Tangy Mango Pickle /आम का achar ( Maharashtrian style)

Pickle with chick peas

Pickle ready for bottling

From May end to June end all over India lady of the house gets busy making mango pickle for the entire year. Before the monsoon sets in it should be made bottled and kept in a dry place. I wonder what life would be without mango pickle! Be it the lunch box, picnic basket, or dining table pickle is an omnipresent side dish. In Maharashtra as well as southern part of India mango pickle is made with Mustard seeds and other spices unlike northern India where it is made with fennel seeds and other spices. The oil which is used again makes the taste different from Maharashtra to southern India. In Maharashtra normally ground nut oil is used whereas in southern part sesame oil is used. Whatever may be the ingredients mango pickle will remain mango pickle, which tickles the taste buds of old, young and kids alike.

Preparation Time: 30 min.( For preparing the spices and cutting Mangoes)

Making Time: 90 min. (Time to marinate the mango pieces not included)

Servings: 1.5 kg. Pickle will be made (approximately)

Ingredients Required for Making Mango Pickle:

• 1 kg. Raw Mangoes

Raw mangoes for pickle

• 100 gm. Mustard seeds

• 100 gm. Red chili powder

Red chili powder

• 50 gm. Red Kashmiri mirchi Powder

Kashmiri  Mirchi powder

• 100 gm. Salt (or to taste)

• 1Tea spoon Asafoetida

• 50 gm. Turmeric powder

• 50 gm. Ginger

• 10-15 Kadi Patta (curry leaves)

• 500 ml. Ground nut oil

Direction for making Mango Pickle:

• Wash and wipe the mangoes dry with a clean cloth.

• Cut the top end where the stalk is connected to the mango.

• Keep the mangoes under the sun on a clean cloth /plastic/plate for 30min. to make sure they are dry from outside.

• Cut the mangoes to the required size.

Mango pieces

• Take the mango pieces in a steel/glass bowl and add 50 gm. salt turmeric powder and mix thoroughly.

Salt and Turmeric added to the mango pieces for marination

• Cover with a plate or cloth and keep under the sun for 5-6 hr.

• Liquid from mango mixture will separate out.

Liquid from marination of mango pieces

• Remove the mango pieces and keep in a dry plate.

Marinated mango pieces

• While the mango pieces are marinating make coarse powder of mustard seeds.

• Clean, dry, peel and make paste of ginger.

Ginger paste

• To the liquid add mustard powder, salt, 10 gm. chili powder, 10 gm. Kashmiri mirchi powder and mix.

Salt, Red chili powder, Mustard seed powder

Spices in liquid from marination

• Add 100 ml. oil and mix to make a fine paste.

Oil added to the spices and liquid from marination

Spices paste ready to be added to the marinated mango pieces

• Mix the paste of spices to the marinated mango pieces.

Spices paste mixed with mango pieces

• Keep under the sun covered with cloth /plate for 4-5 hr.

• Take 400ml. oil in a wok and heat it on high flame till it is smoking hot.

• When smoking hot switch off the gas and let it cool for 10 min.

Oil heated to smoking hot and being cooled before Kadi patta is added

• Keep the wok with oil on low flame if the oil becomes cold.

• Add Kadi patta, asafoetida, and cook for 1 min. 

kadi Patta added to hot oil

• Add ginger paste and cook till all moisture evaporates.

Ginger paste added to kadi patta

Ginger paste cooked and ready for chili powder to be added

• Add red chili powder and Kashmiri mirchi powder and cook 30sec.

• Pour the hot oil spices mixture to the mango pieces with spices paste and mix thoroughly.

Chili powder and Kashmiri mirchi powder added and ready to be added to the mango pieces

• Cool it to room temperature before bottling.

Pickle ready for bottling

Pickle with chick peas

• Pickle takes 30 days for maturing.

Serve the pickle with Pulav, Parathas, Dosa, Uttapa it enhances the taste of every meal. That is why it is 

said : Sabka Yar Achar

Tips:

• Mango for pickle should have hard kernel else pickle will not last long.

Mango with hard Kernel for Pickle

• Mustard seed powder or mustard seeds cleaned and halved (Dali of Rai as it is called in Maharashtra) is available in the market. It can be used for making pickle.

• While adding chili powder to hot oil, make sure the oil is not smoking hot else the chili powder will become black leaving unpleasant color and taste to the pickle.

• All utensils used should be dry.

• Spices should be sun dried.

• If you get the mangoes cut from market wash them with water and vinegar mixture (1:10 ratio of vinegar and water) and then dry under the sun.

• Do not bottle the pickle in a plastic container. Plastic contains harmful chemicals which dissolve in pickle.

Suggested Variations:

• Jaggery can be added to the pickle just before it is being bottled. For one Kg. mango 200-250gm. jaggery can be added. Addition of jaggery gives the pickle sweetish sour taste.

• Garlic paste can be added along with ginger paste.

• Ginger and garlic amount can be increased to the taste. More the ginger and garlic amount better it is for the health also.

• Garlic cloves can be added to the pickle before bottling.

• Chick peas can be added to the pickle after cleaning them with clean cloth, just before bottling.

• Garlic and chick absorb the juices of pickle and swell up in a month time and taste very nice.

• White vinegar can be added to the pickle before bottling to increase the shelf life of the pickle. For one Kg. of mango 50 ml. of vinegar is enough.

