Avakaya Pachadi Andhra Recipe | Andhra Mango Pickle Recipe | How to make Raw Mango Pickle | Avakai Recipe – It’s a known fact that Andhra is synonymous with ‘Avakai/Avakaya’ or Mango Pickle. A traditional pickle variety prepared with raw mango pieces, blended with oil, spices & marinated for the right amount of time.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in April 2016 and has been updated with Video and replaced with better edited pictures for comprehensiveness and freshness.
Summer time is mango time! And therefore, pickle time! It’s a known fact that Andhra is synonymous with ‘Avakaya Pachadi’ or Raw Mango Pickle, the king of pickles!! South Indians around the world prepare avakai during summer time, wherever green, unripe mangoes are available. This centuries-old culinary tradition has roots in Andhra Pradesh. I’m here today to share with you the traditional recipe for Avakaya Pachadi. The style and procedures of traditional pickle recipes have been passed down from my mother and grandmother, both experts in the family. It isn’t just about pickles it is about a tradition being passed on and I feel so blessed.
What is Avakaya Pachadi?
The glorious mix of ava (mustard) with kaya (raw mango) is a much awaited ceremony in the Telugu households. Any traditional bhojanam (meal) would ideally start with pickles like Avakaya Pachadi or any other vegetable pachadi (chutney). Words really do not do justice to describe the avakaya taste…I think each one must experience the exquisite flavour of this culinary gem for themselves.
Selection & Cutting Mangoes:
Avakaya Pachadi is the result of painstaking efforts put in right from choosing the mangoes to serving them. The mangoes are supposed to be hand plucked and carefully brought off the tree without letting them fall on the ground. Even a small bruise to the mango is considered useless to make mango pickle. Absolutely firm, mature, fibrous, unblemished, sour mangoes are required.
Once the mangoes are plucked, they are to be used the same day to prepare the mango pickle. The fresh raw mangoes are soaked in water for an hour, wiped completely dry and cut carefully into average sized pieces in almost 2cmX2cm size using strong and particularly sharp cutters/knives in fast strokes so that there is no internal damage to the pieces. These pieces are them wiped clean and dry using a good absorbing soft cotton cloth.
It does take a special skill to cut the mangoes with the kernel intact and into uniform size pieces. The pith is discarded while the hard kernel is left intact and the wafer thin transparent layer lining the kernel is removed with a help of a spoon or knife. Each mango piece is then carefully cleaned with a soft cloth and laid out to be dried on a cloth for an hour or two before beginning the pickling process. If any of the pieces do not have the kernel or green skin, they are discarded. Following the pre-pickling steps meticulously is extremely crucial to achieve good results and that too for a pickle that will last a whole year.
Which Mango Variety is best to prepare Avakaya Pachadi?
The most preferred mango varieties to make Avakaya Pachadi Recipe are Jalalu or Pedda Rasalu. This is back home but here in Germany I have no clue what these mangoes are called…I got them from the Indian store. They are sour but the kernel is not that hard because they are not that mature. That’s the reason I’m preparing small quantity!! I’m happy with the outcome!! Anyway I get my share for the whole year from India…this is just for my lovely readers to prepare at home.
Preparation of Spices:
The cut mango pieces are then pickled with fine ground mustard seeds, red chilli powder (dried and powdered), salt, cold pressed gingelly oil (unrefined sesame oil that is golden in colour aka nuvvu nune in telugu), fenugreek (both seed and powder) and optionally garlic.
The colour of the pickle will depend on the type of chilli powder and mustard powder used. We add fenugreek (methi) seeds and garlic cloves to the basic Avakaya Pachadi Recipe. Love the flavour of garlic in the pickle which when marinated gives a very nice taste to the pickle. I always hunt for garlic pods in the pickle as they taste awesome.
How to prepare Avakaya Pachadi ?
Red chilli powder, mustard powder and salt should be equal in quantities. The basic thumb rule is whatever measure you use for measuring your mango pieces, the same measure of the mixture of spice powders (red chilli powder, mustard powder and salt) should be used. In other words, if you use 1 cup of mango pieces, you need to mix it in 1 cup of spice mixture.
How to store Avakaya Pachadi ?
Once you prepare the pickle, transfer to a clean, dry, wide mouthed ceramic or glass jar with a non-corrosive lid. You need to place the lid, tie a cloth over the lid and keep the jar on the kitchen countertop where air circulates freely.
Within hours, mango pieces start to take in the avakaya spice mixture and oil. As a result, volume also reduces. Avakaya Pachadi keeps maturing with time and the mango pieces become from just sour to a potent combination of hot-salty-sour with mustard-methi pungency mixed in.
Serving Avakaya Pachadi
You can also eat the Mango avakaya pickle within 2 days of making it, though it continues to mellow with time. The pungent-sweet aromas wafting out of the ceramic pickle-jars are both lip-smacking and tongue-tingling. And they can add flavour to even the most boring meals.
In fact, the combination of avakaya with rice and a nice dollop of ghee is an unforgettable melt-in-the-mouth experience. Mixing mudda pappu to this is another divine experience!! Experience the gastronomic wonder of Avakaya annam in just a morselful of rice. Want to try your hand at making Avakaya Pachadi?
