Sakhar Amba / Mango jam

When summer  is here how can you forget Mango! I know mango is one such fruit for which we will be waiting through out the year. Mango is no matter raw / ripe it is always liked by everyone :). It can be used  in either form to prepare many recipes. Here is one recipe from my Mom's list which I learned  recently prepared using raw mangoes. Sakhar Amba / Gulamba  - sakhar means sugar and amba means mango in marathi similarly gul means jaggery. so it's basically sweetened mango. Mango is cooked with sugar and you can also call it a "Desi jam" :). olden days people used to prepare this during summer and use it through out the year. This recipe once prepared can be stored in air tight containers for months together. It's a combination of sweet and sour taste.This can be served along with chapati, paratha, dosa, bread etc..  We will go throught the recipe quickly!

Ingredients:
Mango - 2
Sugar - 8-10 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - pinch of

Preparation:
1. Peel the mangoes and grate them. Wash it thoroughly and squeeze well so that all the sourness is reduced.
2. Mix sugar and grated mangoes in a vessel and heat them over a medium flame.
3. Add salt and mix well.
4. Cook this for around 15 mins until the ingredients get mixed up well and you can see the sticky sugar syrup getting formed.

5. Add cardamom powder mix well and allow this to cool down.
6. You can store this in airtight containers in refrigerator and serve it chilled!

Notes:

• If you wash and squeeze the grated mangoes the sourness gets reduced and hence you can use equal proportion of sugar as that of grated mangoes. Or else you can increase the amount of sugar you use.
• Do not store this in steel containers. 
• You can also add the saffron strands for color and essence.
•  Do not overcook the syrup. It should not become very thick.