Aam aur Chane ka Achaar
The summers in India are quite unbearable, but they have a saving grace - the mango season.
Everyone looks forward to the yearly mango crop and housewives get busy blending the myriad
spices needed for a whole year's supply of mango pickles.
As pickles are an essential feature of the Indian menu, new and more innovative varieties come
up from time to time. This recipe is of a tongue tickling grated mango and chick pea pickle
combined judiciously with whole and powdered spices. The chick peas in this recipe take on a
sour salty flavour as they are soaked in raw mango juice. Like all oil pickles, this has a shelf life of
upto one year but I am sure it will be eaten up much before that.
Aam aur Chane ka Achaar
The summers in India are quite unbearable, but they have a saving grace - the mango
season. Everyone looks forward to the yearly mango crop and housewives get busy
blending the myriad spices needed for a whole year's supply of mango pickles.
As pickles are an essential feature of the Indian menu, new and more innovative varieties
come up from time to time. This recipe is of a tongue tickling grated mango and chick pea
pickle combined judiciously with whole and powdered spices. The chick peas in this
recipe take on a sour salty flavour as they are soaked in raw mango juice. Like all oil
pickles, this has a shelf life of upto one year but I am sure it will be eaten up much before
that.
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Starters
Maturing Time : 3 to 4 days.
Preparation Time : 24 hours.
Store in cool dry place for : 1year.
Makes 2 cups.
Ingredients
1/2 cup chick peas (kabuli chana)
1 1/2 cups grated raw mango
1 teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder
1 tablespoon fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 tablespoon fenugreek (methi) seeds powder
1 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
14 whole red chillies
1 tablespoon chilli powder
1 1/4 cups mustard oil
1 tablespoon salt
How To Proceed
1. Combine the grated mango, turmeric powder and salt and leave aside for 30
minutes.
2. Squeeze out all the mango water using a muslim cloth and keep aside. Keep the
grated mango aside separately.
3. Soak the chick peas and fenugreek seeds in the mango water overnight.
4. Refrigerate the grated mango.
5. Combine the fenugreek seeds powder, fennel seeds, asafoetida, nigella seeds,
whole red chillies, chilli powder and soaked chick peas mixture with the grated
mango. Mix well.
6. Heat the mustard oil. Cool it and add to the prepared mixture.
7. Bottle the pickle in a sterilised glass jar.
8. The pickle is ready to eat after 3 to 4 days.
9. Store it a cool dry place for upto 1 year.
Suggested Accompaniments
Mushroom and Pea Parathas
Bermi Parathas
Stuffed Bajre ki Roti
Spinach and Baby Corn Parathas
Kesar Elaichi Mango Murabba
This murabba is a preserve of raw mangoes in a thick sugar syrup which is flavoured with
cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Saffron which is the aristocrat of all spices, provides a rich
golden colour to the murabba.
Enjoy this murabba with stuffed rotis, khakhras or a spicy vegetable.
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Storage upto 6 months : Refrigerated.
Cooking Time : 30 mins.
Preparation Time : 15 mins.
Makes 3 cups.
Ingredients
2 cups (250 grams) raw mangoes, peeled and cut into 25 mm. (1") cubes
2 cups (400 grams) sugar
2 sticks cinnamon
2 cloves
½ teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) seeds
a few saffron strands
How To Proceed
1. Heat 1 cup of water in a pan, add the mango pieces and cook uncovered for 4 to 5
minutes until the mango pieces are soft. Drain and keep aside the mango pieces and the
mango stock separately.
2. In a pan, combine the sugar, the mango stock and ½ cup of water and cook until the sugar
has dissolved while stirring occasionally.
3. Add the mango pieces, cinnamon and cloves to the sugar syrup and cook over a slow
flame till the syrup is of two string consistency.
4. Remove from the fire, add the cardamom seeds and saffron and mix well.
5. Cool completely. Bottle in a sterilised glass jar and store refrigerated for upto 6 months.
Suggested Accompaniments
Chapati Rolls Stuffed with Spicy Potatoes
Stuffed Bajre ki Roti
Lachha Parathas
Spinach and Baby Corn Parathas
Pachranga Achaar
Pachranga achaar is a famous Punjabi pickle which I came across quite accidentally enroute
from Delhi to Ludhiana. There was a huge pickle factory on the highway by the side of which I
stopped. Here I discovered they were manufacturing and exporting a whole array of North Indian
pickles. I stumbled upon this pickle which I thought was totally amazing. I took a small sample
back home with the sole purpose of being able to make it myself. Like all Punjabi pickles, this one
too was made using mustard oil. Pachranga achaar as its name suggests is made using five main
ingredients - raw mangoes, chick peas, lotus stem, karonda and amlas or limes, pickled with
whole spices. In this recipe, I have used a combination of raw mangoes, chick peas and lotus
stem omitting karonda and amlas but you can add more vegetables if you like.
