Keri nu Shaak | Gujarati Style Mango Curry

EVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP

THEME: #51 CURRIES

RECIPE: KERI NU SHAAK | GUJARATI STYLE MANGO CURRY

Keri Nu Shaak/Mango Curry is a delicious spicy curry made from semi ripe mangoes. Best enjoyed with some parathas or roti.

What is Keri nu Shaak?

Shaak in Gujarati refers to a curry or any stir fried vegetable. Such a broad spectrum word! Keri is mango so Keri nu Shaak is Mango Curry. Yes mangoes are not just to be eaten on its own, or used for desserts. Mangoes play a big part in the Indian Cuisine, right from starters to desserts. 

Keri nu Shaak is pretty easy to make. All you need is a semi ripe or raw mango which is not too fibrous. The mango is cut into big chunks and cooked using water, spices and jaggery. Every family will have its own recipe, my mother in law use to make it with onion and garlic, my mum made it simple with ginger and green chillis. Some families add vadi (sun dried lentil lumps). I prefer to make it the way my mum use to.

Memories……

Keri nu shaak is an all time family favourite. My mum would make a huge huge amount of this curry and we all would relish it with some parathas. We all would fight for the mango seed (or gotlo as its called in Gujarati). It was fun to suck out all the gravy from the mango seed and then dip it again in the thick gravy and suck on it again. Its one of the simplest and yet the most tastiest curry. Is it childhood nostalgia or the curry itself, don’t know but I love it.

My mum was a huge fan of this curry. She would purposely make a big batch so that she could enjoy it also the next day. She particularly liked to wipe the curry with the mango seed and suck on it. I actually learnt how to make keri nu shaak from her.

The beginning of mango season meant that we’d be treated to this curry often. While we preferred to enjoy keri nu shaak with parathas (bhakri), some enjoy it with khichdi. Unfortunately, hubby doesn’t like keri nu shaak at all, but my daughter like me is a huge fan of it. When she was at college, we’d impatiently wait for the mango season so that we could make this yummilicious curry.

FoodieMonday/Bloghop

On several occasions my daughter had suggested that I put the recipe on the blog, but didn’t really get a chance till now. Our weekly group, FoodieMonday/Blog gave me this opportunity when the theme Curries came up. Usually by Wednesday or Thursday I have my dish according to the theme ready but this time it took me a while to decide. When you take the whole of India there are thousands of curry recipes. The initial idea was to use paneer but then I remembered my daughter’s request and keri nu shaak it was. Hubby is not a fan of keri nu shaak. Therefore made his favorite Matar Bateta nu Shaak (Peas and Potato Curry).

What are Curries?

Curries is what we commonly know as sabji, sabzi, shaak, masala, korma, vindaloo, tandoori, kofta, Madras, gulai(Indonesian). Usually prepared using vegetables, meat, fish or legumes and grains.These are put together  in a gravy or sauce and served with flat breads, rice or other grains like millet, couscous, quinoa, etc. Curries can be watery or thick depending on the type of  cuisine and recipe. Mostly served as main dish, the gravy or sauce is made with water, coconut milk, milk, yogurt, tomatoes or pastes of herbs and spices. According to Wikipedia the word curry is an anglicized word of the Tamil word ‘kari’ meaning sauce. Yes, that’s true as the word curry is hardly ever used in the Indian Sub Continent. 

Some Curry Recipes you may want to check out:

• Mangalore Cucumber Curry – Using spices, herbs, lentils and coconut paste
•  Aloo Posto /Potato in Poppy Seed Curry – using poppy seeds to make the gravy
• Yellow Thai Curry with Vegetables – coconut and fresh spices, herbs make up the gravy
• Baigan Bharta/ Eggplant Curry – mashed up eggplant, onion and tomato make the gravy base
• Vegetable Curry  –  easy and quick to prepare
• Madra (Chickpea Curry in Yogurt) – yogurt makes up the gravy base
• Mushroom Spinach Curry – used spinach as the gravy base
• Santula – An Odia Style Curry
• Yogurt Cashew Nut Potato Curry – nuts are used to thicken the yogurt gravy
• Paneer Makhani – a rich gravy based curry
• Paneer Kundan Kaliya – using exotic spices, rose petals
• Raw Banana and Paneer Kofta Curry – coconut, cream, tomato make up the gravy
• Peas Kofta Curry – rich gravy made using tomato, onion and cream
• Sai Bhaji – where the lentil makes up the gravy

Some Mango Curries:

• Mambazha Pulissery – Priya’s family recipe, where ripe mango is cooked in a yogurt gravy.
• Ambe Che Sasav – a simple but very flavorful Goan mango curry that Archana prepares using coconut and mustard seeds.
• Another famous Gujarati curry using mango and yogurt called Fajeto is what Poonam loves.
• Archana’s family has this really awesome mango curry where the mango stones are used to make the curry. Called Koyaad its especially prepared when mangoes are used to make pickles. The stones are not thrown away but made into a delicious curry.

