Aavakaya
(Hot Mango Pickle)
Ingredients:
- Cut and cleaned Mango Pieces –
2 1/2Kgs
- Mustard Powder – 560gms
- Salt – 675gms
- Red Chili Powder – 375gms
- Husked Gingely Oil (nuvvula oil)– 600gms
- Chick Peas (Kabuli Chana or nalla chanagalu) –
150gms
- Fenugreek Seeds (Menthulu)– 30gms
Preparations:
Selection
of Mangoes:
Select
mature, firm, big, sour and even sized mangoes. The pickle tastes better
when
mangoes are fully mature and sour. Choose only the tree plucked mangoes.
Mangoes which have fallen to ground would have internal damages which
increase
the chances of spoiling the pickle
Cleaning
of mangoes and making pieces:
Observe
the sticky liquid (SONA IN TELUGU) flowing from the mango which has to
be
cleaned. Fill water in a bucket. Remove the stems (Muchhelu in Telugu)
attached
to the mangoes as shown in the movie. Observe the sticky liquid (SONA)
coming
out. Drop the mango in the bucket. Like this remove the stems of each
mango and
drop it in the bucket. Let the mangoes soak in the water for half an
hour. Then
wash the mango thoroughly by rubbing between the palms. Washing this way
removes the sticky liquid from the mangoes. Take them into a tub or a
big bowl.
Take a clean and dry cloth and wipe each mango thoroughly. Spread the
wiped
mangoes on a clean cloth. Like this wipe all mangoes and dry them in
shade for
10 minutes. Now we need to cut the mangoes into medium sized pieces. As
you see
in the movie clip the instrument used to cut the mangoes has a firm
handle (for
firm grip) on a butcher’s knife and a firm base both joined at one end.
Cut the
mangoes into even sized pieces. This you may attempt at home carefully
or get
it done in the market from professionals. Each piece should have the
hard
portion of the seed (Tenka in Telugu) attached to it. Now we need to
remove the
inner portion of the seed (JEEDI IN TELUGU) which has been chopped along
with
the pieces. You would notice a thin layer (Pora in Telugu) is attached
to the
seed (TENKA) which is to be removed. Carefully remove the layer attached
to the
TENKA — if it is difficult to remove this layer with fingers, scrape it
with
the back of a spoon or a knife. Like this remove all JEEDIS and also the
thin
layers (Poralu) attached to the pieces.
Measure
the cut mango pieces required for preparing the Avakaya 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.
Preparing mustard
powder:
In
olden days the mustard seeds were put in hot sun for two to three days
and were
pound in mortar and pestal soon after bringing them from the sun.
In
modern days due to paucity of open terraces and fast life we also need
to
change.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. Don’t be tempted to
roast
them on anelectric or gas stove. The heat would be more and uneven
roasting
takes place.
Take
a clean and dry mixie jar and add some roasted mustard seeds. Grind them
to a
powder. In between open the mixer andmix once with a spoon, before
grinding
again.As mustard seeds are crushed, oil oozes, and the powder sticks to
themixie 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. The more you attempt to make it a fine powder,
more
oil oozes out and it becomes sticky. You are the best judge to decide
the
optimum grinding. 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 for pickling.
Method:
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 Avakaya is ready. Take a
clean
and dry jar or bottle and keep it nearby. Take a shallow wide bowl
(preferably
a basin) and add around 250gms of oil to it.
Follow
the steps mentioned below:
1.Add a fistful of Masala mix
into the jar and spread it at
the base.
2.Take a handful of mango
pieces into the oil in the basin
and coat each piece nicely with oil.
3.Transfer the oil coated
mango pieces to the prepared
Masala bowl.
4.Coat the mango pieces
gently with the Masala. As each mango
piece is wet with oil, the Masala sticks to it easily.
5.Transfer these masala
coated mango pieces to the jar and
spread them evenly.
6.Spread some chick peas on
the avakaya mixture in the jar.
7.Spread some fenugreek seeds
on the avakaya 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 avakaya 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 in the avakaya masala mixture, 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 you would observe that the volume has decreased.
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.
Standard Measurements of
Avakaya (Scale up or scale down for lesse or more
quantities):
Presuming one raw mango
weighs 250gms, we get approximately
215gms of mango cut and cleaned pieces and 35gms of JEEDI (Seed).It is
advisable to base all our calculations on the weight of the mango
pieces.
For 215gms of cleaned and cut
mango pieces, (i.e., for one
mango) use:
- Salt – 55gms
- Mustard Powder – 45gms
- Red Chili Powder – 30gms
- Oil – 50gms
- Chick peas – Few (approx. – 1
1/2tbsps)
- Fenugreek Seeds – Few
(approx.
– 1tsp)
Preparations:
Selection
of Mangoes:
Select
mature, firm, big, sour and even sized mangoes. The pickle tastes better
when
mangoes are fully mature and sour. Choose only the tree plucked mangoes.
Mangoes which have fallen to ground would have internal damages which
increase
the chances of spoiling the pickle
Cleaning
of mangoes and making pieces:
Observe
the sticky liquid (SONA IN TELUGU) flowing from the mango which has to
be
cleaned. Fill water in a bucket. Remove the stems (Muchhelu in Telugu)
attached
to the mangoes as shown in the movie. Observe the sticky liquid (SONA)
coming
out. Drop the mango in the bucket. Like this remove the stems of each
mango and
drop it in the bucket. Let the mangoes soak in the water for half an
hour. Then
wash the mango thoroughly by rubbing between the palms. Washing this way
removes the sticky liquid from the mangoes. Take them into a tub or a
big bowl.
