Pickles from Andhra (ఆంధ్ర ఊరగాయలు)-3

MANGO PICKLES -2


This is the third in the series on Andhra Pickles. The previous posts are here:

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/2010/05/pickles-from-andhra-i.html

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/2010/05/pickles-from-andhra-ii.html

4. Sesame Aavakaya ( तिल वाला आम का आचार - నువ్వు ఆవకాయ )

Sesame is also known as Gingely, is known as Til (तिल) in Hindi and Nuvvulu (నువ్వులు) in Telugu. The main ingredient here is sesame seeds.The colour of the seeds varies from creamy white to dark black. The whiter varieties are preferred for consumption.

The raw sesame seeds whose husk is not removed is a dusky white to light brown in colour and a bit bitter to taste. This is the whole seed known as Mudi Nuvvulu (ముడి నువ్వులు/నువ్వులు) in Telugu. This is a bit bitter to taste. Then there is the one where the husk is removed and seeds are polished/processed. This is more tastier and almost cream white in colour. This is known as Nuvvu Pappu (నువ్వు పప్పు). This is used for the pickle.

This is how they look. From light cream or dirty white to slightly brownish. Once the husk is removed and polished they look much cleaner and whitish.

Clean the Sesame seeds, roast till a nice roasted smell is given out. For roasting (toasting) heat a thick bottomed pan or kadhai and roast the seeds on low fire. Once roasted they will start popping all over. So be careful and immediately switch off the fire. Cool and powder it.

• All the ingredients are same as in sl 1, except that substitute 1Kg Mustard powder with 1Kg sesame seeds powder. 
• I don't add Fenugreek seeds or garlic. 
• A little quantity Mustard powder say one cup or up to 250 gms or so may be added. But this is not a must. The taste lies in the powdered sesame seeds.
• The rest of the process is same as in sl 1.
  

5. Jaggery  Aavakaya  (गुड वाला आम का आचार/- బెల్లపు ఆవకాయ )

Jaggery is known as Gud (गुड) in Hindi and bellam (బెల్లము) in Telugu. This is a product of sugar cane and very sweet when compared to sugar but much healthier and so widely used in Indian cuisine.

• Ingredients are same as for simple Avakaya pickle I explained in Sl 1 of my previous post.
• Some avoid Fenu greek seeds. But I have observed that some like to add it -either as it is or roasted and powdered.
• Some add garlic also. Around 100 to 250 gms of garlic can be added after peeling the pods and sliced if necessary.

Method I:

• The procedure of Mango Pickle as explained in simple Avakaya- sl 1 (of the previous post)is the same.
• In addition, 1kg to 1 and 1/2Kg Jaggery is made into a syrup. If needed add very little water. Cool it completely and add it to the pickle. This can be done on the third or fourth day, when the pickle is checked for its taste and finally mixed after adding oil. It takes a week or so for the tastes to blend in well. So leave it till then and use.

Method II:

• The ingredients are the same as above.
• The mango pieces (as in Sl 1) should first be mixed with salt (half of the quantity) and turmeric powder. Put them in a ceramic or a glass container. Cover and leave for 3 to 4 days, till the entire mixture is wet and juicy.
• On 3 or 4th day, squeeze out the juice from the pieces and place the juice (just for a day or few hours, keep aside, properly covered and store it away from moisture till required) and the pieces (till well dried) in the hot Sun. The pieces will take a day or two to dry.
• Mix chilli powder, mustard powder, remaining salt, (garlic and fenugreek seeds or powder if being added) thoroughly. Add the remaining oil kept aside (see sl 1) little by little and mix well. Now add the juice kept aside and mix well.
• Make a syrup of jaggery by heating it on very low heat. Add a little water if needed. Cool it well. Add this to the above mixture little by little and mixing well.
• Now add thedried mango pieces and mix thoroughly so that they are coated well.
• Put back the pickle in the ceramic or glass jars. Close the lid tighlty and leave for a week before using.

Method III:

• Process every thing as in Sl1 and leave the pickle for three to four days.
• On the fourth day, take the pickle in a wide plate or vessel and mix well. Check for the taste and add the required spices and the remaining oil kept aside. Mix thoroughly. 
• Grate the Jaggery add to the pickle and mix well. Leave it overnight. 
• Place the pickle in the hot Sun for three to four days, until the jaggery melts into thick syrup and all the tastes blend well. Mix it now and then when placed in the Sun each day. 
• Store in proper container and lid closed tightly. 

