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Manga Kari / Instant Raw Mango Pickle

Vidya Narayan

Manga Kari / Instant Raw Mango Pickle

If you ask me what is my favourite season? I would say, Summer! Surprised? Well don’t be. I am not fond of the heat but only the Mangoes and Jackfruits that are available during the season. Who doesn’t love them? As much as I love Alphonso Mangoes or Hapus that are the pride of Maharashtra, I am equally fond of the Raw mangoes too, after all, its pickle season. So, the recipe here, Manga Kari  or Instant Raw Mango Pickle is the first to be made at home when Raw Mangoes hit the market. 

At any point in time, we have 5-6 varieties of home made pickles at home. Seasonal produce is often converted into pickles and I take huge pride in preparing and distributing amongst family and friends. The instant variety that I am sharing here, is one of my favourites. Made in a jiffy and in fact not much prep work too, except for the chopping part. Tastes absolutely delicious with every meal, be it breakfasts or main meals. I love this with a cool bowl of curd rice which is usually the summer favourite and a South Indian favourite too.

A question that I am normally asked when people taste my pickles at home is how do they last long without any added preservatives or addition of vinegar. Firstly, pickles are not just any food. They are the kind of food that is usually consumed throughout the year, long after the produce has vanished from the market scene. So it is nature’s way of allowing us to relish the produce by nurturing it throughout the year, hence the amount of care should also be very high. Preserving pickles is an art. I don’t get a speck of fungus formation on my pickles for the very simple reason – I follow a very high level of hygiene standards. The glass jars are soaked in hot water, cleaned thoroughly for days together and dried well to ensure that there are no oil residues. Clean hands are maintained throughout the process along with clean utensils like spatula, spoons etc. Also, the pickles are required to be tended too once in a while – cleaning the rims with a tissue or soft cloth, stirring the pickle once in 3 months, checking the oil levels and adding some oil if the pickle has dried up a bit etc.

My mother was an excellent pickle maker and it is from her, that I derive all the skills of pickle making. Also, a fact about her pickle recipes were that none of the ingredients were measured. She used clean dry hands to level the masalas and salt and just added the same. That’s confidence! Of course, I cannot match her cooking skills ever but whoever has tasted my pickles often come back for more, so I guess job done right! My Ma has been a huge influence in my life. A lady who herself didn’t cook until she got married and learnt everything from my Dad, who also was an amazing cook but soon developed the interest and turned out to be an excellent cook whipping out dishes that made us overeat. Her pickles never turned bad and we would relish it for years together, every year, the taste being top-notch. Every single time I make a batch of pickle, I fondly remember the moments I spent with her, observing her pickle making skills and hoping somewhere up in heaven, she is looking upon me and smiling that her daughter is making her proud by continuing with the legacy.

If you are looking for similar recipe of using Raw Mangoes, check out the recipe of Mango Thokku on the blog.

Recipe for Manga Kari / Instant Raw Mango Pickle

(Instant Raw Mango Pickle In South Indian Style)

Ingredients for Approx 200 gms of pickle

  1. Raw Mango (Totapuri) – 1 nos. large
  2. Salt – 2 tblsps (use rock salt)
  3. Red chilly powder – 4 heaped tblsps
  4. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
  5. Hing – one big pinch
  6. Methi or fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp (dry roasted & coarsely ground)
  7. Oil – 8 to 10 tblsps (Use sesame / gingelly oil only to get the perfect flavor)

Method –

  1. Wash and pat dry the mango well and finely chop them into pieces (with skin).
  2. If you don’t prefer the skin, peel and then finely chop them. I prefer the skin so retain the same.
  3. In a clean and dry bowl, add the finely chopped mango, red chilli powder and salt. Mix everything well and keep this mixture aside for 15 mins.
  4. Dry roast the methi seeds and coarsely grind them in a mortar and pestle and keep aside.
  5. Heat some oil in a kadhai or non-stick pan and add some mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add hing and then pour this oil over the mango mixture. Add the roasted and coarsely ground methi seeds.
  6. Stir everything well. Let it rest for 15 odd minutes before transferring them into a clean and dry glass container.
  7. Pickle is ready for consumption. Stays good in a refrigerator for 15 days.

Recipe Notes –

  1. If you feel the pickle is becoming dry and the oil has reduced. Heat some sesame oil (say 1 or 2 tblsp), cool it completely & then pour over the pickle, mix well & refrigerate.
  2. Avoid storing pickles in Plastic bottles. Glass is the best.
  3. Always use rock salt for pickles.

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Vidya Narayan

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