Instant Mango Pickle – Spicy Kerala Mango Pickle Recipe

KERALA-STYLE INSTANT MANGO PICKLE RECIPE

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Makes 2 cups
Recipe source: Amma

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of raw mangoes, with skin, cut into cubes
2 tbsp of salt (you may need to adjust this)
1/4 cup of oil
2.5 tsp of black mustard seeds (kaduku)
1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds (uluva)
2 strands of curry leaves
2-3 tsp of red chilli powder
2 tsp of vinegar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add salt to the cut mango pieces and set aside for 20-30 mins.

2. Combine 2 tsp mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds together…

… and powder it together. You can make it a finer powder or leave it a bot coarse like I did.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, turn off the flame and add the powdered mustard+fenugreek.

4. Quickly follow with the chilli powder and curry leaves and stir vigorously for 5 seconds.

5. Tip in the salted mangoes and mix well, adding salt and vinegar (if using).

The entire mixture will come together in the residual heat of the pan. That’s it! The mango pickle is ready.

Let it sit in the same pan until completely cooled and then transfer to a dry glass jar. Store refrigerated and use up within a week. Always use a dry spoon to serve the pickle.

Notes:

1. You can make customizations to this pickle by adding 1/2 powdered jaggery, a few garlic cloves, green chillies instead of red chilli powder (my favourite!), etc
2. I generally add the vinegar if the mangoes are not sour enough. It also helps to preserve the pickle longer. I didn’t add any for this batch
3. Leave the skin of the mangoes on, especially if they are too sour, otherwise the pickle will become mushy and too sour
4. Adjust chilli powder and salt to your preference. Don’t be stingy on the salt though, it acts as a preservative. Also, if you like a fiery red pickle but not the heat, add Kashmiri chilli powder like I did
5. Take care not to burn the spices, that’s why we turn the heat off adter initially heating the pan well