Special Kadumanga Achar | Mango Pickle (Instant Style)

Lenten friendly recipes is all we need now and so you may not come across any non veg recipes here in my space till Easter. Purely vegetarian for fifty days and am happy that this discipline will help rejuvenate the body and mind. I may not strictly follow the strict vegetarian routine unless there is such practices where I feel should abstain to relish my favorite non-vegetarian recipes. Mangoes and jackfruits are going to be in season soon and both of these are our family favorite too. I have many mango recipes that I already posted, please check this link here. Though I have posted the traditional style kadumanga recipe here but this is a very special type of kadumanga that is prepared in our native church served for Good Friday along with rice gruel(kanji) and payaru. This is a very popular pickle among the residents in Kunnamkulam. This pickle is mae in very large batches and there are also packets of this kadumanga for sale as well on this day. However the sale packets needs to be pre booked so that we can collect after the Good Friday service. The best part of this pickle is that you can devour a bowl of kanji with just one big plump piece of mango. Its that lip smacking good. There is no recipe posted in google till date for this pickle and am happy that I tried recreating this at home. I have been making this pickle for the last three years now and each time I have improved and matched to almost the same tastes of the church one.

The drawback of this pickle is that this cannot be  preserved for long as there are no presevatives added to make this pickle. I have preserved this pickle for ten days in refrigerator. The washing and cutting is quite simple. There is no peeling the skin off the mangoes and so use organic or preferably use home grown mangoes for this pickle. each mango is cut in three pieces, two big side pieces and two small side pieces attached to the side (as third piece). I forgot to take the step by step pics ,will update this year when I make again. I have always used our own mangoes from the backyard. The pickle tastes best on the second day, so keep mixing the masala so that its well coated to the mangoes. Check this out if you love mango pickles.

Preparation time ~ 15 minutes
Cooking time ~ 5 minutes
Serves ~ a big bottle
Author ~ Julie
Ingredients
raw mango / pacha manga 10
ginger / inji chopped 1tbsp
hot chilly powder 1 tbsp
kashmiri Chilly powder 2tbsp
coriander powder 2 tbsp
kayam podi /asafoetida 3/4 tsp
fenugreek seeds /uluva 1 tsp
mustard seeds / kadukku 1 tsp
salt 1-2 tbsp (or as needed)
oil (preferably gingelly)  3 tbsp
curry leaves 3 sprigs

Method

• Wash and cut the mango with skin in two big halves on either side and leave the other two thin sides attached to the seed i.e. When you cut a mango, you should have 3 pieces only- two side slices and one with the seed intact. Cut all mangoes similarly and keep aside. Add a tbsp of salt to this and leave for half an hour. After half an hour, boil water with salt in a utensil. Switch off flame once its boiled. Slide in all the cut pieces and leave for 3 minutes. Remove all slices from water and keep aside.

• Heat oil in a pan and add gingelly oil. Splutter mustard seeds when it is hot, add in curry leaves. Add in fenugreek seeds. Add in the ginger chopped and fry till lightly browned (ginger is not added in the original recipe but I just added for flavor, you can omit adding).

• Add in the spice powders in a bowl with 1/4 cup water to make a thick paste. Add this paste on low flame to the oil. Mix well until the masala is cooked well and oil separates. 

• Slide in all the cut mango pieces and mix well. Add in salt as needed, note that mangoes are already soaked in salt water. So add accordingly. Switch off flame. 

• Leave to cool completely before storing in glass bottles. This pickle doesn't use vinegar and is used up instantly. The shelf life of this pickle when stored in refrigerator is one week as there is no preservative added. The second day onwards the water oozes out of the mangoes and the gravy becomes slightly watery. 

NOTES
* Ginger is not added in the original recipe but I just added for flavor. You can omit adding.

RELATED POSTS
* Holy Week Specials
* Rice Gruel (kanji)
* Traditional kadumanaga (Instant mango Pickle)
* Cherupayaru Thoran
* Muthira Thoran