Finding an Indian kitchen without pickles is hard. Also, Indian Thali or the meal platter is incomplete without a pickle. Today, I will share a delicious and instant raw mango pickle recipe / vendaya mangai that you can prepare with minimal ingredients and hardly any soaking or waiting time.
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This raw or green mango pickle is one of the straightforward pickles to make. It is also called vendaya mangai. Periyakulam, my native, is nicknamed Mango Town, and I mentioned it in the Maavadu post. Mango grooves surround the nearby Sothuparai dam and Periyakulam pond. (It is the dam across the Varaha River or the Varaha Nadhi.) So, there is nothing to say about fresh mango and maavadu availability in Periyakulam. The instant mango pickle is a staple in our house during mango season. It is effortless to prepare and goes well with any rice, but I love it with curd rice.
The variety to use for instant raw mango pickle
When preparing this pickle, it’s crucial to choose the right mango. Back in Periyakulam, we usually use the Kili Mooku Variety Mango. However, here in the US, I use whatever variety I can find. But remember, the mango should not be semi-ripe. For this pickle, you need non-squishy and slightly sour raw mangoes.
Once you get the raw mango, cut it into small pieces, sprinkle some salt, and keep it in the fridge. You can add the chili powder and temper it later, too. I would not recommend letting the salted mangoes stay more than 24 hours. Also, you can discard the water that has oozed out.
Spice and salt measures
The salt and spice measure depends on the sourness of the mango. After chopping the mango, taste a few pieces. Then, adjust the salt and spice accordingly. As always, start with the low measure, and depending upon your taste preference, make the adjustments.
Shelf life of the pickle
This mango pickle stays good for up to a week when refrigerated. When you keep it outside, especially during summer, it oozes out a lot of water and starts smelling different. Adding mustard seeds and fenugreek powder is a natural preservative, but I recommend storing it in a cool place. Check out the tempering options in the notes section.
Ingredients required
- Raw mango – That’s the key ingredient for this recipe. Make sure to get a firm green mango. I used one big green mango for this recipe. After cutting it into small square pieces, I got about 2 cups.
- Salt and red chili powder – Start with a small measure, like one tsp, and adjust according to the sourness of the mango.
- To Temper – We need oil, mustard seeds, fenugreek seed powder, and asafoetida. I prefer gingelly oil for this recipe, and my mustard seeds measure and fenugreek seeds powder measure might sound a lot, but I like the tempered mustard and fenugreek flavor. Feel free to reduce it to your liking. Refer to notes for substitutions.
How to make fenugreek powder
While you can use store-bought powder, I like to use homemade one, and here is how you do it. You can use this powder for vathal kuzhambu and instant tamarind rice. So I always have it in hand. And preparing this doesn’t take long, either.
Roast about 2 tbsps of fenugreek seeds until they turn deep brown. That’s the critical thing. If you don’t roast them until they turn deep brown, you can feel the stickiness when mixed with the pickle, and the texture won’t be right. So roast it well. Let it cool and grind it. We need 1 tsp of the fenugreek powder for this recipe.
How to make instant mango pickle
- Add salt to the chopped mango and leave it for 15 to 30 minutes. Adding salt helps the mango and salt blend well, but this process oozes some water. You can skip this soaking process also.
- Now add the red chili powder.
- Mix well.
- Heat the kadai and add oil.
- Once the oil is heated, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds / fenugreek seeds powder, and hing.
- When mustard seeds start spluttering, add them to the pickle mixture.
- Mix well, and that’s it. The pickle is ready.
Recipe notes
- Adjust salt and spices as per your preference.
- Tempering Measures: Two tsps of mustard seeds and one tsp of fenugreek powder might sound more for this recipe. But they act as a natural preservative. You can reduce the methi seed powder to ½ tsp or add one tsp of seeds and ½ tsp of mustard seed powder. In that case, cut the mustard seeds to 1 tsp.
- You can increase the oil measure to 1.5 tbsp.
More pickle recipes
📖 Recipe
Instant Mango Pickle
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp= 15ml; 1 tsp=5ml;
- 1 green mango After cutting into small square pieces, I got about 2 cups
- 2 tsps salt start with one tsp, this varies based on the sourness of the mango
- 2 tsps red chili powder to taste,
To Temper:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tsps mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek powder
- 1 tsp asafoetida
Instructions
- Add salt to the chopped mango and leave it for 15 to 30 minutes. Adding salt helps the mango and salt blend well, but this process oozes some water. You can skip this soaking process also.
- Now add the red chili powder and mix well.
- Heat the kadai and add oil.
- Once the oil is heated, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and hing.
- When mustard seeds start spluttering, add it to the pickle mixture.
- Mix well, and that’s it. The pickle is ready.
Notes
- Adjust salt and spices as per your preference.
- Tempering Measures: Two tsps of mustard seeds and one tsp of fenugreek powder might sound more for this recipe. But they act as a natural preservative. You can reduce the methi seed powder to ½ tsp or add one tsp of seeds and ½ tsp of mustard seed powder. In that case, cut the mustard seeds to 1 tsp.
- You can increase the oil measure to 1.5 tbsp.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
PS: Republishing the old post from 2012, with new and fresh content + pictures.
Quick and tasty pickle easy to make and excellent to taste
Thanks a lot.