Method IV:

• Ingredients are same as above.
• Use small (smallest available) sized mangoes for this, as mangoes have to be used as a whole. 
• Either use the same quantity of spices and increase the quantity of mangoes (as we are using smaller size) or decrease the quantity of spices. 
• Grate Jaggery. Mix in all spices along with jaggery and a little of the oil (enough to wet the mixture). 
• Keep aside the remaining oil. 
• Place a cut in the form of + on each mango and slit in through the stone length wise. The base should be intact and the pieces should not get separated. Remove the seed inside but the hard shell should not be removed. 
• Loosely stuff in each of the mango with the spice mixture. 
• Pour some oil in a Jar and place some of the mangoes one by one into it and sprinkle a little of the left over spice mixture overthem. Again place few more mangoes and sprinkle a layer of spice mixture. Continue this till all the mangoes are placed and the spice mixture is exhausted. 
• Pour some oil on the top, close the lid tightly and leave for three days. 
• On fourth day remove the mangoes carefully and dry in the sun 4-5 days. Similarly mix the spice mixture in the jar, which by now will also have the juice from the mangoes and keep in the sun for few hours and store aside till the mangoes dry . 
• After the mangoes have dried, on the 6th day carefully roll them in the spice mixture stored earlier so that they are all well coated. Replace them in the jar along with the spice mixture. 
• Heat the remaining oil to a smoking point and cool thoroughly before pouring over the pickle in the jar. Cover properly before storing. The pickle will be ready to use within a week. While using the pickle one can separate the pieces or serve the mango as a whole.

Method V-Dried Avakaya (తీపి ఎండు ఆవకాయ):

• In this method follow the steps given in Method III above.  The amount of oil can be reduced to half-three fourths. (I need to verify this though. I am not so sure.)
• However(in the sixth step), the pickle should be placed in a big plate and allowed to dry completely. It will take a few days for this even if the sun is very hot. Once dry, the spice mixture should be powdery and not slushy like in the usual pickles.
• This can be stored as usual and used. In rainy season however, this pickle may become a little slushy because of the moisture content in the atmosphere.
• I remember that as children we used to eat pieces of this pickle like a candy instead of a pickle.

I am giving the ingredients for making smaller quantities of Pickle:

Raw Mangoes: 10 (medium sized) or 5 big
Red Chilli powder: 500Gms
Mustard Powder: 500Gms
Salt: 500Gms
Jaggery: 500 Gms
Fenugreek seeds(optional): 50 gms
Garlic (optional): 100gms
Oil: 750 gms to 1 Kg


Please let me know if you have any comments and suggestions. Since these are traditional methods and now a days many people are not aware of this, I would be grateful to you, if any one who has knowledge of these methods can add to my content or correct it or improve it so that we all can keep the tradition going. I have taken utmost care in recording the original methods of pickling and have posted them here, but still if there are any omissions or misses and errors so, please feel free to let me know.


I am going to post many more recipes on Mango Pickles and Chutneys...Keep an eye on my blog......

Pickles from Andhra (ఆంధ్ర ఊరగాయలు)-2

MANGO PICKLES -1


I am giving the traditional recipes of the Mango pickle from various regions of Andhra Pradesh. Please read Part I of this post here: 

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/2010/05/pickles-from-andhra-i.html

Now for the recipes....Here we go.... 

Preparing the Mango before pickling...

1. Choose dark green firm mangoes and very sour to taste. 
2. If they have long stalks, cut them and place them upside down on a plate or a vessel so that the sap completely runs down and dries off. This sap produces itchy sensation and irritation when comes in contact with our skin. 
3. Then wash them thoroughly, wipe it clean with out any trace of moisture and leave them for an hour or two till they are dry. 
4. Or just wipe them well with a damp cloth and then with a dry cloth. But ensure that there is no moisture on them. 
5. Mangoes have a very hard "stone" inside. This stone consists of a hard shell on the out side and the seed inside known as Jeedi(జీడి) in Telugu. 
6. The mangoes have to be cut through the stone inside into eight to ten pieces depending on the size of the piece you want. The pieces should not be too big or too small. 
7. A special type of cutter is used for this. Without this cutter it is difficult to cut the mangoes especially when you have to pickle a large number. Usually in India where we buy the mangoes in the market, people with these cutters cut the mangoes for some money. 
8. Each piece should have the hard covering of the stone. Without this, the pickle cannot be preserved for long. Remove the seed and a thin film like skin sticking on the inside of the shell. 
9. Pick and keep aside all those pieces which do not have the shell attached to them. They can be used for making chutneys (will give the recipes separately). However these cannot be preserved for more than a week or so. 
10. Keep all other ingredients ready so that the pickle can be made on the same day the mangoes are brought home. If not made immediately, they become soft. 

This is the special cutter used for cutting mangoes. The knife is joined at one end and very heavy and sharp. 

This is before cleaning the pieces and removing the seeds.

This is how the seed and the thin layer inside the shell are removed before pickling.

This is after cleaning the pieces. I could not clean the fruit before cutting. Any way it was better this way.

These are the ones without the shell, so separated for making chutney. They cannot be pickled.

1. Aavakaya ( आम का आचार- ఆవకాయ) 

The first one is the simple Aavakaya. Aava means mustard, kaya means fruit -raw one- here mango. So the main ingredient here is the Mustard powder.

