Easy & quick raw mango pickle

There are numerous types of pickles that can be found in an Indian kitchen - raw mango pickle is just  one of the many varieties. The sheer amount of choices can be overwhelming.  Which part of the country you come from, can have a huge impact on the way you view pickles. Pickles are made of almost all vegetables, some fruits, fish and meats, for example carrots, lime, ivy gourd (tendli), garlic, tomato, mixed vegetables, lotus stem, star fruit, shrimp (prawns), macerals, dried Bombay duck and the list goes on.

My mum never made any pickle, so I don't have any memories to share on that front. Our pickles were store bought as my mum believed that time and effort spent in making pickles could be put to better use :-) I grew up believing that making pickles was a tiring and time consuming process and never tried venturing into that area of cooking. That all changed two years ago, when a neighbor of mine shared a big bag of mangoes from the tree growing in her garden. Some of them were raw and some were on their way to ripening. I didn't want to be rude and accepted the mangoes gratefully, wondering what could I possibly do with these many mangoes. There is no way I could have used so many in a curry or daal, and therefore decided to try my hand at making a pickle.

So that's how I got initiated into the art of pickle making. While many pickles are tiresome to make, I chose a quick and easy recipe, by sifting through a lot of recipes online. My recipe has six ingredients that are essential - fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, oil and salt. Garlic and green chilly are purely optional.

Ingredients:

1. Raw mangoes - 1 kg
2. Mustard seeds - 2 tbsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
5. Kashmiri red chilly powder - 2 and half tbsp
6. Salt - 1/4 cup
7. Oil - 250 ml
8. Garlic - 1 pod
9. Green chilly - 4 nos

Method:

1. Read the notes before you actually start.
2. Wash the whole mangoes in water, scrub them clean and towel dry them. They need to be completely dry with no trace of moisture. You can sun dry the whole mangoes if possible. Cube the mangoes into one inch pieces.
3. Apply turmeric powder and salt to the mangoes and keep aside.
4. Dry roast 1 and half tbsp of mustard seeds and the fenugreek seeds. Cool it and dry grind it to a smooth powder.
5. Crush and peel the garlic, roughly chop it. Wash, dry and cut green chilly into two inch pieces.
6. Use a large pan to make the pickle, big enough to hold all ingredients, and with enough room to mix the contents well.
7. Heat the pan, add the oil, let the oil heat well. Add the half tbsp of mustard seeds, let it splutter, when the spluttering stops add the garlic and the green chilly. Adding garlic and green chilly is optional, in case you aren't using it, just move to the next step.
8. Switch of the gas flame and add the ground powder and red chilly powder.
9. Now add the mangoes and mix well. Cover with a lid and let it marinate for 24 hours. the pickle should look oily as this will ensure a longer shelf life.
10. Transfer to clean, dry and air-tight glass jars. Use as needed.

Notes:

• I have kept the above pickle at room temperature for two weeks and in the refrigerator for over six months.
• Moisture is the biggest enemy of any pickle, so everything used in the pickle making process should be completely dry, including your hands, the spoon to mix, the chopping board, knife, all pans, bowls etc used for holding the ingredients till they are used. I can't stress enough how important this part is.
• Storage jars should be preferably sun dried.
• In case the mangoes are not sour enough, you can heat a 1/4 cup water in a sauce pan, bring it to a boil and add 1/4 cup vinegar to it. Let it boil well, put off the flame. Cool it down and add to the mango pickle after the pickle has come to the room temperature.