Green Mango Pickle — Manga Achar

Green Mango Pickle — Manga Achar

Ingredients

Prep: 15 min, plus marinating and maturing time

2 cups mango (about 3-4 small mangoes), lightly pared and diced small

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon gingili oil, or sesame oil (nallenna)

½ teaspoon black mustard seeds

2 small sprigs curry leaves

¼ teaspoon fenugreek powder

½ teaspoon asafetida

1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder

1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder

4 tablespoon water

Directions

Choose unripe mangoes with firm skin and greenish white flesh. Using a peeler, slightly pare the dark green skin without peeling the skin completely (refer picture)—a bit of skin adds a really nice texture to the pickle. Slice the flesh, cutting around the pit, and then dice into small pieces.

Toss the diced mangoes with 1 teaspoon salt and set aside for 8 hours, preferably overnight. This dehydrates them slightly so that the mango pieces retain their crispness when pickled. Drain the liquid and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add mustard seeds and cook until they crackle, about 30 seconds. Stir in curry leaves, and spice mixtures—fenugreek, asafetida, chili, turmeric—and cook, stirring, for 15 seconds. Pour in water and bring to boil over low heat.

Remove from heat, add diced mango and mix well. Taste and add salt, if needed (I didn’t use any extra salt). Ladle into a clean, dry, sterilized glass jar; seal with lid. Shake jar to evenly disperse ingredients and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days to infuse flavors.

The pickle tastes best after aging for 2-3 days. Refrigerate after opening. It will keep several weeks in the refrigerator, if not eaten immediately.

Serve mango pickles with any rice dishes. In fact, pickles perfectly complement any Indian meal, and are mixed and eaten with the other food served, just like chutney.