Avakk

Raw Mango Pickle from Telangana

Vegetarian●●●Origin Andhra PradeshPrep 20–25 minutes, plus standing timeMakes 500g / 1lb 2oz

A fiery, pungent raw mango pickle from Telangana loaded with ground mustard and dried chillies. It is intensely savoury, tart, and steeped under a preserving layer of oil.

Mustard spice

1000 gGround and mixed into the spice paste (step 2)

Mustard seed · Rai

1000 g

spice

Rub between your palms to discard loose husks, then grind to a powder.

Whole fenugreek

44 gAdded to the mangoes with the spice paste (step 3)

Fenugreek seed · Methi Dana

44 g4 tablespoons

spice

Keep whole.

Everything else

Sour green mango · Khatta Aamstoned (pitted) and chopped into 2.5-cm / 1-inch pieces

250 g

fruit

Sesame oil · Til ka Tel

to taste

oil/fat

Coarse salt · Moti Namak

to taste

salt

Method

Place 250 g raw mangoes (stoned and cut into 2.5-cm / 1-inch pieces) into a clean ceramic or stone vessel. Spread 1000 g ground chillies and salt to taste across clean, dry kitchen towels to ensure every trace of moisture has evaporated.
Prepare the mustard spice, then combine it in a large bowl with the dried ground chillies and salt. Stir in a splash of oil to bring the mixture together into a paste.
Tip the spice paste and the whole fenugreek into the vessel with the raw mangoes. Drape a clean cloth over the top and leave undisturbed for 12 hours while the fruit draws out liquid.
Gently decant and discard the expelled liquid. Pour in oil until it sits 8–10 cm (3–4 inches) above the fruit, mix thoroughly using a completely dry wooden spoon, and ensure a 10 cm (4-inch) layer of oil remains resting over the top of the pickle.

Don't have something?

Sour green mango

Raw green mango
Use the same weight; peel and grate or chop. Same sourness and texture.
Green mango
Use the same weight; peel and grate. If less sour, add amchoor powder to taste.
Dried mango powder
Use 5 g amchoor for 100 g mango, plus 50 ml water. Add early so it mellows; it gives sourness but no pieces.

Mustard seed

Black mustard seed
Use the same weight. The seeds are smaller and hotter; fry in hot oil until they pop, about 20–30 seconds, and reduce the heat if they darken too fast. The dish will be a little sharper.
Yellow mustard seeds
Use the same weight. They are milder and larger; fry a few seconds longer until they pop. The finished dish will have less pungency.
Ground mustard seed
Use 70% of the weight of whole seed, added with the other ground spices rather than fried whole. You lose the popping texture and the heat comes through more evenly.

Dried red chilli

Dried kashmiri chilli
Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.
Red chilli powder
Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Sesame oil

Mustard oil
Use the same weight. Heat until smoking, then cool for 2 minutes before cooking; it is pungent and changes the flavour strongly.
Groundnut oil
Use the same weight. It is neutral, so add 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds for aroma.
Vegetable oil
Use the same weight. It is neutral and lacks sesame flavour; finish with a few drops of toasted sesame oil if you have it.

Fenugreek seed

Mustard seed
Use 50% of the weight, crush or grind. Sharper heat and less maple-bitter; fry briefly in oil before adding.
Caraway seeds
Use the same weight, crush lightly. Similar bitter-seed note but more aniseed; reduce other sweet spices slightly.
Ajwain seeds
Use 25–30% of the weight, crush. Much stronger thyme-like flavour; do not overdo.

Similar dishes

Kairi ki Chutney

Raw Green Mango Chutney

Kairi ki Chutney has a milder, earthy, and textured bite from the lentils rather than the intensely pungent, fiery mustard sharpness of this dish.

Same: Both dishes use tart raw green mango as their base seasoned with mustard and fenugreek.
Different: Kairi ki Chutney blends softened mango and finishes it with a tempered mix of chana dal, urad dal, turmeric, and asafoetida, whereas this dish is an oil-cured raw pickle dominated by vast amounts of mustard seeds.

Kairi ki Mhithi Chutney

Sweet Green Mango Chutney

Kairi ki Mhithi Chutney has a sweeter, more aromatic flavour profile, whereas this dish is sharply pungent, fiery, and purely savoury.

Same: Both recipes preserve raw green mango using mustard seeds, fenugreek, and chillies.
Different: Kairi ki Mhithi Chutney adds ground cloves, fresh ginger, and curry leaves, while using a fraction of the mustard seeds required in this dish.

Aam ka Achar

Mild Raw Mango Pickle

Aam ka Achar is mild, gently spiced and tangy with garlic and roasted-seed notes, while this dish is fiery, pungent, intensely savoury and tart from heavy mustard and dried chilli.

Same: Aam ka Achar shares raw green mango, coarse salt, sesame oil, fenugreek seed, mustard seed and dried red chilli with this dish.
Different: Aam ka Achar uses 450 g mango plus garlic, lime juice, turmeric, kalonji, cumin, coriander and chilli powder, while this dish uses 250 g mango with 1000 g ground mustard and 1000 g dried chillies and no garlic or lime.

Kairi ka Sherbet

Green Mango Sherbet

Kairi ka Sherbet is cooling, sweet, and mild rather than fiery, pungent, and intensely savoury like this dish.

Same: Kairi ka Sherbet also uses tart unripe mangoes as its core ingredient.
Different: It is a simmered beverage prepared with sugar and green cardamom, lacking the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, chillies, and heavy oil used to pickle this dish.