Ingredients required for Keri nu Shaak/Mango Curry:

• Mangoes – best to use semi ripe ones so that way you use less jaggery. Also the type of mango you use has to be less fibrous. In Kenya I prefer to Apple Mango. When in India I use Banganapalli, Alfonso Mango or Totapuri.
• Oil – for tempering the spices
• Cumin Seeds – Jeera or jeeru. An essential spice for this curry as it adds a lot of flavour.
• Mustard Seeds – rai. 
• Salt
• Green Chillies – according to your taste either minced or finely chopped
• Ginger – I prefer minced and try and not omit this spice as it adds a lot of flavour
• Red Chilli Powder – added according to one’s taste
• Coriander Cumin Powder – also known as Dhana Jiru, an essential spice mixture for all Gujarati curries
• Turmeric Powder – or haldi, harder
• Asafetida – also known as hing, add little. Optional ingredient. I don’t like to add it to the mango curry but many do. Omit if you want a gluten free curry or use gluten free hing.
• Jaggery – Gud or Gur – in the recipe the amount is a rough guide as it entirely depends on how sour the mango is. If you don’t get jaggery then use coconut sugar or brown sugar.
• Fresh Coriander – for garnishing.
• Water – that is whats going to make the gravy 

Dietary Tips:

• Gluten free if you don’t add asafetida
• Vegan
• Satvik as no onion or garlic has been added
• For Jain version omit adding ginger.

For Mother’s Day

So here’s one of my mum’s recipe and the family’s  favourite keri nu shaak. Mum miss you so much. You have missed so many important events that have taken place over the years, right from your grand childrens’ marriages to the birth of your great granddaughters. You would have really loved these cute and charming little ones. But I guess you know that and you’re watching over them.

Updated on 23/05/2020 – I’ve only updated the photos and organized the write up. Recipe remains the same.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE KERI NU SHAAK | GUJARATI STYLE MANGO CURRY

KERI NU SHAAK/MANGO CURRY

A simple and yet very tasty curry that is made from semi ripe mangoes. Usually served with parathas or khchdi, it definitely is an unusual curry.

5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Gujarati

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 2 large semi ripe mangoes
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1-2 green chillis minced
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp coriander cumin powder
• ½ -1 tsp red chilli powder optional
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ cup jaggery grated or powder
• 3-4 cups water
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
• 1 - 1½ tsp salt

Instructions

 

• Soak the mangoes in water for 10-15 minutes. Give it a good wash. Cut the top off.
• Peel and cut the mango into chunks. Don't throw away the stones.
  
• Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat.
• When it is hot add cumin and mustard seeds.
• Add turmeric powder.
• Add the mango pieces and the stones, salt and chilli and ginger pastes.
• Add water and mix well. Cover the pan.
  
• Let the mango cook over medium to low heat till they are done.
• This will take about 20-25 minutes depending on the type of mango.Don’t forget to stir the curry in between so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Add the red chilli powder, dhana jiru and the grated jaggery. Its best to taste the curry at this point so you get an idea how much jaggery you will need.
• Cover the pan and let the curry cook till the jaggery melts and the gravy is thick. Some of the cooked mango pulp will become mushy. If it doesn't mash a few pieces with the back of the spoon. This will help the curry to become a bit thick.
• Add chopped coriander and serve with hot parathas or khichdi.

Notes

• The more sour the mango, the more jaggery (gur) you will need.That is why I prefer to use slightly ripe mango so I don’t need to use too much jaggery. For this recipe I used only ¼ cup.
• Adjust the spices according to your taste.
• The colour of the curry will depend on the type of jaggery you use. Dark jaggery will give a dark colour gravy.
• My mum use to cook it with the skin but I don't these days as the skin may have pesticides and chemicals.
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Keyword keri nu shaak, mango curry, mango curry, Gujarati style

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