Punjabi Raw Mango Pickle

Summer in India means not just vacation from school and traveling to places. But time to prepare various pickles, papads, vegetable kacharis by using solar heat. Terraces in India are filled with steel plate, glass jar, pickle bottles, and dupattas on which flat papads are dehydrated. Yes, I have the best memories. Mom would allow us to play on the terrace so that papads and pickles can be protected from crows and birds. We would love running around and Shuing them :)

Summer in US has just begun and we are closely watching the temperature. I do not want to miss on any high temperature days. With last week being quite hot, my husband and I dehydrated veggies... we love these dehydrated vegetable kacharis that can be deep fried. They serve as a perfect accompaniment with simple rice preparations and dal or kadhi. Here are the recipes: Dried Karela Chips Dried Guvarfalli.  You can make potato sev noodles and potato and sabudana chakli this summer and stock it for the entire year. Watch out for more summer dehydrated recipes!

Here is my husband cutting okra into big pieces to dehydrate it.

Although we make a different types of raw mango pickles, we love the punjabi style that is served in restaurants in the the Bay Area. So after trying out one batch with raw loquat from my backyard, I now made a big batch with raw mangoes. This year I have really been lucky to find great raw mangoes from the Indian store. They were firm, sour, and white from inside. They were deliciously tart and perfect for pickling. As I did for loquat pickle, this time too I followed Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe to make Punjabi style Raw mango pickle. I followed the exact recipe with perfect quantity of ingredients. I used an extra ingredient, coriander seeds which weren't mentioned in his recipe but just because I like it in my pickle!

Ingredients: This filled up a big glass 68 oz (Volume= 212.5 cubic inch) jar
2 kg raw mangoes
10 tbsp. fennel/saunf seeds
4 tbsp. fenugreek/methi seeds
4 tbsp. coriander/dhaniya seeds
8 tsp. pickling mustard/rai kuria
10 tsp. turmeric powder
8 tbsp. red chilli powder
8 tsp. onion/ kalaunji seeds
14 tsp. salt
4 cups chickpeas 
4 cups mustard oil

• Heat 2 cups of oil in a pan until it reaches smoke point and let it cool completely. (we will use remaining 2 cups of oil after 2 days)
• Wash mangoes well, dry them well, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces removing the seed. Put in a large bowl.
• Coarsely grind fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, and coriander seeds.
• Slightly mic crushed mustard and red chili powder.
• Add these ground spices to cut mango pieces
• Add salt, turmeric, and chickpeas to the cut mangoes.
• Mix well.
• Add heated and cooled oil into raw mango mixture.
• Mix well, cover with a cloth and place it in an open place to recieve at least 6 hours the sun for 2-3 days. 
• Bring the pickle inside the house in the evening everyday and mix well the next morning before placing it in the solar heat.
• After 3 days, Heat remaining 2 cups of oil in a pan till it reaches smoke point and let int cool completely. 
• Fill a sterilized glass jar with pickle. 
• Pour cooled mustard oil in the jar.
• Place the jar in solar heat for 15- 20 days to let it mature.
• Enjoy with your food!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Coarsely grind fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, and coriander seeds.

Slightly mix crushed mustard and red chili powder.

Add spices to cut mango pieces
Add salt, turmeric, and chickpeas to the cut mangoes.
Mix well.

Mix in 2 cups of oil and let the mixture rest covered in solar heat for 2-3 days.

Fill glass jar with pickle and add 2 cups of oil.

Cover and let in mature in solar heat for 15-20 days.

Lip-Smacking!!