Raw Mango Pickle Recipe
Raw mango (or kairi) pickle is the most favorite and most common kind of pickle. It is commonly made during the summer months, just before the ripe mango season. This is the time when you get those perfectly hard and perfectly sour raw mangoes in the market. I haven't added any oil to this pickle, (except just a few drops needed to fry the fenugreek seeds) but if you like you may add as given in the procedure below. This pickle will stay good in a refrigerator or outside (if adding oil), for up to a year. There is another variation of this pickle that stays good for a shorter time (just a few weeks). Enjoy this finger-licking pickle!
Ingredients
- Raw mango (Kairi) - 6 cups of raw mango cut into small pieces
- Skinned and split mustard seeds - 1/2 cup
- Aasafoetida (Hing) - 2 tsp
- Turmeric Powder - 1/8 cup or 7 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
- Oil - 1/4 tsp
- Salt - about 1 cup
- Red chili powder - 1/3 cup
Instructions
- Take hard and green raw mangoes and cut in to small 1" cubes as shown in the pictures below.
- Scrape out the pulp sticking to the seed, and cut into small pieces., and add to the mango cubes.
- Divide all the cubes into 5 equal heaps and make one heap of salt, same in size as one of the mango heaps. (It comes to about 1 cup salt.)
- Grind the skinned mustard seeds to a coarse powder and keep aside.
- Fry fenugreek seeds in 1/4 tsp oil., till they are reddish brown in color.
- To the fenugreek seeds, add turmeric powder, and asafoetida, grind to a fine powder.
- Add the heap of salt and red chili powder and run through the grinder once more to blend everything together.
- Add the skinned mustard seeds, that were coarsely ground in step 2. The pickle 'masala' is now ready.
- Now transfer all the mango pieces to a mixing bowl, and add 1/2 of the pickle masala. Mix well.
- Now transfer 1/2 cup of these cubes, to a glass or plastic jar (that will be used for storing the pickle), to form one layer. On this evenly spread 2 tbsp masala. Again add the next layer of 1/2 cup mango cubes, followed by 2 tbsp masala. Repeat till all the cubes and the entire masala is used up. Let the topmost layer be that of the masala.
- Cover the jar and let it stay for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, gently toss the cubes in the jar, a few times, to mix well.
- Keep covered and store in a dry place.
- In about 2-3 days, lots of water will be released and enough juice will be formed to cover all the mango cubes.
- Now cover and store the pickle in a refrigerator or add oil (as given in step 16, to cover all the pieces) and store in a dry, place.
- If you want to add oil, first heat the oil in a pan and then allow to cool completely. Then add to cover all the mango cubes.