Off to the recipe for Avakaya Pachadi Recipe!!
Easy Steps to follow for
Avakaya Pachadi Recipe
- Wash and soak mangoes in water for an hour. In the mean time wash the pickle jars (aka jadis) and sun dry the jar. They should be completely dry with absolutely no moisture.
- Wipe the mangoes with a soft cotton cloth and cut them into pieces with the kernel intact. You really need to have sharp thick knife to cut into 1inch thick mango wedges with the inner shell intact. In India the shop keepers also do this job during the mango season.
- If the inner shell is intact it will increase the shelf life of pickle. Take a sharp knife and scrub the inner shell to remove a thin white layer over it. This is another important step to keep in mind to prevent the pickle from spoiling.
- Now take a dry cloth and wipe the pieces from all the sides. This is to ensure that they are all clean and dry.
- Clean the pieces with a soft cloth and spread them over a dry cloth while you work on the rest of the pickle preparation.
For making Avakaya Pachadi:
- Grind the sun dried mustard seeds to a fine powder using a blender. Set aside.
- Dry roast fenugreek seeds in a pan till the turn light brown or till you get the aroma.
- Now add the fenugreek seeds in a dry mixer and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.
- Grind the crystal salt to a fine powder. Set aside. If using regular salt reduce the quantity of salt by 2 tablespoons.
- Peel the garlic pods and set aside.
These are all what you will need:
- Use a big wide bowl if you are preparing large quantities. Mix the mustard seeds powder, red chilli powder, fenugreek powder and salt until everything mixes well. Then add it to the mango pieces and mix. (I have added the spices directly to the mango pieces since I’m making very little quantity).
- Add salt. red chilli powder, mustard seeds powder and fenugreek seeds powder to the mango pieces and mix well.
- Apply the mixture all over the mango pieces with your hands. It is best to use your hands for this step rather than mixing it up with ladle.
- Add fenugreek seeds(methi) and mix well.
- Add peeled garlic pods and 1 cup of oil to the spice coated mango pieces and mix well.
- Put the masala coated mango pieces and all the remaining masala in the sterilised jar. Add another 1/4 cup oil over it and cover it with lid and keep it aside for 2-3 days. You can also tie a cloth over the lid of the jar and keep it in a moisture free area.
Day 1:
- On day-1 check if some oil might have started floating over the pickle. Now taste the masala mixture in the pickle, it should be slightly salty as the pickle has to be yet marinated for a day or two until the sourness from the mangoes seeps into the masala mixture. But if you feel the salt is less add 1 or 2 teaspoons of salt to it and mix the contents well. I don’t think you will need if you follow the measurements correctly.
- Always mix with a clean and dry ladle all over and repeat the same process on day-3.
Day 3:
- On the day-3 if you see the oil is floating on the pickle it is perfect. Otherwise add extra sesame oil over the top until the oil floats on top.
- Marinate the pickles for 3 to 4 more days, mix it well and it is ready for consumption. Technically you can also start to use from the 2nd or 3rd day too.
- Store it in a clean air-tight ceramic or glass container. This way your pickle stores for long with freshness in it and even the mango pieces do not get soft and also would not change the colour.
- Always remove small quantities of mango pickle into a small jars for everyday use.
Avakaya Pachadi will keep for several months to a year without refrigeration.
Serve kotha avakai or Avakaya Pachadi with hot steamed rice, mudda pappu (cooked tur dal) and ghee which is a classic combo. This with an omlette on the side can make my day!!
Avakaya Pachadi Andhra Recipe | How to make Raw Mango Pickle | Avakai Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Medium sized Raw Green Mangoes Cut into 1 inch pieces (around 3 cups)
- 1 Cup Mustard Seeds Powder Sun Dry & grind to a fine powder
- 1 Cup Red chili powder Sun dried and powdered (Kashmiri variety for less spicy or any variety used in pickling)
- 3/4 Cup Salt Dry roasted & powdered white crystal salt (kallu uppu)
- 1 tsp Fenugreek powder Dry roast fenugreek (methi seeds and grind to a fine powder)
- 1¼ Cup Gingelly Oil
- 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 15 Garlic Pods Peeled (Increase or decrease quantity to suit your taste)
Instructions
- Wash and soak mangoes in water for an hour. In the mean time wash the pickle jars (aka jadis) and sun dry the jar. They should be completely dry with absolutely no moisture.
- Wipe the mangoes with a soft cotton cloth and cut them into pieces with the kernel intact. You really need to have sharp thick knife to cut into 1 inch thick mango wedges with the inner shell intact.
- Take a sharp knife and scrub the inner shell to remove a thin white layer over it.
- Now take a dry cloth and wipe the pieces from all the sides ensuring that they are cleaned and dried well.
- Clean the pieces with a soft cloth and spread them over a dry cloth while you work on the rest of the pickle preparation.
- When preparing large quantities, take a big bowl and mix the mustard seeds powder, red chilli powder, fenugreek powder and salt until everything is mixed well. Then add this spice mixture to the mango pieces and mix well.
