The Hirshon Andhra Pradesh Green Mango Pickle - ఆవకాయ పచ్చడి

Green Mango Pickle Image Used Under Creative Commons License From andhrajyothy.com

Citizens, the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh borders India’s southeastern coast. Tropical forests, rivers, hills and caves make it a popular ecotourism destination.

Beaches line the Bay of Bengal, offering spots for swimming and surfing. Major cultural landmarks include Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, an ornate hilltop shrine to Hindu’s Vishnu, in the southern part of the state. It’s visited by tens of millions of pilgrims annually.

Avakaya is a variety of Indian pickle popular in South India with its origin in Andhra Pradesh. The main ingredients are mangoes and aavalu (powdered mustard) and a combination of other spices used for pickling. The name avakaya is derived from “ava” meaning mustard and “kaya” meaning mango.

South Indians are known to have a deep attachment to these spicy pickles. A wide variety of pickles are available in these regions, using mango as their prime ingredient. Besides being made at home, the pickles are available commercially and are exported to the United States, Europe, Japan and many other countries.

Avakaya pickles are usually made in the summer, this being the time for peak availability of green mangoes. Green mangoes, hot oil, chiles and a variety of spices are the key ingredients. The process of preparation, storage and serving is considered almost a ritual.

The mangoes are cut into medium-sized pieces approximately 2 cm x 2 cm using strong and ultra sharp cutters/knives in swift strokes so as not to structurally damage the pieces. These pieces are wiped clean and dry with a highly-absorbent soft cloth — usually an old sterilized cotton sari with no embroidery, stowed away for this purpose.

They are then pickled with powdered mustard, red chili powder, salt, sesame oil and fenugreek (both in whole and powder form). Garlic is optional but TFD strongly prefers it with the extra zip that only garlic can provide!

This is my version of this classic recipe, Citizens! I add a goodly amount of ground Ajwain seeds, which is most definitely not part of the canonical version made in South India. I love the herbal, Thyme-like flavor it adds – simply omit it for the traditional version. 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Andhra Pradesh Green Mango Pickle – ఆవకాయ పచ్చడి

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Ingredients

6 cups chopped green Mango pieces, cut into 1” pieces
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup mustard seeds
1 cup Kashmiri red chili powder – this is a mild but very bright red chili powder. Alternatively, use hot paprika
⅓ cup peeled garlic cloves
2 tbsp. Fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp. roasted & powdered fenugreek
1 tbsp. roasted & powdered Ajwain seeds (TFD change to original recipe – replace with equal amount of roasted and powdered fenugreek for original recipe)
3 cups + 4 tbsp. Sesame oil + extra as needed

Instructions

Prepare avakaya with uniform-sized mangoes. The mangoes should just be starting to mature so that it should be possible to cut to the inner core.
After selecting the mangoes, they should be washed thoroughly to remove the dried sticky liquids on their surface.
Wash each mangoes separately by rubbing with your hands. After that with a clean and dry cotton cloth pat dry each manoges.
After drying the mangoes, chop them into 1 inch size pieces. To do this, you need a heavy-duty chopper than can cut through the seed. Most Indian markets that sell raw mangoes for pickles will have some people who only chop mangoes for you.
The mangoes need to be cut such that each piece gets a part of the kernel. If this does not happen, the pieces cannot be pickled because they rot. Once cut, discard the seeds.
Examine each piece carefully to ensure that the kernel is intact and that there are no holes, no signs of ripeness, etc.
Finally, wipe each piece with a soft, dry cotton cloth without damaging it.
Dry roast the mustard seeds (switch off the heat before they start crackling) and then grind them into a fine powder in a spice grinder – keep it aside.
Divide the garlic into two halves and mash half of it – keep it aside.
In a bowl, add the mustard powder, salt, red chili powder, mashed garlic, fenugreek powder and Ajwain powder (if using) together and mix well – This is the masala needed for the Avakaya pickle.
Take a handful of mango, and put it in another bowl. Add some sesame oil and a spoon of avakaya masala to this. Mix it thoroughly with your hands and transfer it to a sterilized jar.
Add a part of the remaining garlic cloves to the jar as layering over the mangoes.
Repeat this process with the remaining mango pieces, masala, oil and garlic.
Add ¼ cup of sesame oil over top of the mangoes in the jar and cover it with the lid. The oil should float at least ½ inch above the solids. Keep it for three days. Mix it on day 2 using a clean, dry spoon. On day 3, mix it again and taste it. Add extra oil or salt only if you feel it is low.
Serve with rice, curd or ghee, or as TFD prefers with hot steaming rice mixed with ghee.