends all the ingredients and stirs, boils, and simmers to prepare the perfect khatta-meetha side dish for your meal. Sounds soul-soothing, right? So without further ado, try this recipe and put together a flavourful meal for yourself and the family.
Watch the detailed recipe video of Himachali Mahni here:
Also Read: How To Make Perfect Himachali Jhol? Learn This Easy Recipe