Mar 6, 2010

Sweet and sour Mango Pickle



It is just March and the mango trees are full of blossom and buzzing bees . But the mango tree in my back yard seems to be in bit of a rush and we are already having round green ones ready for harvest. What i have in the backyard are the varieties good to make pickles and they dont taste good when they ripen. So I have this family recipe - maybe i can even say heirloom recipe which is a hot and sweet one and has a very long shelf life ...


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At my grand moms all the seasonal fruits and vegetables when they are found in abundance were either pickled and bottled or sun dried and stored . They were made in such huge quantities that they would last through the year. As i write this i have the image of giant glass containers neatly covered and tied with pure white muslin cloth sitting pretty near the window sill with varieties of pickles. My favourite was juicy green gooseberries (Amla) in salty syrup. Oh my! i miss those soaked and swelled treats!. They are like murabas but saltier version . Store bought ones dont taste half good as the ones tended and made with loving hands!.

This pickle tastes great when made with 'Bilbiskin/kilimooku' variety the reason being it is not too sour and has good flavour. The mango should be half ripe and not too mushy. I did not use 'kilimooku' and i dont know what variety they are but they tasted just as good!.

Ingredients :

2 cups mango cut into small square pieces
1 cup sugar
salt to taste
chili powder 1 1/2 tsp
mustard - 2 tsp
fenugreek seeds - 1tsp

Method:
1. mix the sugar and mango pieces and keep it covered for two to three hours..

2. The sugar should have melted and mixed nicely with the juice from the mango .
3. In a wide and heavy bottomed pan put the mango with the syrup and cook on medium heat
4. The sugar will start to caramelize and will begin to coat the mango. Also it will start to bubble at this stage. It is important to get the consistency right at this point. Another test is to feel the caramel syrup in between your fingers. When it gets stringy it is time to take off the pan. Remember it should be stringy and not sticky!!.
5. Add the salt, chili powder and return to heat. Check for taste.. It should have a fine balance of Sour, salt , chili and sweet ..
6. Take off the fire and let it cool

7. Dry roast the mustard and fenugreek seeds and add it to the pickle.
8. Now it is ready for bottling.


Well it is a simple pickle that u can make with no fuss... It has incredibly long shelf life . Tastes terrific with curd rice and rotis too...

It has got a sticky chewy and carmalized texture and if u noticed there is not a drop of oil to it.

15 comments:

Deepa G Joshi said...

slurp...lip smacking and totally delectable pickle....mmmmm

www.foodlyrics.com

Cool Lassi(e) said...

I am so green with envy that you have mangoes in your backyard! I love mangoes and I won't have them anytime soon this part of the world..esp when snow is still on the ground.:(. Ripe mangoes, raw mangoes, in-between mangoes..i just love them all..U see, I wanted to call myself Mango Lassi(e) but decided to settle with Cool Lassi(e) instead. So that should tell you how I go bonkers at the sight of any dish made out of mangoes.
The pickle is looking too good. My mouth is watering!

Hayley said...

Mouthwatering pics!!! pickle looks delicious and delectable...

Namitha said...

Oh my..am drooling...Love anything with mangoes and this looks wonderful. First click is awesome :-)
Am so glad to follow you, Nandini !

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear nandini
Very nice pickle. Unlike most men I know, I am very fond of pickles, and being a bong sweet ones particularly.
Have a nice sunday

Unknown said...

Hai Nandini
wooow..,Its difficult to resist
ur mango pickle.The caramelized texture looks really awesome..The best part is the long shelf recipe.. Thankyou..

Unknown said...

Ghosh... This pickle tickles my taste buds. I second Gulmohar, the first picture is really catchy. I would name it as Tangy-Mangy pickle. It will go very well with Bread. Good Going Nandini, your efforts is appreciated.

OohLookBel said...

It must be wonderful to be able to pick and eat your own tropical fruit. Making pickles is a great way to use up all that bounty!

gtyuk said...

oh dear, I envy you for having mango trees just behind in your yard, hummm, delicious pickle!!! I have never heard of this preparation, no oil at all!! that's a fantastic recipe!!

you've said " Well it is a simple pickle that u can make with no fuss", hum hum, that syrup part is where I'd go wrong I think, it must be somewhat delicate!! my grandma does excellent pickles too, I miss them so much!!

these pictures are eye catching, I love mangoes!!!as you've done with semi ripe variety, which I can get often I have this urge to try this at once, bookmarking this one!!! thank you for the recipe dear!!!

Cham said...

Gosh U make me jealous, I miss mangoes, I got 2 mangoes but they are not sour at all!
Beautiful picture!

Muneeba said...

Most definitely my fav kind of pickle .. and am sure it's even better when it's homemade like yours! How lovely the smell of mango trees must be .. *sigh*.

gtyuk said...

Dear Nandini (Miss :)
how are you? namba ooru summer veyyil aarambichidichaa? yelaneer, more-nnu vidha vidha maa kudikirrengala?

about that yeast you asked about:

it all depends whether you're using an active fresh yeast or the dry yeast in small granules...
because the fresh yeast doesn't need to be dissolved in water whereas the other one needs to be dissolved...
If your yeast mixture doesn’t froth or the dough doesn’t rise very much, make sure that the other ingredients are at the same room temperature too while mixing and keep the dough in a warm place. have a nice day!!!

Simplyfood said...

This mango pickle looks devine.In the picture you have used semi ripe mangoes can it be done with raw mangoes too??
My 1st time here you have anice set of recipies.Following you.

senthil said...

love this receipe. Kutty cant resist to have it. Mouthwatering pics and plz do prepare a bottle and bring it when u come to cbe or i will pick it up when i come to chennai..looks very yummy..thanks

Shanthi Krishnakumar said...

Yummy pickle. Has come out perfect. Do visit my blog when time permits.http://shanthisthaligai.blogspot.com/