Raw Mango Pickle (Aam Ka Achar)
Lipsmackingly delicious sun fermented pickle made with green mangoes and indian pickle spices
Ingredients
- 1 kg unripe mangoes raw mangoes
- 50 g fennel seeds coarsely ground
- 40 g brown mustard seeds finely ground
- 25 g turmeric powder
- 75-90 g salt or more if needed
- 600 ml virgin mustard oil
- 25 g red chilli powder hot, adjust to taste
- 2 teaspoon hing powder asafoetida
- 40 g fenugreek seeds leave whole
- 20 g nigella seeds leave whole
- 25 g kashmiri chilli powder for color
Instructions
PREPARE MANGOES
- Wash the unripe mangoes and then soak them whole in a large pot of water for a few hours. This gets rid of any residues or dirt on the skins. Additionally, this soaking process also helps to remove some of the astringency in the raw mangoes.
- Pat the mangoes dry completely. Make sure your hands are clean and dry before you start cutting them.My grandmother used to say that water is the biggest energy of pickle. From this step onwards, you will have to be careful that your hands are dry as well as all the utensils and canning jars that come in contact with the pickle.
- Cut and discard the top stem and then cut the mangoes into half. Remove and discard the innermost seed & membrane surrounding it. Cut each half into 1 inch cubes. Do not wash mangoes after cutting.
- In a large bowl, add the chopped mangoes and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt. Using a wooden spoon or with clean, dry hands mix well to coat the mangoes. I prefer wearing a food safe gloves so as to avoid contamination.
- Layer the salted mangoes on a large glass plate or tray (any non reactive material is good). I usually line the bowl or tray with a paper towel but it is optional.
- Let sit in sun for 1-2 days or until mango skins starts to dry on edges and turning pale green. We want to remove moisture from the mangoes and concentrate their sourness before we add the spices & oil.
MAKE MANGO ACHAR
- On third day, place sun dried mango pieces in a large bowl (I use a stainless steel mixing bowl). Avoid using a glass bowl for safety since we are going to pour hot oil later. Sprinkle the salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, fennel powder and mustard powder.
- Next, add mustard oil to a sauce pan and warm it up on low heat.Take off the heat and to the warm oil, add hing powder, kashmiri chili powder and the whole spices (nigella seeds & fenugreek seeds). Give a stir and immediately pour it over the mangoes.
- Using a spoon, mix very well such that all the mangoes are coated in oil and spices. The achaar will have a very strong smell and the masala will have a bitter taste right now but that's expected. At this point you will also feel that the oil is extra but as the pickle will cook in sun, the spice powders that we added are going to absorb the oil and swell. Also the mangoes need to be coated in oil at all times during fermentation to avoid bacterial formation.
- Pour the mango achar in a tall glass jar leaving 2 inches space from the mouth of the jar. Tie a muslin cloth, malmal or a cheesecloth on the mouth of lid. Don't put the lid since we want the moisture of mangoes to escape during fermentation. If you will put the lid, the moisture trying to escape as the pickle heats up in sunlight will be trapped inside. Hence, your achar won't get to breathe and this will lead to mold formation.
- Allow the achar to stand in full sun for next 8-12 days( this time will depend on the strength of sun in the area you live). Shake or stir the achar once or twice a day using a clean, dry spoon. Don't use hands.
- At the end of sun fermentation, the skins of the mangoes would be brownish and the strong, bitter taste of spices will go away. The mangoes will be soft and pulpy. It won't be pungent, rather will have a tangy and spicy flavor. Your mango pickle is ready.
Storing Mango Pickle
- Store mango pickle at room temperature for up to 10-12 months in a dark, cool dry place . The concentration of salt, oil and spices act as a natural preservative and you don't need anything else to enhance its shelf life post fermentation. It is perfectly fine to store mango achar at room temperature. Always use a clean spoon to serve the pickle.
Notes
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- Never under salt the pickle. Salt draws out moisture of raw mangoes that evaporates during the fermentation process. If salt is less, mold formation can occur because there will be moisture build up in the pickle.
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- Do not use less oil while making mango pickle, or in fact any kind of pickle.
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- If you do not like the strong aroma of mustard oil, heat it up to smoky to do away the smell, let cool slightly and then use.
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- I prefer to make a small batch and finish off in a few months since we do not like very soft mangoes. You could double this recipe for a larger batch.
- Mango pickle pairs deliciously with indian flatbreads such as plain parathas, stuffed aloo methi parathaor paneer paratha, deep fried aloo kachori or soft naan.
- Serve it with dal rice or dal khichdi and rice pulao dishes like methi pulao or soya pulao.
- You can use the pickle masala in marinades for dishes such as achari paneer tikka.
- I love to serve it alongside indian style breakfasts such a besan toast or bedmi poori or aloo puri.
- Indian snacks like atta mathri and methi puri are extra delicous with mango achar.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!