Mango Pickle flavored with onion, garlic and a hint of sweetness

We have started getting some really nice green mangoes at the local Indian grocery store. I use them in a few different ways but pickle is not at the top of the list. We are not a big pickle eating family since we do not eat very spicy food. But I love the sweet gujarati pickles like Gor Keri and Chundo.

My mom and her mother (my grandmom) are expert pickle makers. My mom told me that grandmom made a few new varieties of pickles. Mango methi and Mango garlic pickles. I wanted to try them out. I adapted it though, and added both methi and garlic, in addition to adding a hint of sweetness with brown sugar and vidalia onions.

My grandmom has also perfected the technique for keeping the mango pieces crisp year round, just like they are in a fresh pickle. The secret is not adding oil to the pickle. Just add the spices and salt to the mango pieces and keep them in the fridge. Take a small amount that you would use in a month or so and add oil to it. The pickle ends up tasting as fresh as it did when you first ate it.

I used a spin off from this technique and added very little oil to my pickle and kept it in the refrigerator to preserve it. The pickle tastes crisp and fresh, exactly like it did when I made it a year ago. That is my kind of pickle. Crisp, spicy with a hint of sweetness.

Mango Pickle

Ingredients:

1 large	green mango
1 large	vidalia onion
3 large	garlic cloves
2 tsp	fenugreek seeds
4 tbsp	pickle masala
1-2 tbsp	brown sugar
4 tbsp	oil

Method

• Chop the mango in 1/2 inch pieces. Also chop the onion and finely chop the garlic.
• Add 1 tsp salt on the chopped vegetables and leave them covered overnight. The vegetables will release water.
• Remove the vegetable pieces from the water and place in a separate container.
• Add the fenugreek (methi) seeds to the water released by the vegetables. Keep the methi in the water for a day. This will mellow the bitterness of the methi.
• Remove the methi from the water and add to the rest of the vegetables.
• Add the pickle masala and brown sugar and mix well.
• Heat the oil till hot but not smoking. Let it cool down to room temperature. Mix it with the rest of the pickle.
• Store in a clean glass jar. Leave it out for a couple of days and then store it in the refrigerator and enjoy a fresh tasting pickle any time of the year.

Notes:

• Although I have used sweet vidalia onion, any type of onion will work.
• You can certainly leave out the onion and garlic if you so desire.
• I used brown sugar as a sweetner but grated jaggery (gul) would work great. I used about 2 tbsp but it might be a little sweet for some people so start with 1 tbsp.
• I used Everest pickle masala.
• I used olive oil in the pickle but any oil will work. Traditionally, mustard oil is used in pickles.
• My pickle has lasted about 9 months and still tastes as fresh as it did on day 1.