The recipe comes from mother-in-law and she had learnt this pickle from her mother-in-law and later passed on the method to us. This is one of my earlier recipe posts and I have updated the recipe post with better photos.

If you are a pickle lover like me, you are going to love this pickle. I am such a fan of pickles that I have pickles with everything from dal, vegetable stir fries and even with roti or paratha.

There are many ways a mango pickle is made. In India as you cross its breadth and regional borders, you will have many ways of making pickle with raw unripe green mangoes.

So in a gist, there are many varieties of mango pickles made all over India. Each pickle variety has a different taste, flavor and method of preparation.

Takeaways

✓ very easy to make
✓ just mix mango pieces, salt, spices & keep everything in sunlight for 3 to 4 days.
✓ later pour mustard oil.
✓ keep in a cool dry place for 3 to 4 days.
✓ done and enjoy the pickle.

Serve mango pickle with?

• In north India we have mango pickle with stuffed Indian flat breads like aloo paratha, paneer paratha or any paratha for that matter. My hubby tells me of his childhood school days where he would take parathas with aam ka achar in his tiffin box.
• It is also had as a side condiment with meals. It tastes excellent as a side with some dal-rice or curd-rice or for that matter any curry with rice. Even with chapati or roti and a vegetable dish, mango pickle tastes great. You can even mix the pickle masala with some steamed rice and have. It tastes really delicious.

Tips for making mango pickle

1. Use fresh spices. Take the spices in a plate and then remove husks or stones if any.
2. For the sour mango pickle, coarsely ground the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. You can even use split mustard seeds as well as split fenugreek seeds.
3. Get raw mangoes with really tender skin. Don’t peel the skin off. But if you get raw mangoes with tough skin, then peel off the skin.
4. You can choose to add more red chilli powder if you want more spicy taste in the pickle.
5. Remember there should be no water or moisture in your jar in which you will keep the mango pickle. The jar has to be clean and dry.
6. You can sterilize a glass jar if you want.
7. Hygiene and cleanliness are very important when you are making pickles. Remember this point when you make edibles like jams, sauces, preserves or pickles and for that matter when you make any food.

Few more pickles recipes for you!

1. Chilli pickle – green chilli pickle.
2. Red chilli pickle – Banarasi style stuffed red chilli pickle.
3. Kerala style mango pickle – South Indian instant pickle recipe.
4. Mango Avakaya – popular pickle from Andhra Pradesh.

How to make Punjabi Mango Pickle

1. Before you begin take the spices and salt in small bowls and keep them in sunlight for a 1 to 2 hours. This step is optional but does help in getting rid of any moisture from the spices and salt.

The Spices used in this mango pickle are

1. Fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) –  ¼ cup
2. Fennel seeds (saunf) – ¼ cup
3. Mustard seeds (sarson – both black or yellow mustard seeds can be added) – ¼ cup
4. Nigella seeds (kalonji) – ¼ cup
5. Turmeric Powder – 3 tablespoons
6. Red Chilli Powder – ¼ cup

1. Later take the fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds in a dry grinder jar or a spice-grinder.

2. Grind to a coarse mixture.

3. Rinse and wipe the unripe green mangoes well with a clean kitchen towel. You can even let the mangoes dry naturally. In the photo you only see two mangoes, but they were very large mangoes weighing 1 kilogram together.

4. Chop the mangoes in 1.5 inches pieces. Discard the stones but do peel off the flesh from the stones if any. No need to remove the outer skin of the mangoes if they are tender and soft. You will need 7 to 7.5 cups chopped mangoes.

5. Take the chopped mangoes in a large mixing bowl. Better to use a steel or a glass bowl as they are non-reactive.

6. Now first add the ground fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds.

7. Then add the remaining spices – fennel seeds (saunf), nigella seeds (kalonji), turmeric powder and red chilli powder. I have added two types of red chilli powder – kashmiri red chilli powder (for color) and a spicy red chilli powder. You can use even just one type of red chilli powder.

8. Add salt.

9. With a steel or wooden spoon, mix very well so that the spices uniformly coat the mango pieces. Check the taste of the pickle masala mixture or 1 to 2 mango pieces. The taste should be slightly salty. If not, then add more salt.

10. Now pour ½ cup of mustard oil.

11. Mix very well.

12. Spoon the prepared pickle mixture in a clean ceramic jar or glass jar. Use a clean spoon.

13. Seal with lid and keep in sunlight for 3 to 4 days. I used two jars. Note that the sunlight should be very good with the strong sun rays falling on the pickle jar. It should not be cloudy or dark. In the evening, get the jar inside and keep in a cool dry place. Next morning again keep in the sunlight.

14. Everyday after sun-drying in the evening, open the lid and give a gentle mix to the pickle with a clean spoon. This is the pickle being mixed on the first day. Take the mango pieces settled at the bottom upwards in the jar and give a thorough mix. Basically mixing and tossing that needs to be done. Do this everyday.

15. The below photo is of the pickle on the third day. You can see the oil floating.

16. The pickle after mixing on the fourth day.

17. On the last day, pour 2.5 cups of mustard oil in the jar.

18. Again with a clean spoon give a thorough mix. The oil should seep inside in the jar and reach the bottom of the jar too. You want all the mango pieces to be surrounded with some oil. Note that you do not need to heat the mustard oil. You can add more mustard oil if required. Do note that the mustard oil should float above the pickle by 2 to 3 inches. Always remember to keep the oil floating above the pickle.

Seal with the lid and keep in a cool dry place for 4 days until everything gets mellowed and pickled. Initially you may find a slight bitter taste in the pickle, but after 6 to 7 days, the bitterness will go away.

19. Enjoy this Punjabi Mango Pickle with any Indian meal. The pickle stays good for a year at room temperature without refrigeration.

Note: This recipe post is from the archives and has been republished and updated on 11 May 2020.