Tender & timeless

Saline, salivating and unmissable in its taste, that's the humble raw mango pickle, writes Chandrika R Krishnan

It is said that the “precise location of heaven on earth has never been established but it may very well be right here.” I believe that it’s amidst heat, dust, and mangoes. Our grandparents’ house in the then Madras was our ultimate holiday location. Summer meant endless fun and our supper consisted of the ultimate comfort food in the form of curd rice served in the palm of our hands and a maavudu (baby mango pickle) as an accompaniment. After a dusty day of play soaking in the heat, this meal was equivalent to “food of the Gods.”

As our incisors bit into the tender mangoes, the crunchy taste mixed with a bit of sourness, salt, spice and all things nice leaving a lingering impact on our senses. Combined with an emotion called curd rice, the resultant happiness was ultimate.

There is no wonder this festive, feverish air on a day pickles are made. These recipes, handed down over generations, can be shared but what cannot is the camaraderie, life experiences and tales that pass on during the making of pickles. Coming to my family, my mother loved maavudu the best among all pickles though she was the undisputed queen in making Andhra-style avakai. She had a barter system going on with my aunts. They provided her with maavudu in return for avakai. Unfortunately, no quantity made or given was sufficient for the greedy us. Post marriage, I realised that my in-laws made a mean maavudu which was far superior and the recipe got integrated. Just in case our family members get lost à la ‘lost and found themes’ of erstwhile Hindi movies, this family recipe is bound to bring us all back to the fold.

Last year, the virus played a major spoilsport in its procurement and consequent disbursement. The little baby mangoes need to be tender, firm, of similar shapes and plucked before it falls to the ground. Hence, it is better to buy them early on in the season. It is mentioned in Vrikshayurveda, an ancient Indian science for plant life, that ‘he who plants five or six mango trees attains the abode of Garuda and lives happily forever like gods.’ I believe that the one who learns the art of pickling this heavenly fruit is already in the company of God.

Vadu mangaa/ maavudu
(Small raw baby mango pickle)
Ingredients
2 kgs of mangoes (small baby mangoes, firm and round with their stems cut)
400 gms of salt (salt is a necessary ingredient for preservation, hence can be reduced by just a little if in doubt)
400 gms of mustard seeds powder
400 gms of chilli powder
50 gms of turmeric powder
400 litres of sesame (Gingelly) oil heated to emit steam and cooled

Method
Trim the stems of the mango.
Clean and wash the mango to remove dirt particles.
On a large muslin cloth, spread them out evenly and pat them dry after an hour or so.
Mix the mango along with salt and turmeric powder and keep aside for a couple of days.
Take care to toss the mangoes once or twice every day.
Strain the brine (salt water) and mix the mustard powder and the chilli powder taking care that there are no residual lumps.
Mix the paste with the mangoes.
Mix the heated and cooled oil to the mangoes.
The salt, chilli and mustard powder will come together to form a gravy.
The jar of pickle needs to be turned or tossed every day and it would take 10 to 12 days to be ready for consumption.
The skin of the mangoes would turn wrinkled but generally would last till the next season at room temperature.
The above recipe should last for a year when stored at room temperature.
(Recipe courtesy: Lalitha Srinivasan)