mango pickle / aam ka achaar (achar)

Share

Hey,

Sydney it all set to witness warmer temperatures of around 28 degrees and the weather's perfect to set mango pickle. I have set chilli, garlic, and lime pickles before but always heard that mango pickles are tricky so never tried them ... until now :)

went to the markets are 06:00 only to find that fridays are wholesale days. so i couldn't pick up a couple of kgs of raw mangoes. So my brain is going "that's it, quit!" but despite all my instincts asking me to drive back home quitely, I go to this HUGE wholesaler and query, "what's the minimum amount i can buy?". "10 kgs", comes the stern and dismissive reply. ok, then, 10 kgs it is...



so - enough small talk. here's the recipe




before i begin, please note that two things are most important in this process - dryness, and cleanliness. You get a little moisture in somewhere and say adios to the pickle. You have a little dirt/ bacteria on your chopping board/ knife/ hands - bye...

chapter 1: the softening process

wash mangoes thoroughly and wipe them with clean cloth. cut the mangoes into 16 pieces (or less if you like chunky pieces, or, more if you like mushy pickles). Make sure to remove any bad mangoes/ bad parts as these might spoil the party. Keep the raw (white) mangoes separate from the semi-raw mangoes (yellowish)...





add 1 tablespoon turmeric and 2 tablespoon salt for 2 kgs of mangoes. mix well, cover / cling wrap and leave in sun for a day.






(btw, the recipe i am following closely is here)

Next day, early morning, heat 3 ltrs of mustard oil for 5 kgs of raw mangoes and let it cool down. (I guess you heat and then cool it to disinfect and de-moisturize the oil).

Drain the moisture out of the mangoes as much as you can.

For the pickle spice. For 5 kgs of mangoes -

1. 200 grams fennel seeds (1/2 crushed, 1/2 intact)
2. 100 grams onion seeds (kalonji) (1/2 crushed, 1/2 intact)
3. 400 grams salt
4. 1 teaspoon asafoetida powder
5. 200 grams chilli powder (lesser if you done want so spicey)
6. 200 grams flattened yellow mustard seeds



mix the ingredients together, add to the mangoes, add the cooled-down oil.



mix well and jar for three days in clean, dry bottles.





After three days, add the leftover oil so that it (the oil) comes at least till the brim. Leave it for at least a month, shaking/ stirring it everyday - but - with a CLEAN spoon. and no licking ;) !