Dhideer uppinakayi | Instant mango pickle recipe

Thinking about pickles reminds me of the month long process of making whole mango pickles back home.

First the raw mangoes are mixed with salt and sealed in a china clay jar for 15 days and when the mangoes leave all the water and shrink in size they are dried for 2 days. Salt and mango water is cooked for hours to make the thick sauce with pickling spices. The whole process would take about a month. 

Not many of us have so much time and patience to follow these elaborate and traditional ways of making pickles. So I love this quicker way of making cut mango  pickles which is hassle free. This is my mother's recipe and during the mango seasons she ends up making it every other week with the home grown totapuri mangoes. It tastes great and can be made within 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

Totapuri raw mango :500 gms

Salt :100 gms

Mustard seeds powder: 25 gms

Red chilli powder:25 gms

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp

Coconut oil: 4 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds: 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp

Method: 

1. Chop mangoes into small pieces.

2. Add salt, red chilli powder, mustard powder and turmeric and mix well so that all mango pieces are wellcoated. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, when it splutters add fenugreek seeds and asafoetida and turn off the flame.

4. Pour the hot oil onto the mango pieces and combine well.

5. Store in an airtight jar and you can use it for up to one month at room temperature and for about 6-8 months if  refrigerated. Always use clean and dry spoon to remove pickle from the jar.

Notes:

1.Adjust the amount of red chilli powder as per your taste.

2.You can replace coconut oil with mustard oil or vegetable oil.