Gurh Keri

Mango Pickle with Jaggery

Vegetarian●●●Origin GujaratPrep 20 minutes, plus standing timeMakes 3½kg / 7lb 11oz

A sweet, sour, and spicy Gujarati mango preserve cured slowly in unrefined jaggery and aromatic spices. It balances sharp fruitiness with deep caramel sweetness and a fiery chilli kick.

Curing turmeric

18 gTossed with the raw mangoes and salt (step 1)

Ground turmeric · Haldi

18 g2 tablespoons

spice

Keep ground: it is used to coat the mango cubes before drying.

Pickling spices

129 gMixed with the dried mango pieces and jaggery (step 3)

Chilli powder · Lal Mirch Powder

115 g

spice

Asafoetida · Hing

14 g5 teaspoons

spice

Leave as weighed: they are tossed directly into the fruit and jaggery mixture.

Everything else

Raw mango · Kaccha Aamstoned (pitted) and cut into cubes

1200 g6 mangoes

fruit

Jaggery · Gurchopped, or soft brown sugar

1400 g

sweetener

Salt · Namak

to taste

salt

Method

Place 6 mangoes (stoned and cut into cubes) into a large bowl, season with salt to taste, and add the curing turmeric, tossing until every piece is evenly coated.
Lay the seasoned mango pieces out in a single layer on a clean dish towel or cloth to dry overnight.
Transfer the dried mango into a large bowl, add the pickling spices, 1400 g chopped jaggery (or soft brown sugar), 275 g split mustard seeds, and 2 tablespoons oil, then toss gently to combine.
Spoon the mixture into a wide-mouthed glass jar and tie a piece of muslin over the rim.
Store the jar in a cool cupboard for several days, stirring the contents every 2 days using a clean, dry spoon, until the jaggery melts completely into a thick syrup and the mango softens slightly. Decant 1 to 2 cups at a time into a smaller jar for everyday use.

Don't have something?

Raw mango

Raw green mango
Use the same weight; peel and slice. Practically interchangeable.
Unripe mango
Use the same weight; peel and grate. Close, but may be slightly less sour.
Sour green mango
Use the same weight; peel and deseed. More sour, so reduce lime or amchoor.

Ground turmeric

Ground ginger
Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.
Saffron
Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Chilli powder

Red chilli powder
Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.
Kashmiri chilli powder
Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.
Cayenne pepper
Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Split mustard seed

Mustard seed
Use the same weight and crush or grind; this is the same seed in whole form.
Yellow mustard seeds
Use the same weight, crushed; milder than black mustard, so increase slightly if you want heat.
Mustard powder
Use 60% of the weight; more concentrated, so mix into the dish gradually.

Split fenugreek seed

Fenugreek seed
Use the same weight and crush or grind it; whole seed is the same spice, just less divided.
Ground fenugreek
Use 60% of the weight; more concentrated and bitter, so add gradually.
Fenugreek leaves
Use about 3 times the weight; much milder and leafy, not a true match for the bitter seed note.

Asafoetida

Garlic powder
Use double the weight. Stir into hot oil just before adding wet ingredients; mimics the allium savoury background without the sulphurous edge.
Garlic paste
Use 2 g for every 0.5 g of asafoetida. Sauté in oil until the raw smell clears; adds moisture and sweet allium depth.

Jaggery

Granulated sugar
Use 80% of the weight. Granulated sugar is sweeter by weight, but gives a cleaner, one-dimensional sweetness that lacks jaggery's caramel, molasses depth.
Raisin
Soak and blend into a paste; use 100% to 120% of the weight. Adds rich, natural, fruity sweetness with complex, dark molasses notes that thicken the gravy.

Similar dishes

Aam ka Panna

Mango Water

It tastes refreshing, light, and mildly spiced with earthy cumin, whereas this dish is intensely sweet, deeply spiced, and far more fiery.

Same: Both preparations rely on green mangoes combined with a sweetener, chilli powder, and salt.
Different: Aam ka Panna is a liquid drink made by poaching mangoes with granulated sugar and ground cumin, omitting the jaggery, turmeric, asafoetida, and slow-curing technique of this dish.

Kairi ki Chutney

Raw Green Mango Chutney

Kairi ki Chutney tastes strictly tart, savory, and pungent rather than rich and sweet.

Same: Kairi ki Chutney shares a base of raw green mango seasoned with chilli powder, turmeric, asafoetida, and salt.
Different: Unlike this dish, Kairi ki Chutney omits jaggery and is tempered in vegetable oil with mustard seeds, fenugreek, dried chillies, chana dal, and urad dal.

Kairi Murg

Mango Chicken

Kairi Murg tastes tart, savory and fragrant from fresh mango and green chilli, while this dish tastes sweet, sour and fiery with caramel jaggery.

Same: Kairi Murg shares raw mango, turmeric, chilli and salt with this dish.
Different: Kairi Murg adds chicken, onion, ginger, garlic and green chilli and is cooked in oil, while this dish uses jaggery, mustard seed, fenugreek and asafoetida and is a preserved pickle.

Achras

Minced (Ground) Lamb with Raw Mango

Achras tastes savoury and tangy from fresh raw mango and warm spices, not deep caramel-sweet and sharply sour like this jaggery-cured mango pickle.

Same: Achras shares raw mango, chilli powder, ground turmeric, and salt with this dish.
Different: Achras is a lamb curry cooked with ghee or oil, onion, garlic paste, ginger paste, green chilli, mint, black pepper, clove, black cardamom, and hard-boiled egg, while it lacks this dish's jaggery, split mustard seed, split fenugreek seed, and asafoetida and is not a cured pickle.