4 March 2009

Mango Pickle


Summer arrives in India in early March and the first of the raw mangoes appear in the marketplaces. The women in the neighbourhood eagerly await the mango-seller walking through the streets with a huge basketful of baby mangoes on his head. As always they hail him, pick through the best of the raw mangoes, weigh their bulk purchase and haggle over the prices. They then go through the process of wiping the mangoes dry, rubbing in measured portions of salt and leaving the huge bucket of mangoes to bask in the sun for a few days. The mangoes are then brought indoors and spiced with red chilli powder and mustard powder, bottled in sterilised bottles and left outdoors again to cook in the warmth of the sun. Everyday the bottles are shaken to allow the spices and salt to mingle evenly with the mangoes. As the days go by, the mangoes absorb the spices to turn into a lip-smacking 'kanni-manga' pickle, finally distributed among relatives.

While the entire process of pickling is a fantastic journey, the wait till one can actually taste the pickle is killing. And on days when the craving for a pickle is just too much to resist, an easy and quick mango pickle can be made. There are no particular measurements used for this pickle since the pickle does not keep well. It is best consumed within two or three days. To make the pickle, chop a regular raw mango into tiny pieces. Mix salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and mustard(rye) powder and toss well. Store in a dry container or sterilised bottle. The flavours should mingle well in 4-5 hours. Teams well with rice.

13 comments:

lubnakarim06 said...

Wow mouth watering.......

Kitchen Chronicles said...

Mouth-watering Mango Pickle. I also remember my neighbour doing the same steps you have been telling.

FH said...

I am drooling here. Wish I could get some raw Mangoes here,pickle looks so good there.

Summer is still a dream for us. It snowed 6" on Monday and turned to ice y'day. Today is lot better! :))

Trupti said...

mango pickle looks mouthwatering

Bong Mom said...

Slurrrrrp, this doesn't need the sun ? Does it stay ?

Manju said...

mmm..love pickles!! i remember helping my grandmom in cleaning the mangoes and arranging them in the sun...sigh..

Sia said...

aha, so u r enjoying all good things in India then :) i will wait for my share of pickle when u get bk ;)

sra said...

I love this kind of mustardy mango pickle.

Anonymous said...

I left a comment here some days back, how have you been ?

Sandeepa

Unknown said...

slurp.....sounds delicious.. the best mango pickle i have ever tasted which i procured from www.myethnicworld.com...yup, seriously.

J said...


All - Thanks for stopping by! Happy holi to all!

Asha - It's quite warm here already..can't imagine how hot May can get!

Sandeepa - This doesn't need the sun, but it won't stay well. Use it up as soon as you can. And, I'm doing fine, thanks for asking :)

Sia - Sure girl;)

Sra - Where is the avvakai recipe??? Nothing beats the fieriness of andhra pickles.

Dawn - Will check out the site.

KF said...

Mouthwatering!! I love mango pickles.

Cynthia said...

I was going to comment on the corn post and got distracted by the mango pickle (lol)