Mango Pickle ( North Indian style )

Mango Pickle

Mango pickle with chick peas

For all the different stages mango can be used for different purposes it is correctly called The King Of Fruits.

 It can be used in raw as well as ripe form to make many things like jam, cooling drink, pickles etc. Pickles are enjoyed with every meal all over India. In Southern part of Indie Pickle and rice along with Curd is and in Northern part of India apart from Dal Chawal pickles are taken with all sort of Parathas. The method of making mango pickle and its taste varies from one part of India to other part. The recipe of mango pickle I am writing today is at the request of my very good friend Janaki. She belongs to Andhra and loves North Indian pickle, like I love her typical Andhra pickle!

Preparation Time: 60min (for preparing spices mixture and cutting mango)

Servings: Makes 1.5Kg.  g. Pickle approximately

Ingredients Required for Making Mango Pickle:

• 1kg. Raw Mango

Raw Mangoes

• 100 g, Saunf (Fennel seeds)

Saunf (Fennel seeds)

• 50 gm. Methi (Fenugreek seeds)

Methi

• 25 gm. Kalonji (Nigella seed, they are Onion seeds)

Kalonji (Nigella seeds)

• 100gm Red chili Powder

Red chili powder

• 50gm. Red Kashmiri mirchi powder

Kashmiri mirchi powder

• 50gm. Turmeric Powder

• 1Tea spoon Asafoetida

• 150gm. Salt (or to taste)

• 500 ml. Mustard seed oil

Directions for Making the Pickle:

• Cut the part of mango where the stalk connects to the fruit.

• Wash the mangoes nicely and dry them by wiping with clean cloth.

• Keep the mangoes for 30 min. under the sun on a cloth piece / tray/plastic to make sure that all outside moisture is removed.

• Cut the mangoes to the required size.

Mango pieces

• Remove the seeds.

• Take the mango pieces, 50gm. salt and turmeric powder in a steel or glass bowl and mix them thoroughly.

Mango pieces being marinated with salt and turmeric powder

• Cover with a plate and keep under sun for 5-6 hr. for marination.

• Some liquid will separate out during marination of mango pieces.

• Remove the mango pieces from the liquid and keep in a dry bowl / plate.

Marinated mango pieces

• While the mango pieces are getting marinated in salt and turmeric under the sun take 50gm. of Saunf and roast them to pinkish brown color.

Roasted Saunf (Fennel seeds

• Take 25gm. Methi seeds and roast them to pinkish color.

Roasted Methi (Fenugreek) seeds

• Roast whole of Kalonji on low flame.

• Mix the roasted and remaining (50gm. saunf and 25 gm. methi seeds) unroasted seeds and grind them to coarse powder.

Coarsely ground mixture of Fennel  (saunf)seeds and fenugreek  (methi)seeds

• Add kalonji to this powder of roasted seeds.

Kalonji added to the coarsely ground mixture of Methi and saunf seeds

• To the liquid separated from marinated mango pieces add all the powder of spices.

• Add salt, 10 gm red chili powder to the mixture and approximately 100 ml. oil and mix nicely to make homogenous paste.

Red chili powder, salt and oil added to the spices in liquid from marination of  mango pieces

Spices mixed in the liquid from marination of mango pieces

• Mix the paste of spices and marinated mango pieces nicely so as to coat all mango pieces with the spices paste.

Spices mixed with marinated mango pieces

• Cover the container in which the mango and spices mixture is, with a neat cloth piece and keep under sun for 2-3 days.

• In a wok take remaining 400ml. Mustard seed oil and heat it on high flame till it is smoking hot.

Oil in wok being heated for pickle

• Remove the wok from heat and allow it to cool for 5-10min.

• Add 1 tea spoon of saunf, red chili powder, Kashmiri mirchi powder and asafoetida and stir.

• The chili powder will get cooked in oil leaving color, taste and flavor to the oil.

Chili powder and hing cooking in oil

Oil and chili powder mixture ready to be added to the mango pieces

• Add this hot oil and chili powder mixture to the mango and spices mixture.

• Mix the contents thoroughly.

• Pickle is ready to be bottled.

Mango pickle ready for bottling

• Bottle the pickle in a glass bottle and cover it with a clean cloth piece.

• Tie the cloth piece tightly and keep it under the sun for 10-15 days.

Mango Pickle

• Pickle takes30 days minimum to mature.

Tips:

• The mango for pickle should have hard kernel otherwise the pickle will not last long.

Mango with hard kernel which should be taken for pickling

• All utensils used should be dry.

• Red chili powder should not be added to smoking hot oil, otherwise if will get burnt leaving bad taste and black color to the pickle.

• Don't use plastic bottle for the pickle as it has certain chemicals which will go into the pickle and  are harmful. 
• Do not change mustard oil with any other oil because the real taste of this pickle comes when made in mustard oil. 
• If you are getting the mangoes cut from market then after they are cut wash them first with water white vinegar mixture ( 1:10 ratio of vinegar and water) and then dry under the sun.

Suggested Variations:

• Few cloves of garlic can be added it not only changes the flavor but also acts as preservative.

• Wipe the chick peas with a clean cloth and add it to the prepared pickle before bottling, 

Mango pickle with chick pea

•  After 20-30 days the chick peas will swell up and will have all flavor of spices and sourness of raw mango.

• For one Kilo of mango 50 ml. white vinegar can be added to the pickle before bottling to increase the life of pickle.

• Whole red chilies can be added to the hot oil before adding chili powder these.