Mango Jelly - Mamidi Tandra - Andhra Telugu Sweets - Indian Mithai - Natural Fruits - Vegetarian Food

Preparations:

To make mamidi tandra, use readily available tinned mango pulp or squeeze ripe mangoes and extract pulp. Here I am using readily available tinned mango pulp to make tandra. As tandra is made in stages, the taken mango pulp will be used in stages. So it would be convenient to store and use if the mango pulp is divided into equal proportions. Weigh 250gms of mango pulp and take it into a small container. Similarly divide mango pulp into the small containers, each having 250gms of mango pulp. Like this distribute 31/2kgs mango pulp into 14 containers each having 250gms of mango pulp. Cover each container with a lid and store the mango pulp in freezer. Remove two containers from freezer and place them in fridge the night before. Morning take out the two containers from fridge and thaw them before starting the process of tandra.

If the mango pulp is not sweet enough, sweeten the pulp by adding sugar or artificial sweetener. Here we are going to prepare two varieties of tandra:

1. Tandra made by adding sugar to mango pulp

2. Tandra made by adding artificial sweetener to mango pulp.

Take thawed 250gms mango pulp (one Container) into a dry bowl. Add 50gms sugar to the pulp and mix with a spoon to dissolve sugar. The pulp is ready to spread as a layer.

Take thawed 250gms mango pulp (one container) into a dry bowl. Add 7 measures (measuring spoon shown in the movie clip) of artificial sweetener to the mango pulp and mix with a spoon to dissolve sweetener. The pulp is ready to spread as a layer.

Method:

Before spreading the mango pulp, let us make a solar drier.

Solar Drier:

Spread a black cloth in sun. With the help of supports place a glass sheet on the black cloth as shown in the movie clip. observe a hollow space between black cloth and the glass sheet—this is the place where we dry the mango pulp to prepare tandra. Mango pulp is spread evenly in the aluminum tins and the tins are place beneath the glass sheet to dry hygienically.

First let us understand the logic behind using the glass sheet. When the tins are placed under the glass sheet, it acts as a protection preventing dust falling on the pulp. At the same time, as light and heat passes through glass, the layered pulp dries easily.

To complete the process of solar drier, lift the black cloth from all sides on to the glass sheet and secure with clips as shown in the movie clip. We are using black cloth as it absorbs heat and keeps the place warm inside. Thus using a solar drier protects dust falling on to the mango pulp, drying it at the same time to make tandra.

Take a flat tin, add ghee and smear to coat the sides and bottom of the tin. Take mango pulp to which sugar has been added and mix well once. Pour a ladleful of pulp into the ghee coated tin. Tilt the tin to spread the mango pulp evenly as a thin layer. Place the mango pulp spread tin under the glass sheet of the solar drier.

Take another flat tin, add ghee and smear to coat the sides and bottom of the tin. Take mango pulp to which artificial sweetener has been added and mix well once. Pour a ladleful of pulp into the ghee coated tin. Tilt the tin to spread the mango pulp evenly as a thin layer. Place this mango pulp spread tin under the glass sheet of the solar drier.

For convenience, let us name the tin in which sugar mixed pulp is added as TIN-A and the tin in which artificial sweetener is added as TIN-B. Place both TIN-A and TIN-B under the glass sheet of solar drier as shown in the movie clip. Lift the black cloth and secure with clips. On two sides of the solar drier, open up a small gap for the air to pass through----this gap will allow air and prevents vapor formation on the glass sheet while drying the mango pulp. Allow the mango pulp to dry in sun for few hours. After drying in sun, moisture evaporates from the mango pulp and it forms into a thick layered jelly. Now add another ladleful of mango pulp above the dried mango pulp layer and tilt the tin to spread the pulp evenly. As you observe, the pulp in TIN-B dries faster than in TIN-A as there is no additional moisture of sugar in pulp. Like this add mango pulp in Tin-A and TIN-B and place these tins under the glass sheet of the solar drier. Do not forget to leave a gap in the solar drier for air to pass through. After few hours of drying in hot sun the second layer also thickens. Then repeat the process of pouring the pulp and spreading it by tilting the tin to form another layer. Dry under solar drier till evening. Using one container of mango pulp we get three layers of mango jelly. Daily repeat the process of:

1. Taking two containers from the freezer and place them in fridge the night before

2. Bring out the two containers from fridge and thaw the mango pulp

3. Add sugar to one container and artificial sweetener to another container and mix well

4. Spread some mango pulp in respective TINs and dry them in sun under solar drier

5. After few hours of drying in hot sun, add another layer of mango pulp in respective TINs and dry

6. Repeat the process of spreading pulp and drying in sun till the taken pulp is over for the day

7. Repeat the process mentioned from 1-6 above for the remaining pulp

By the time the taken pulp is over, the layered and dried pulp will be thick enough. Even after the taken pulp is over dry the TINs in hot sun for two to three days to dry the layered pulp. After drying in sun the layered mango pulp will transform into a thick jelly. When the mango jelly is ready, run a knife to loosen the edges from the TIN. Gently remove it from the TIN and cut into desired pieces or slabs. To store the jelly, wrap a slab of jelly in cling film. Gift this fresh home-made mamidi tandra or mango jelly to friends or relatives. Cut the jelly slab into small cubes and serve.

Points to Notice:

Add sugar or artificial sweetener according to taste. If mangoes are sweeter, there is no need to add any sweetener.

Tandra can be made using aluminum tins or bamboo mats. If using bamboo mats, you get a design of the mat after you make the jelly. Traditionally the mango pulp is spread on bamboo mats as commercially tandra is made in large quantities.

Thaw the mango pulp before adding sugar. After adding sugar, do not refrigerate the pulp.

As mentioned above, using a solar drier gives hygienically fresh mango jelly.

Do not forget to leave a gap on two sides of the solar drier after the TINs are placed beneath the glass sheet. As water evaporates from the pulp in the form of vapor, the gap left on two sides of the solar drier will allow it to escape.

Form layers of mango pulp to desired thickness and dry to form tandra.

Observe that the mango jelly made with artificial sweetener will be slightly hard and chewy compared to the jelly prepared with sugar---this is because of the moisture content in the sugar. Moisture in sugar keeps the mango jelly soft—as there is no additional moisture of sugar in the pulp in which artificial sweetener is added, it will be hard and chewy--but the taste will be good.

The Jelly made with sugar would be having a light color compared to the deep color of the artificial sweetner

I have used 31/2kgs of mango pulp and got

Mango jelly made with sugar – 660gms

Mango jelly made with artificial sweetener – 360gms

Enjoy fresh home-made mango jelly as it is or add to any fruit salad to get the fresh mango flavor throughout the year.

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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