- Apply the mixture all over the mango pieces with your hands. It is best to use your hands for this step rather than mixing it up with ladle.
- Add fenugreek seeds(methi) and garlic pods.
- Add 1 cup of oil to the spice coated mango pieces and mix well.
- Put the masala coated mango pieces and all the remaining masala in the sterilised jar. Add another 1/4 cup oil over it and cover it with lid and keep it aside for 2-3 days. You can also tie a cloth over the lid of the jar and keep it in a moisture free area.
- On day-1 check if some oil might have started to float over the pickle. Now taste the masala mixture in the pickle, it should be slightly salty as the pickle has to be yet marinated for a day or two until the sourness from the mangoes seeps into the masala mixture. But if you feel the salt is less add 1 or 2 teaspoons of salt to it and mix the contents well. I don't think it would be required, provided you followed the measurements accurately.
- Always mix with a clean and dry ladle all over and repeat the same process on day-3.
- On the day-3 if you see the oil is floating on the pickle it is perfect. Otherwise add extra sesame oil over the top until the oil floats on top.
- Marinate the pickles for 3 to 4 more days, mix it well and it is ready for consumption. Technically you can also start to use from the 2nd or 3rd day too.
- Store it in a clean airtight ceramic or glass container. This way your pickle stores for long with freshness in it and even the mango pieces do not get soft and also would not change the colour.
- Always remove small quantities of mango pickle into a small jar for everyday use.
- Avakaya Pachadi will keep for several months to a year without refrigeration.
Recipe Video
Notes
- 1. Use pickle variety mangoes that are sour and cut the the pieces with the inner shell intact.
- The thumb rule to get your pickle right is to take equal quantities of the three ingredients to make spice powder - red chilli powder, mustard powder and salt. But I always like to reduce a little bit of salt and add it on the 3rd day if required because it all depends on the sourness of the mangoes you use.
- If you are not using crystal salt but ordinary table salt, reduce 2 tablespoons of salt from the measure of salt.
- Oil should float on top. If you feel the pickle is dry, do feel free to add some gingelly oil to the pickle jar. The pickle stays good for a year.
- If you have any left over red chili powder or mustard powder, store them in a ziplock bag and tightly secure it and refrigerate. Whenever you want to make any pickle, you can use them.
- Use red chilli powder which is specially used for pickles as this variety gives a nice and bright red colour to the pickle and also it is not very spicy. The brand called 'Three Mangoes' is good for pickles. It is not very spicy and also gives a bright red color to pickle giving a fiery look.
- For daily use, transfer a small portion of pickle into a small jar and use a clean and dry spoon.
- Always ensure the lid is tightly secured and the pickle jar is kept in a moisture free zone.
Do check out other Pickles & Karam Recipes and other Chutney Recipes from blog!!
OTHER POPULAR PICKLE RECIPES ON BLOG:
Check out other Mango Recipes from blog:
- Raw mango rice
- Aam Panna
- Mango Lassi
- Strawberry Mango Breakfast smoothie
- Mango pomegranate Guacomole
- Mango Kesari
- Ugadi Pachadi
Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!
Hungry for more? Never miss a recipe!!…Subscribe to MasalaKorb and have posts delivered straight to your inbox! And connect with me on Facebook, Google, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for all of the latest updates.
Do subscribe to my YouTube Channel for latest video alerts!!
If you cook this dish, be sure to tag your photo with this hashtag: #masalakorb
Happy Cooking
Cheers!!
Padma.
srividhya
Wonderful. We just a got big batch of this pickle from one of our friend. Bookmarking your recipe. Love that pickle jar.. very traditional.
Padma Veeranki
Thank you…Do give it a try..I’m sure you will love it 🙂
priya
sounds easy.will try it definitely
Padma Veeranki
Thank you priya 🙂
Sadhna Grover
Awesome clicks and tempting mango pickle, It can go with any meal.
I am hosting MLLA for the month of May 2016. You can share any vegetarian lentil recipe which you posted in 2016. Please come and see the rules of the event.http://herbsspicesandtradition.blogspot.ca/2016/05/event-announcement-hosting-my-legume.html
sathya @mykitchenodyssey
The way you explained it wants me to try this pickle right now. Bookmarking it Padma.
Padma Veeranki
Thanks dear..glad you liked 🙂
marudhuskitchen
This is the pickle I always love more than lemon pickle…lovely share
Padma Veeranki
It’s my fav too vani..Thanks dear 🙂
Kanak Hagjer
This is such a wonderful recipe! Mango pickle looks fabulous and I loved your post with such detail.
Padma Veeranki
Thank you so much Kanak 🙂
Sundari
Whoa!! This is lip-smacking!! Simply superb!!
Padma Veeranki
Thank you Sundari 🙂
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen
Such a lovely and tempting mango pickle recipe, Padma. Addition of garlic sounds so intriguing. Believe it or not, I have never made my own pickle, and that needs to change for sure. Can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Padma Veeranki
I too usually don’t make my pickles..only when I run out of stock, will make small quantities…do try it dear..Thank you Anu 🙂
Amrita
This is a mouthwatering treat…feeling nostaligic
Padma Veeranki
Thanks Amrita 🙂