Andhra Mango Pickle/ Avakaya

Avakaya/ Mango pickle is an authentic pickle exclusively prepared in Andhra. Those who grew up in Andhra will know the specialty of this pickle. I love this a lot. My mom mixes steaming hot rice along with dal, a dollop of ghee and this pickle and the taste was mind blowing, which I won’t forget in my life. A magical combination they are.

In almost all the houses in Andhra, they used to make this pickle at home. My friends always used to bring lunch which was pickle  mixed rice i.e “avakaya annam”.

My mom used to prepare almost all the Kerala pickles, but this avakaya is the one which she doesn’t know the exact proportions. “Priya” pickles are most famous pickles, and they used to have the “mango avakaya”, which my dad used to bring regularly. Our favorite past time in the afternoons, when my mom used to take a nap, is to take a mango piece from the pickle jar, wash it and enjoy it. This used to happen regularly and my mom used to wonder, how come a big jar of avakaya got over within a few days of purchase.. :) (this is a secret till now…)

I used to think that preparing this pickle is a big and tiring process until I stumbled upon the wonderful blogger Lubna’s blog

If we have the right proportions then making this pickle is not a difficult task. This pickle is made in large portions, because of its good shelf life and that too without refrigeration. During the mango season, the Andhra markets are flooded with varieties of raw and ripe mangoes. They used to sell raw cut mangoes for pickling. The mangoes used for avakaya is cut along with the inside shell, which is a difficult process.  If the shell is not intact then the piece should be discarded, as they turn soggy.

Here in the US, I got raw cut mangoes in the frozen section, but I was not sure of how they will turn out after preparing this pickle. But to my surprise, they turned out just like the store bought ones. Just thaw them till done and wipe with a clean tissue and start the pickling process. I was excited and happy by the outcome. I am sure that you all will love this. Just try this out.

Adapted from Kitchenflavours:

Ingredients:

1. Mango pieces- 3 cups
2. Mustard seeds Powder- ½ Cup
3. Fenugreek powder- 1 tbsp
4. Red Chilli powder- 1 Cup
5. Salt- as required
6. Oil- 2 Cups
7. Garlic Cloves- 2 Cups

Method:

1. Take mango pieces in a bowl, add the mustard seeds powder, fenugreek powder, red chili powder, garlic cloves, and oil.
2. Mix well along with salt. Combine everything and keep this in an airtight glass jar.
3. After 3 days open the jar and using a clean ladle, give it a nice stir. Keep it closed.
4. Repeat the process for every 2- 3 days till 10- 15 days.
5. Enjoy the mango pickle along with hot steamed rice and a dollop of ghee.