Fajeto, mango kadhi, or aam ki kadhi is a Gujarati dish made using yogurt, chickpea flour, and ripe mangoes. Pair this spicy, savory, tangy, and sweet dish with steamed rice for a hearty meal.

Here are some more kadhi recipes, that you can try for your everyday meals – Gujarati Kadhi, Green Mango Kadhi, Sindhi Kadhi, and Vegetable Kadhi. 

About This Recipe

Mango kadhi or fajeto is a Gujarati dish made with yogurt, mango pulp, and chickpea flour. It is very similar to the good old Gujarati kadhi but has a twist of mangoes

Fajeto or ras no fajeto is sweet, spicy, sour, and savory, all at the same time. In most homes, it is made on the same day when they also make aamras or keri no ras. There are a lot of mango seeds left after making the aamras, and they are then used to make this mango kadhi.

You may be skeptical about how the sweet taste of mangoes goes with the tanginess of the kadhi, but be assured, the outcome is a delight to eat. For summer parties, you could easily prepare fajeto and serve it to your guests to bring in some variety on the table.

You can add fried besan pakodi, boondi, etc, in this fajeto as well. Try adding veggies like fried brinjal, fried okra, or mix vegetables just like my other favorite, mix veg kadhi.

Ingredients

Yogurt (dahi) and chickpea flour (besan) – These two ingredients are the base of any kadhi recipe. Here, also we will use these ingredients to make the base and give it a twist of mangoes. 

Try to use very slightly sour yogurt to make this fajeto. To make sour yogurt, all you have to do is to leave some plain yogurt over the counter for 4-6 hours and it will turn sour.

Mangoes – This is the ingredient that makes fajeto different from the classic kadhi. I have used mango puree, but you can even use the guthali (pit or the seed) to maximize the flavor. You can use any mango of your choice. I use kesar mangoes to make this fajeto, as it gives the best taste. 

Other Ingredients – Other than these three main ingredients, I have used ginger, green chilies, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies, turmeric powder, salt, and asafoetida. Green chilies are a must to add some spiciness to this rather sweet fajeto.

Tempering – The tadka in this recipe adds a delicious flavor and makes this dish a top-notch. For tadka, we will need oil, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, and red chilli powder.

How to make Fajeto?

Start by preparing the sour yogurt. Sometimes when the yogurt is old, it turns sour on its own. If not, then transfer 1 cup plain yogurt to a bowl, cover the bowl and leave it on the counter for 4-6 hours. It will turn slightly sour. Now use it to make fajeto.

If using mango pits, then add 2-3 of them in a bowl along with ½ cup water. Squeeze the pits using clean hands and take out as much of pulp from them as possible. Set aside.

Add 1 cup sour yogurt, 2 tablespoon chickpea flour, ½ inch piece chopped ginger, and 2 whole green chilies to the small jar of a blender and blend to make a lump-free paste.

Heat 2 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan.

When the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, and ¼ teaspoon asafoetida to the pan and let them crackle on medium heat for 3-4 seconds.

Add 2-3 whole dry red chilies and 10-12 curry leaves to the pan and fry for 2-3 seconds.

Now add the yogurt mixture that we made earlier to the pan. Add 3 cups of water, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, salt to taste, and 1 cup mango puree to the pan.

You can add the pits with the squeezed pulp to the pan at this stage if you are using them.

Bring the kadhi to a boil on medium heat. Simmer the heat and let it cook for almost 20-25 minutes on low heat. Keep stirring at regular intervals. Once ready, remove the pan from heat.

For tempering, heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a small pan.

When the ghee is hot, add ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, and 3-4 whole dry red chilies to the pan. Fry for 4-5 seconds on medium heat. Remove the pan from heat. Add ¼ teaspoon dry red chili powder.

Pour the tempering immediately over the cooked fajeto. If you don’t pour the tempering immediately after adding the red chili powder, the powder will burn and give a very foul taste to the kadhi. Mix the tempering well and serve the fajeto with rice or phulka.

Serving Suggestions

Fajeto can be served with simple steamed rice, jeera rice, or khichdi recipes such as moong dal khichdi, Rajasthani bajre ki khichdi, jau moong dal khichdi, or vegetable dalia khichdi. 

You can also serve it along with roti or plain tawa paratha with a side of any everyday dry sabzi.

Storage Suggestions

As fajeto recipe uses yogurt, it is not advisable to store it for more than one day. Store it for a day in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, add it to the pan with a little water and let it come to a boil. Serve hot.

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