Serve this achaar with parathas, to tantalize your taste buds.
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Maturing Time : 4 to 5 days.
Preparation Time : 4 to 6 hours.
Store in a cool dry place : 1 year
Makes 3 cups.
Ingredients
3 cups (375 grams) raw mangoes, cut into 25 mm. (1") cubes
1 cup soaked chick peas (kabuli chana), see Handy tip 1 below
1 cup (100 grams) lotus stems (kamal kakdi), sliced thinly,
see Handy tip 2 below
2 teaspoons nigella seeds (kalonji)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds (dhania)
1 teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder
2 teaspoons fennel seeds (saunf), crushed
1/2 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
1 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
1 cups mustard oil
4 tablespoons salt
How To Proceed
1. Place the mango pieces on a large sieve. Cover the sieve with a clean muslin cloth and
place it under the sun for 4 to 6 hours. Keep aside.
2. Drain the chick peas. Keep aside.
3. Combine the nigella seeds, coriander seeds, turmeric powder, fennel seeds, ajwain,
fenugreek seeds, chilli flakes, mustard oil and salt and mix well.
4. Add the mango pieces, chick peas and lotus stems and toss well.
5. Bottle the pickle in a sterilised glass jar.
6. Press the ingredients in the jar using the back of a spoon so that all the pickle ingredients
are immersed in oil.
7. Keep the jar in the sun for 4 to 5 days, tossing the ingredients in the jar occasionally. This
pickle is then ready to serve. This can be stored for upto 1 year.
Handy tip(s) :
1. 1/2 cup raw chick peas will give you approx. 1 cup chick peas, soaked overnight.
2. Wash the lotus stems thoroughly, under running water. Peel the lotus stems and cut into
thin roundels using a sharp knife.
3. Wash the roundels again and pat them dry using a dry absorbent cloth.
Methia Keri
Methia derives it name from methi kuria (crushed fenugreek seeds). This is a spicy pickle which is
incredibly easy to make. Raw mangoes dressed with salt and turmeric powder are then combined
with equal quantities of chilli powder, split fenugreek seeds, mustard oil and sea salt.
If you wish, you can use drained baby mangoes in brine, in which case, you should reduce the
quantity of salt in this recipe.
Methia keri is an ideal accompaniment for almost all meals and is also prepared in a jiffy.
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Preparation Time : 10 mins.
Storage upto 1 year : In a cool dry place.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Ingredients
1½ cups (185 grams) raw mango, cut into 25 mm. (1") cubes or baby mangoes
½ cup crushed fenugreek seeds (methi na kuria)
½ cup chilli powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder
1 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
½ cup mustard oil
½ cup sea salt (khada namak), roasted and coarsely ground
How To Proceed
1. Combine the crushed fenugreek seeds, chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida,
mustard oil and salt and mix well.
2. Add the cubed mangoes to the prepared mixture.
3. Bottle in a sterlised glass jar.
4. Serve immediately and store for upto 1 year, in a cool dry place.
Handy tip(s) :
1. VARIATION :
2. This pickle can also be made with ½ cup rai na kuria (split mustard seeds) instead of ½
cup methi na kuria.
Spicy Mango Pickle
This is a very simple recipe, which goes well with most parathas and vegetables. You can make it
spicier if you like, by adding some more chilli powder. I have used Rajapuri mangoes which are a
large variety of raw mangoes and extensively used for mango pickles. But you can use any
variety of raw mangoes, if they are not available.
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Preparation Time : 35 mins.
Storage : upto 1 week.
Makes 1 cup.
Ingredients
2 cups (250 grams) Rajapuri mangoes, cut into 25 mm (1") cubes
½ teaspoon turmeric (haldi) powder
4 teaspoons red marinade
2 teaspoons chilli powder
½ teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds (saunf)
2 tablespoons mustard oil
2 teaspoons salt
How To Proceed
1. Apply salt and turmeric powder to the mangoes and keep aside for 30 minutes. Discard
the mango water.
2. Add the red marinade, chilli powder, nigella seeds, fennel seeds and mustard oil and mix
well.
3. This pickle can be stored refrigerated for upto 1 week.
Suggested Accompaniments Other Related Recipes
Nutritious Rotis Sweet and Spicy Vegetable Pickle
Mooli Theplas Raiwala Marcha
Methi Alu Parathas Instant Mango Pickle
Chapati Rolls Stuffed with Spicy Potatoes Spicy Lemon Pickle
