Kaduku Manga Achar / Kerala Mango Pickle aka Kadumanga Achar

My prayers to all in Japan..the victims of a seemingly unstoppable natural disaster .... 


The quake monster has tilted Earth's axis, though damage has been done mainly to Japan , it is a common concern . May god give them the strength to find and start again from the rubbles .. and what on earth is going to happen there with the nuclear meltdown ???.......................

Coming back to the reality , the daily life ..........

Some of you have been asking me what do i do when I am not cooking and blogging. Well , honestly cooking and blogging takes only a very small portion of my time plus the daily chores and some volunteering . This is what i do when I am at my own . I read ....

On a normal day you can see me slouching in my couch , deeply immersed with some interesting book or among a pile of books in BandN.

I don't have a photographic memory like "Lisbeth Salander " , hence i forget very easily most of the things  I read , but still some characters and stories haunt me like I know them . Does that happen to you too?

Well ..coming back to the Recipe of the day ...Since the lent season has started I have started to refill my pickle jars with lemon pickle, mango and gooseberry pickles.  I am not abstaining from anything I like this season , but its more of an indulgence in pickles , which was a way of times while growing up. I loved Kanji + Kadumanga even for breakfast and most friday nights after the way of the cross , we used to have this.

There is no magic going on with the recipe here . Its just a family recipe , that my mom makes most of the time for all red colored pickles . I am not sure whether this is the way the authentic Kadumanga is made , but we like it just like this . I dont even know why they call it kaduku manga ....

Recipe for  Nadan Kaduku manga Achar /  Kerala Mango Pickle
 

Ingredients:-

Raw Mango / Green Mango  - 1/2 kg ( or 1 large mango )

Salt - 1/4 tea spoon

Gingelly oil / nalenna / sesame oil - 2 table spoon + 2 table spoon

Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

Garlic sliced - 6-7 cloves or 1 whole pod( i add a lot , since i love the bite of it )

Ginger julienned - a thumb sized  piece( adjust ginger n garlic as per your choice)

Green chili chopped - 2 

Curry leaves - a handful

Turmeric powder - 1/8 teas poon

Red chilli powder -1.5 to  2 table spoon ( I add more than 2 table spoon , add as per your heat level)

Kaayam /hing - a large pinch

Vinegar 2 tea spoon ( optional)

Salt to taste

Directions :-

Clean and cut the mango into small pieces with the skin on like in the picture.

Add salt and combine well. Keep it a jar overnight or for a day or two.( This step is optional , but i do it all the time ) ...When you are ready to make the pickle -

Heat 2 table spoon of gingelly oil ( i use idayam nalenna) in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add fenugreek seeds ( or you can use 1/8 th tea spoon powdered fenugreek at the end) and curry leaves.

Add sliced garlic, ginger and green chiles and saute till the raw smell disappears.
Make a paste with red chili powder by adding some water and add to the pan , or you can add directly as powder.

Then add turmeric powder and combine well. Add 1/4 cup hot water and bring to boil. Simmer till it is thick.

Switch off the flame and add Hing/ kaayam and if you are using fenugreek powder add now.

Add the mango pieces when it is still hot and mix well. You can add vinegar if you are using .

Leave it in the pan for couple of hours and then transfer to a glass jar with tight lid. 

Heat 2 table spoon of gingelly oil and add to the pickle. ( i love it be oily ). You can keep it outside for a couple of days and refrigerate it to last long.

Notes:-

• As i have already said , this is a family recipe , and it may not be the way you make it .
• I add a lot of ginger and garlic in pickles , just because we love it and its really good for your health
• I love  my pickle to be spicy , and add spices as per your taste level .

Cheers

Sarah