Avakkai Mango Pickle is one of the most popular South Indian Pickle recipes. A smidgen of this pickle is more than enough for me to make my meal scrumptious. A Big bowl of Curd Rice and a piece of Avakkai Urugai. A must-have in my plate and my love for Pickles have followed me all along, that I stock up home-made Bottles & Bottles of different pickles in my pantry.
     There was a time when I thought Pickle making was tedious & meticulous.  Once you get the knack of making Pickle, it is one of the easiest job ever.  Simple techniques to lengthen the shelf life and a bit of patience is what you need for a perfect, long-lasting Pickle. Avakkai Mango Pickle is a no-cook Pickle. 
     But the only tedious process while making this pickle is to get the mangoes cut all through the seed.  The outer covering of a Raw Mango is hard that this job is really a difficult process to get it done at home. In India, I have heard that the shopkeepers chop the mangoes just for the purpose.  I usually use my Mincing Knife and a Hammer to get the job done. Mangoes are cut into cubes having the shell intact. Care should be taken while chopping the mangoes, keeping the shell and the kernel intact.  Once the Mangoes are cut, remove the kernels and discard them.
     For any pickle, Mustard, Asafoetida, Fenugreek seeds and mainly OIL plays a major role.  The type of oil used in a pickle is based on the region from which it originates. South Indian Pickles use Indian Gingelly Oil whereas, North Indian Pickles are laced with Mustard Oil. In Avakkai Pickle, the mustard seeds play the main part, imparting a wonderful flavour to this pickle. We need to add more of crushed mustard seeds compared to other pickles. Another important ingredient for this pickle(any pickle as a matter of fact) is Oil. We should be generous enough while adding oil to Avakkai Mango Pickle.  This will prolong the shelf life. The spice and oil play a significant role in the shelf life of the pickle.


Cuisine - South Indian
Recipe Type - Pickle
Difficulty - Easy
Yields - 5- 51/2 Cups
Author - SM


Preparation Time - 20 - 30 Minutes
Maturing Time - 5 Days to 1 Week

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HOW TO MAKE AVAKKAI MANGO PICKLE

INGREDIENTS :

Raw Mango - 5 Cups
Salt - 1/4 Cup
Red Chilli Powder - 3/4 Cup
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Cup
Fenugreek Seeds Powder - 2 Tablespoons
Asafoetida - 11/2 Tspn
Yellow Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Cup
Black Chick Peas - 1/4 Cup(Optional)
Gingelly(Sesame) Oil - 1 Cup

METHOD :

• Wash the Mangoes and pat dry them with a clean kitchen towel.
• Chop the Mangoes into cubes having the shell intact.
• In a large mixing bowl/jar, add the chopped Mango pieces along with Salt and mix well.
• Cover the bowl/jar and leave this aside for a day.
• Next day, the water would have released from the Mangoes.
• Meanwhile, dry roast the Fenugreek seeds on a low flame until it splutters and turns fragrant.
• Grind the roasted Fenugreek Seeds into a fine powder and keep it aside.
• Dry roast the Yellow Mustard seeds on a very low flame for a few minutes.
  
• Coarsely grind or Crush the Yellow Mustard Seeds and keep it aside.
• Give a quick toss, add Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Crushed Mustard Seeds, Fenugreek Powder & Asafoetida Powder to the chopped Mangoes and mix well.
• Finally, add the Black Chick Peas to the above and mix well(optional).
• Pour the Gingelly Oil into the Pickle and mix well.
• Mix all the ingredients until well combined, add a dash of Salt if required.
• Tightly cover the mouth of the jar and leave this in a cool, dry and dark place for about 5 days to 1 week.
• Mix the pickle every two days with a clean and dry spoon(preferably wooden spoon).
• After 5 days to a week's time, Avakkai Mango Pickle is ready to be used.
• The Avakkai Mango Pickle is ready once the spice mixture is well infused into the Mangoes.
• The Mangoes would have turned soft and tender, once the pickle is ready.
• Store the Pickle in a clean and dry Glass/Ceramic Jar.
• Avakkai Mango Pickle tastes great with Curd Rice and is the best accompaniment with Rice Gruel(Porridge).

NOTES:

• The mangoes should be absolutely dry & moist free before cutting them for the Pickle.
• Care should be taken while chopping the mangoes, keeping the shell and the kernel intact.  Once the Mangoes are cut, remove the kernels and discard them.
• If it is difficult to cut the Mangoes with the Shell intact, chop them into cubes without the shell.
• Care should be taken while dry roasting fenugreek seeds.  Do not burn them, which would totally spoil the taste of the pickle.
• Adding Black Chick Peas to Avakkai Mango Pickle is truly optional.
• Adjust the amount of Red Chilli Powder to suit your spice level.
• Pour ample of Gingelly Oil to the pickle.  This will prolong the shelf life of the pickle.
• If you feel that extra oil should be added, once the pickle is made, Heat the Sesame Oil, cool it and then pour it over the pickle.
• Avoid using steel/aluminium/copper container for preserving the mangoes, as they tend to react with the acidic nature of salt and mangoes.
• A suitable method is to store them in a clean and dry, sterilized Glass/Ceramic/Porcelain Jars.
• Always use clean & dry spoons while handling this Avakkai Mango Pickle. 
• Wet jars/spoon can spoil the pickle as the moisture in them helps in the growth of Fungus and that would spoil the pickle. 
• If stored properly,  Avakkai Mango Pickle can last for a year or so. 
• The Pickle should be stored in a dry and dark place.
• In humid climates, it is advisable to keep them refrigerated to avoid spoilage.