Avakkai pickle or Avakkai manga Urugaai also known as Cut Mango Pickle is a joy to make even for a beginner during the mango season. The process is very easy and its also a no cook pickle if you sun dry the spices. Its as easy as ABC…, cut, mix and rest and the pickle is ready. Its also very economic and clean when you could make this at home instead of buying it from the shop. There’s no better combo than curd rice and Spicy Avakkaya on a hot summer day for lunch. Amma learned this pickle while living in Andhra after her marriage and I have been following her recipe all these years.

I have stopped cutting the mangoes with kitchen knives long back as I have broken many a knives in my attempt to cut them with the kernels. Amma had a large knife that resembled a sickle and she used to cut the mangoes with ease along with the kernels and earlier even in shops they used to cut them and give if we requested. But now-a-days, they are not that obliging as they used to be.

In the shop where I usually buy vegetables, they sell a special variety of mango from Andhra that is specifically used for pickling purpose during every season. I always buy only that one as there is a huge difference in the taste when compared to the normal mango variety.

When I made this pickle for the first time years ago, I heated the oil and added it to the pickle as the smell of the raw gingelly oil does not sit well with me and really regretted it and got an earful from my mother too. The aroma of the pickle changes dramatically. So if you are like me, trust me when I say to add the oil with out heating it even if you do not like the smell of it. Only then, the avakkai pickle will smell and taste awesome. The raw smell of the oil goes off after it gets to live with the mango pieces and the spices.

Avakkai Mango Pickle Recipe

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Ingredients:

• Raw Mango, large (1.236 Kgs) – 3 nos
• Fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) – 3 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 cup
• Rock Salt (crystal salt) – 3/4 cup
• Red chili powder – 1/2 cup
• Gingelly Oil (Sesame oil/Nallenai) – 1 cup

Instructions:

1. Wash and wipe the mangoes. Cut it into bite sized pieces working around the seed. It weighed approx., 1 kg without the seeds, roughly 3+3/4 cup when measured. Heat a pan and dry roast fenugreek seeds, shaking the pan so that it gets roasted well. Take care not to burn the seeds. Transfer it to a bowl and to the same pan add the mustard seeds.
2. Dry roast for a few seconds while stirring with a ladle. Transfer both to a mixie jar and grind it to a coarse powder. Now add red chili powder, rock salt and grind it to a fine powder.
3. Transfer the cut mango pieces to a food grade container. Add the ground spice powder and stir well with a wooden spatula so that it coats all the mango pieces evenly.
4. Add the gingelly oil to the mango pieces and stir well. It will look dry and as though the oil is not enough. But cover the container and let the pickle sit for 2 days. If possible keep shaking the container or stir using a clean spatula 2 or 3 times a day. After that, you can see the oil floating on top.
5. After a week of resting and letting the mango pieces soak in the oil and spices, they would have softened considerably well and you can start using the pickle.
6. Transfer to sterilized, dry bottles or ceramic containers (barni) and pour the remaining oil so that they float on top.
7. Store in room temperature. It keeps well for a year. Use a dry spoon while using to serve.