Mango Pickle | How to make Mango Pickle - by foodoogger

 Mango Pickle

The recipe comes from my elder aunty and she had learnt this pickle from her mother-in-law and later passed on the method to us. This is one of my earlier recipe posts and I have updated the recipe post with better photos.

If you are a pickle lover like me, you are going to love this pickle. I am such a fan of pickles that I have pickles with everything from dal, vegetable stir fries and even with roti or paratha.

Ingredients

·  1 - kilogram unripe green mangoes or 7 to 7.5 cups chopped mangoes

·        ¼ cup mustard seeds {Sarson}, 40 grams or 40 grams split mustard seeds

·        ¼ cup fenugreek seeds {methi}, 45 grams or 45 grams split fenugreek seeds

·        ¼ cup fennel seeds {saunf}, 30 grams

·        ¼ tablespoon nigella seeds {Kalonji}, 30 grams

·        3 tablespoons turmeric powder, 15 grams

·        ¼ cup red chili powder, 25 grams

·        ½ cup rock salt (edible and food grade), 125 grams or add as required - can add regular salt

·        3 cups mustard oil - ad more if required

Instructions

Preparation

1. Before you begin take the spices and salt in small bowls and keep them in sunlight for 1 to 2 hours. This step is optional but does help in getting rid of any moisture from the spices and salt.

2. Later take the fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds in a dry grinder jar or a spice grinder and grind to a coarse mixture.

3. Rinse and wipe the unripe green mangoes and let them dry naturally. You can even wipe them dry with a clean kitchen towel.

Making Punjabi Mango Pickle

1. Chop the mangoes into 1.5 inches pieces. and add them to a bowl. Discard the stones but do peel off the flesh from the stones if any. No need to remove the outer skin of the mangoes if they are soft and tender.

2. Take the chopped mangoes in a large non-reactive mixing bowl.

3. Now first add the ground fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds.

4. Then add fennel seeds, nigella seeds, turmeric powder, and red chili powder, and salt.

5. With a steel or wooden spoon, mix very well so that the spices uniformly coat the mango pieces. Check the taste of the pickle masala mixture or 1 to 2 mango pieces. The taste should be slightly salty. If not, then add some more salt.

6. Next pour ½ cup of mustard oil.

7. Mix very well.

8. Spoon the prepared pickle mixture in a clean ceramic jar or glass jar. Use a clean spoon.

9. Cover with lid and keep in sunlight for 3 to 4 days. Note that the sunlight should be very good with the strong sun rays falling on the pickle jar. It should not be cloudy or dark.

10. Everyday after sun-drying in the evening, open the lid and give a gentle mix to the pickle with a clean spoon. Take the mango pieces settled at the bottom upwards in the jar and give a thorough mix. Basically mixing and tossing that needs to be done. Do this every day. 

11. In the evening, get the jar inside and keep it in a cool dry place. Next morning again keep in the sunlight.

12. After keeping in the sunlight for 3 to 4 days, add the remaining 2.5 cups of mustard oil. Again with a clean spoon mix very well. The oil should seep inside in the jar and reach the bottom of the jar too. You want all the mango pieces to be surrounded with some oil.

13. Note that you do not need to heat the mustard oil. You can add more mustard oil if required. Do note that the mustard oil should float above the pickle by 2 to 3 inches Always remember to keep the oil floating above the pickle.

14. Seal with the lid keep in a cool dry place for 4 days till everything gets mellowed and pickled. Initially, you may find a slightly bitter taste in the pickle, but after 6 to 7 days, the bitterness will go away. This Punjabi mango pickle stays good for a year at room temperature without refrigeration.

15. Enjoy this Punjabi mango pickle with any Indian meal.