Avakkai pickle recipe | Avakkai mango pickle, is one of the most favorite dishes I love to make. I learned this during my early days of marriage from my athai(aunt). She is an expert in doing this and she used to send big bottles of pickles to me after I got married. She was staying close to my in-law’s place. I always wanted to learn the recipe from her and when I asked her she beautifully explained me the procedure. The next year she sent me raw mangoes and I made them according to her instructions. It came out extremely well. After coming to Singapore, I never put this avakkai pickle and suddenly 2 weeks back I thought I should make this. I bought mango from little India, but here we don’t get it cut with the seed intact. In Chennai, they will cut and give. Followed my athai’s recipe and it turned out very well. Sharing the recipe for avakkai pickle today.

Avakkai pickle - 1 Avakkai-pickle2 - 2

Method:

  •  Wash and cut the mango with the skin intact, if possible. I couldn’t do it at home. So I cut without the seeds.
mango - 3 cut-mango - 4
  • Soak them in water for a few minutes ( just to remove impurities if it is cut and bought from the store)
  • Drain the water and pat dry the cut mangoes.
  • Dry them in a cotton cloth (preferably white, so that any color will not stick to the mango) inside the house in an airy place for 2 days.
wash-mango - 5 cut-mango - 6
  • In a big glass |ceramic bowl, add the dried mangoes
  • Keep the mustard seeds in the hot sun for 3-4 hours and grind this into fine powder.
  • If you don’t get sunlight, heat a pan for 2 minutes and switch off the flame.
  • Put the mustard seeds and let them sit in the hot pan for a few minutes.
mustard-seeds - 7 mustard powder - 8
  • If adding kabuli channa, dry it nicely and add it to the bowl. Add the mangoes, mustard powder, salt, and red chili powder.Â
  • Add turmeric powder, asafoetida, and fenugreek seeds(vendayam).
  • Add sesame oil to this mixture.
add-spices - 9 oil - 10
  • Mix this nicely with a dry clean spoon.
  • let this sit for 3-4 days without touching it. Keep it in a clean dry place.
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  • After 4 days the oil will start floating on the top. Mix this well nicely and you can start using the avakkai pickle.
  • Store this in a clean dry place and use a clean dry spoon. After a month you can transfer it to a jar and keep it in the refrigerator for later use.
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Note:

  1. Add salt and red chili powder according to the sourness of the mango.
  2. If mangoes are sour follow this proportion. Else adjust the red chili powder and salt accordingly.
  3. No need to soak the kabuli chana or cook it. We are adding it raw, it will get soaked in the pickle oil and will become soft in a day or 2.Â
  4. Use a nice red variety of chilli which gives nice color yet is not too hot.