I’m making mango pickle, my mil’s recipe after 35 years! The recipe is on an old inland letter which, for safekeeping, is with my daughter Radhika in Minneapolis, so I’m doing it off a picture on WhatsApp. The method is not written! But I’m sharing the masala after putting it together and checking the authenticity of the taste with hubby. Hubby does not remember most things but has a detailed memory of the taste of food.
Wash and dry the mangoes. Cut in eight pieces each with the seed removed. Coat the mango pieces with a mix of half cup salt and one tbsp turmeric powder; keep overnight.
Drain the liquid from the mangoes (save the water in a bottle). Spread the mango pieces to dry in the sun or under the fan for about 3 hours. (In cooler weather, it will take longer to be absolutely dry).
Lightly roast and powder the coriander seeds, 2 tsp saunf, jeera, and sarson.
Heat about 1½ cups mustard oil to smoking and cool. When the oil is medium warm, put 2 tsp methi seeds, 3 tsp kalonji, and the remaining 2 tsp saunf in the oil. Saute for a few seconds while being careful not to burn them.
To the powdered masala, add a little haldi and red chilli powder to taste. Coat the mango bits with the dry powder.
Put the mangoes in a clean dry jar; pour the mustard oil over the mangoes.
Cover the mouth of the jar with a cloth and sun for a few days.
You can add more mustard oil to layer over the mangoes to avoid them getting spoilt.
Room temperature
The drained water can be added to vegetables.
Sunning will depend on how hot the weather is. In hot weather, 2 or 3 days of sunning may be enough; cooler weather will necessitate a week to 10 days of sunning.
Always use a dry clean spoon to take out the pickle from the jar.