This is the mustard Powder(पीसा हुवा राई - ఆవ పొడి)

Ingredients: 

Raw Mangoes (Big)  15 

Mustard Powder     1Kg 

Red Chilli Powder   1Kg 

(Guntur variety is very hot/spicy and has a good red colour. I prefer that.) 

Salt 1Kg 

Sesame Oil (Gingelly Oil) 1 and1/2 KG 

Turmeric powder 2-3 fistfuls 

Fenugreek Seeds a fistful 

White vinegar one fourth to half litre (optional) 

Method: 

1. Quantities of Mustard, Red Chilli powder and salt are usually taken in equal quantities. One can vary the ratio according to taste. But this also depends on the sourness of the mangoes and also the size and quantities of the mangoes. Some people want more mango pieces than the spice mixture. In that case, the quantity of spices can be reduced to 750 gms or 500 gms each instead of one Kg. 

2. In addition to the above, I also add 500 gms red chilli powder of the variety (like Kashmir Chillies, Bhadrachalam or other such varieties) which give a very red colour to the pickle but not at all spicy or hot. This colour is maintained through out the year. 

3. Now take the three powders in a big plate or a vessel wide enough for us to mix them freely. Now mix them well with both hands. add fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder and mix well again. 

4. Add a little oil (use around 250 gms to 500 gms and keep the rest aside) at a time to this spice mixture, and mix well until the mixture is wet with oil. 

5. Now add the mango pieces few at a time. Roll them in the mixture until they are well coated. 

6. In a ceramic Jar, first put a thin layer of the spice mixture, then put some pieces as prepared in 5 above. Again put a layer of mixture, then the pieces alternately until all the pieces are done. 

7. Cover the jar with the lid and leave for three to four days. 

8. By this time the mango pieces will marinate in the spice mixture and the spice mixture will be more slushy. 

9. Now take the entire pickle into a plate and mix well thoroughly. Taste it, and add salt or other spices according to your requirement. 

10. Add vinegar (optional) and mix well. Vinegar helps in preserving the pickle, retaining the colour as well as keeps the mango pieces very crisp for a long time almost the entire year. Strictly speaking traditionally vinegar is not added by us South Indians. But as I have experimented with it, I find it very helpful. Though vinegar is acidic in taste, its taste is not at all noticeable in this pickle. So one need not fear in adding it. 

11. Now put it back in the jar and pour the entire quantity of oil over it. It is ready for use though it will take few more days for the spices to sink into the pieces and blend in. Cover the top of the jar with a clean muslin cloth and tie it around the neck with a string. 

12. The quantity required for daily use can be kept separately in small jars. use a dry spoon when ever the pickle has to be taken out from the main jar. 

Here are the pictures....

Colourful spices, ready to go....

Mixing...

Mixing in a little of oil...

Coating the pieces with spicy mixture few at a time...

Storing in the jar...

This is the final product after mixing in the oil and vinegar...

For daily use......

2. Chick Pea Aavakaya ( चनेवाला आम का आचार - శెనగల ఆవకాయ) 

Here all the ingredients and the process is as above. Only thing is Chick peas are added to the spice mixture. Chick peas or Bengal gram is known as Chana in Hindi and Senagalu in Telugu. Around a cup of the gram may be added.

But use the small variety known as Desi chana not the big ones known as Kabuli or Mumbai chana. 

3. Green Lentil Aavakaya (मूँग वाला आम का आचार - పెసర ఆవకాయ) 

Here the main ingredient is the Green gram-but split and husked or skin removed. Split and cleaned Green lentil is known as Dhuli huvi Moong dal in Hindi and Peara Pappu in Telugu. The lentil should be cleaned and kept in hot Sun for an hour or two and then powdered. This is much more tastier than the usual Avakaya and less spicy. 

Split and husked Green Lentil(gram) ( मूँग दाल - పెసర పప్పు)

• All the ingredients mentioned in Aavakaya (sl no 1) remain the same. 
• The only difference is mustard powder is substituted by same quantity of Lentil powder. 
• Two Tbsps to Half cup of Mustard powder may be added if you feel so. Strictly speaking it is not required but some add it. 
• Fenugreek seeds are not added. But some of my friends said that they add 2 Tbsps of roasted Fenugreek powder. 

Many more Recipes on Pickles in my next posts....

Pickling Season

Fiends I  am  sorry I could not post earlier as my net had a problem and it took me so long to fix it.....At last I have completed the first step in pickling of Mangoes as I was rather forced to do so by the season coming to an end and also by Typhoon Laila. :) :) 

Here is a preview...

Its fiery hot but yummy..Yes I could not resist tasting it even though it has to marinate for five to six days.....

Today I will complete the next  step. So I will post various recipes of the Mango Pickles. Keep a watch on my blog.....