Take a clean and dry cloth and wipe each mango thoroughly. Spread the
wiped
mangoes on a clean cloth. Like this wipe all mangoes and dry them in
shade for
10 minutes. Now we need to cut the mangoes into medium sized pieces. As
you see
in the movie clip the instrument used to cut the mangoes has a firm
handle (for
firm grip) on a butcher’s knife and a firm base both joined at one end.
Cut the
mangoes into even sized pieces. This you may attempt at home carefully
or get
it done in the market from professionals. Each piece should have the
hard
portion of the seed (Tenka in Telugu) attached to it. Now we need to
remove the
inner portion of the seed (JEEDI IN TELUGU) which has been chopped along
with
the pieces. You would notice a thin layer (Pora in Telugu) is attached
to the
seed (TENKA) which is to be removed. Carefully remove the layer attached
to the
TENKA — if it is difficult to remove this layer with fingers, scrape it
with
the back of a spoon or a knife. Like this remove all JEEDIS and also the
thin
layers (Poralu) attached to the pieces.
Measure
the cut mango pieces required for preparing the Avakaya 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.
Preparing mustard
powder:
In
olden days the mustard seeds were put in hot sun for two to three days
and were
pound in mortar and pestal soon after bringing them from the sun.
In
modern days due to paucity of open terraces and fast life we also need
to
change.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. Don’t be tempted to
roast
them on anelectric or gas stove. The heat would be more and uneven
roasting
takes place.
Take
a clean and dry mixie jar and add some roasted mustard seeds. Grind them
to a
powder. In between open the mixer andmix once with a spoon, before
grinding
again.As mustard seeds are crushed, oil oozes, and the powder sticks to
themixie 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. The more you attempt to make it a fine powder,
more
oil oozes out and it becomes sticky. You are the best judge to decide
the
optimum grinding. 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 for pickling.
Method:
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 Avakaya is ready. Take a
clean
and dry jar or bottle and keep it nearby. Take a shallow wide bowl
(preferably
a basin) and add around 250gms of oil to it.
Follow
the steps mentioned below:
1.Add a fistful of Masala mix
into the jar and spread it at
the base.
2.Take a handful of mango
pieces into the oil in the basin
and coat each piece nicely with oil.
3.Transfer the oil coated
mango pieces to the prepared
Masala bowl.
4.Coat the mango pieces
gently with the Masala. As each mango
piece is wet with oil, the Masala sticks to it easily.
5.Transfer these masala
coated mango pieces to the jar and
spread them evenly.
6.Spread some chick peas on
the avakaya mixture in the jar.
7.Spread some fenugreek seeds
on the avakaya 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 avakaya 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 in the avakaya masala mixture, 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 you would observe that the volume has decreased.
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.
Standard Measurements of
Avakaya (Scale up or scale down for lesse or more
quantities):
Presuming one raw mango
weighs 250gms, we get approximately
215gms of mango cut and cleaned pieces and 35gms of JEEDI (Seed).It is
advisable to base all our calculations on the weight of the mango
pieces.
For 215gms of cleaned and cut
mango pieces, (i.e., for one
mango) use:
Learn More About
Mangoes And Salt In Pickling:
Take firm and big mangoes. It
is necessary that the mangoes
are raw and creamish in color when cut. The mangoes should taste sour.
The
taste of this pickle is proportional to the sourness of the mangoes.
When the
sour mango pieces come in contact with salt in the avakaya mixture they
ooze
out water. That water helps in moisting the Masala in the pickle.
However, when
water oozes out there are chances of it spoiling the pickle. So the salt
we add
saturates the water and also acts as the balancing ingredient to the
sourness
of mango. It works as a preservative for the pickle.If the sourness is
too high
you may need to add extra 5 – 10 grams of salt for 215 gms of mango
pieces. If
they are not that sour you may reduce the quantity by 5 gms. In any case
ensure
that the salt content is not less than 50 gms for 215 gms of cut mango
pieces.
Check, preferably after 96 hours before deciding to add more salt.
The salt which I have used is
table salt. Nowadays table
salt is available in various variations and the manufacturers are adding
additional chemicals to make it free flowing. Similarly instead of
Sodium
salts, Potassium salts are also marketed. Unlike in the past, the
saltness of
each salt is differing. The base standard is always sea-salt which has
almost
become extinct in the market. For 215gms of Cut and cleaned mango
pieces, the
base sea salt requirement is 50gms only. In my video, I have shown the
table
salt which I have used. My observation in the kitchen is, Potassium
salts are
less salty compared to Sodium salts and I need to put relatively large
quantities of Potassium salts while cooking. With Pickles I didn’t want
to take
a chance, for which I have used the regular Sodium table salt with which
I am
comfortable with. Salt is a crucial component in pickling and one has to
be
imaginative to deal with the practical problem. For the novice, I can
suggest
to add 50gms of salt and progressively increase it, depending upon the
taste
and smell coming out of the pickle.
Pickling is a job where all
family members are supposed to
be involved. The couple goes to the market to collectively choose the
right
mangoes (so as not to blame each other during the later part of the
year).
Children would clean them and dry them, Husband would cut the mangoes,
Children
would remove the Jeedi and Poralu, and Wife would grind the Masala.
Towards the
end the couple would be coordinating to mix all the ingredients and
pickle the
mangoes.If all (small and big) in the family are involved, mango
pickling is a
fun. It tastes great because every one’s love (key invisible ingredient)
is
also mixed with it which is enjoyed throughout the year.
Points
to Notice:
Those who like Garlic, may
substitute Garlic for Chick Peas.
Husked Gingely Oil is
preferable depending upon
availability (Initially it may taste slightly bitter). If not, use any other refined oil locally available.
PLEASE HELP US SHARE THIS ARTICLE
