A typical Gujarati pickle of raw mangoes, white chick peas and Dry Fenugreek seeds perked up with a large assortment of spices and preserved with mustard oil, this pickle has a wonderful mix of flavors ranging from sour to spicy.

Indian traditional food is not at all complete with Pickles. Each region has its own specialty and variety of pickles with various flavors. Gujarat region also very famous for its various pickles. This, Mango, Chana and Methi pickle is one of the most delicious pickle with awesome taste, slightly crunchy texture.

Here i used the home made Achar Masala, but one can use store bought also. For me and my family nothing can beat the home made taste 🙂 🙂 .

Pickle Mangoes are raw mango with a very big size. At time of purchase, be very careful. Check the mango properly. It should not be soft from any side.

To make Pickle in traditional way, u need lot and lot of patience. After a month only , one can eat this pickle. Shell life of this pickle is for years, even without refrigerator, Only condition is oil should be in enough quantity. There is no stated rule for quantity of oil to be used, oil should float on top in good amount where pickle is stored. Once pickle is ready, keep on mixing once or twice in a day for 12-15 days. This way, oil will be mix properly and there wont be any air bubble which can damage the pickle

Glass jars are best way to store pickles. At time of accessing, make sure dont touch pickle by fingure. Always use dry and clean spatula.

In this post i have given the method for making Achar Masala at home . But here i used Less Fenugreek splits in it as in pickle also we have used Dry Fenugreek, so to make bitter taste leveled.

Lets checkout the process with step wise pics..

INGREDIENTS:

For Achar Masala

• 2.5 cup Mustard Splits (Rai Kuria)
• 1 cup Fenugreek Splits (Methi Kuria)
• 1 cup Oil ( i used Ground nut Oil)
• 4 tbsp Salt
• 4 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1.5 tsp Hing

here salt, red chilli and hing quantity can be different depends of the quality you are using, Only measurement is keep tasting. You need salt and chilli powder more than your routine taste. As the sourness of pickle will make it leveled.

For Pickle

• 3 big sized Pickle Mango
• 1 small cup White Chick Peas
• 1 small cup Fenugreek Seeds
• 1 cup Rock salt
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 lt Mustard Oil
• Achar masala (Full quantity made from above ingredients)

METHOD

Wash White Chick Peas and Fenugreek Seeds and soak separately in good amount of water for 6 to 8 or overnight. Again wash properly and add a cup of water in each. Again allow it soak till mango water is ready.

   

Wash and clean the Raw Mango Properly. Wipe properly and make it dry. In Pickle cleanliness is the most important thing. No need to peel the skin, Cut the big cubes. At time of cutting make sure, we will remove the seed from inside but not the thick skin of that seed. That thick skin will help to keep mango stiff.

Now add Rock salt and turmeric powder.Mix well. Dont use spatula or hands to mix. Hold the vessel and turn nicely so it will be mix. Keep mixing after 30 mins again.

After 1 or 1.5 hr you can see some water is released from mango. But salt wont be dissolve fully. So slowly take out that water and add with White chick peas and Fenugreek seeds. . Before adding mango water to chana and methi , make sure they are well soaked.

  

Allow mango to soak for at least 5 to 6 hrs . Now we will first dry mango. White chick peas and fenugreek seeds are still in mango water .

Mango will take around 4 to 5 hrs to dry nicely. So after 3 to 4 hrs we will take out chana and methi from mango water and make them dry. WE DONT HAVE TO DRY CHANA NAD METHI COMPLETELY. else they will be very hard in pickle and wont give crunchy taste.

To dry mango, take out pieces gently and spread on a cotton cloth . You can make sun dry also and if not possible keep under fan. Make sure chana , methi and even mango should not be over dried. Mango should not contain water part at time of adding achar masala.

So now lets see how to make delicious, spicy Achar Masala at home

Take Mustard splits and Fenugreek Seeds. sift and clean them. In a mixer jar take them together. We have to grind them slightly. Use pulse method to grind. Dont grind continuously as we are not making powder . Now spread nicely in a big plate.

Make oil hot and pour nicely on this mixture.

Once you pour oil, immediately cover that plate. Allow it to cool, after 10 mins sprinkle 1/2 tsp hing on it and again cover it. Allow it to cool completely, it may take 2-3 hrs. Before adding spices , make sure its cool completely not even warm.

Now add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and hing. Mix well with a spatula.

So its assemble time now..

in a big broad vessel take mango, chana and methi. Mix this prepared achar masala in it. Mix well. Keep mixing after every 2 hrs. WE DONT HAVE TO ADD OIL FOR  24 HRS.

After 24 hrs of this dry pickle , now we will add oil. For that, add mustard oil in a vessel. Make it hot till you feel smoke is coming out but not boiling. Switch off gas and allow it to cool completely. It may take 4-5 hrs to cool. Now add this oil to dry pickle mixture. give a good stir,

For next 48 hrs keep this pickle in vessel only and keep mixing once or twice in a day. You can add some more oil if you feel it necessary.

Store in a clean and dry glass jar. Give a good stir for a week or 10 days.

You can enjoy this sour and spicy pickle after a month, though you can taste after 2 days for rough idea of taste. Never try to add any direct masala to pickle, if you wish one can add some achar masala and oil.

Hope you enjoy the taste

Happy cooking 🙂 🙂