Hot Mango Pickle

My Spicy Mango Pickle Adventure: A Homemaker's Tale

The aroma of spices and the tangy sweetness of mangoes – that's the essence of my kitchen. Today, I'm sharing my recipe for a hot mango pickle, a family favorite that brightens any meal. It's a process, yes, but the result is worth every minute of careful layering and meticulous mixing. I've always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, and perfecting this pickle recipe has been a particularly rewarding journey. The satisfying crunch of the mango, the fiery kick of the chili, and the subtle warmth of the mustard seeds – it's a symphony of flavors that perfectly captures the essence of home-cooked goodness. This recipe isn't just about ingredients; it's about the love and care poured into each step, the tradition passed down, and the joy of sharing a delicious homemade treat with loved ones. More than just a pickle, it's a taste of home, a testament to the simple pleasures of creating something delicious from scratch.

I remember watching my grandmother make her famous mango pickles as a child. The rhythmic grinding of spices, the careful layering of mangoes in the jars, it all felt like a magical ritual. Now, years later, I carry on this tradition, adding my own touch and tweaks to the recipe. This recipe uses a lot of spices; you really have to measure it exactly! The key is finding the perfect balance between sweet, sour, and spicy. Over the years, I've experimented with different varieties of mangoes and spice blends, and it always turns out delicious. The most rewarding part, though, isn't just the delicious result; it’s the sense of connection to my family history that this process creates. And of course, there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of opening a jar of your own homemade pickle, ready to share with those you love. The entire process is therapeutic for me. It's a wonderful escape from the daily routine, a chance to slow down and reconnect with a bit of my heritage. It's more than just preserving food; it's preserving memories and creating new ones, one delicious pickle at a time.

Ingredients: This recipe uses readily available ingredients and should be easily scalable depending on your needs. Remember, the fresh, high-quality ingredients will make a huge difference in the final flavor profile.

Making the Pickle: The detailed steps are quite extensive and time-consuming, but every step is crucial to achieving the perfect texture and flavor balance of this delicious pickle. Every layer, every careful mix, contributes to the unique character of the final product.

Storage: Once made, the pickle needs to cure in a cool, dark, and dry place for a few days. After curing, store it in a cool, dry place, and enjoy for months to come. This ensures that the pickle remains fresh and flavorful. Remember to always use a clean spoon when removing pickle from the jar to avoid spoiling the rest.

This recipe, while seemingly complex, is more a journey than a mere task. It's a story of patience, precision, and family tradition. The final product, a vibrant, flavorful pickle, is a reward in itself. More than just a condiment, it’s a cherished memory made tangible, a taste of heritage, and a testament to the enduring satisfaction of creating something delicious from scratch.

Step-by-step

• Measure the cut mango pieces required for preparing the pickle using a weighing machine. Wash, clean and dry the bottles or jars (in advance atleast 24 hours) in which the pickle is going to be put and keep them ready.
• Take some mustard seeds (approximately 100 grms) on to a paper plate. Place this paper plate in a microwave oven and dry roast the mustard seeds on high power for 35 to 40 seconds. These seeds are to be removed from the oven just before the first mustard seed would crackle. Keep a watch on the Oven and remove the mustard seeds earlier than 40 seconds if required.Take these roasted mustard seeds in a bowl and allow them to cool till warm to touch. Remember they should not become cold. They should be warm enough, as though they have been put in sun and brought home just now.
• Take a clean and dry mixie jar and add some roasted mustard seeds. Grind them to a powder. In between open the mixer and mix once with a spoon, before grinding again.As mustard seeds are crushed, oil oozes, and the powder sticks to the mixie jar (more to its base). So loosen the crushed mustards with a spoon and powder them. The powder will be slightly coarse. It would never become fine powder due to its cover. Do not sieve the powder. Like this, powder all the mustard seeds and measure the required amount of mustard powder using a weighing machine.
• Similarly weigh salt, red chili powder, chick peas and fenugreek seeds and keep them ready.
• Take a flat and deep bowl and add mustard powder, salt and red chili powder. Mix all the dry ingredients well. Now the Masala for the pickle is ready. Take a clean and dry jar or bottle and keep it nearby. Take a shallow wide bowl and add around 250gms of oil to it.
• Add a fistful of Masala mix into the jar and spread it at the base.
• Take a handful of mango pieces into the oil in the basin and coat each piece nicely with oil.
• Transfer the oil coated mango pieces to the prepared Masala bowl.
• Coat the mango pieces gently with the masala. As each mango piece is wet with oil, the masala sticks to it easily.
• Transfer these masala coated mango pieces to the jar and spread them evenly.
• Spread some chick peas on the mango mixture in the jar.
• Spread some fenugreek seeds on the mango mixture in the jar.
• Now repeat layering once again. Like this finish off the mango pieces, chick peas and fenugreek seeds by layering. Pour the remaining oil on top of the mango mixture and cover the jar. Do not cover the jar tightly.
• Keep this jar aside at a dry place for 48 hours. The sour mangoes when mixed with salt, oozes moisture. This process will take 48 hours. After 48 hours the pickle will be wet as water oozes from the mangoes. We need to remix the pickle. In the process the mixture becomes more compact and it's volume decreases.
• For proper and even mixing we would be using our hands. Thereforewash, clean & wipe your hands till dry. Take a broad and deep vessel which is totally dry. Transfer the pickle from the jars into this broad vessel. Mix the pickle well. If the pickle is too dry add some oil and mix well. If it is sufficiently wet do not add the oil at this stage. Transfer the pickle once again to the jars. Earlier we have used 250gms of oil. Now add the remaining oil (350gms) to the jars. See that the pickle is having a thin layer of oil above it. Clean wipe the edges of the jar with a clean and dry paper napkin. Close the lid of the jars and store. For daily use, take a small quantity of pickle into a clean and dry jar. Avoid using the main pickle jar for daily use.