It is also the season for Avakkai or pickles and here I present some quick recipes that my mother makes with variations.

Avakkai

Ingredients

·         Raw mangoes 10 medium raw 

·         Mustard seeds 1 cup

·         Red chilli powder ( I use 1/2 kashmiri and 1/2 hot )1 and 1/2 cups

·         Salt 1 1/2 cups

·         Turmeric powder 1/4 cups

·         Asafoetida/Hing 1/4 tablespoon

·         Fenugreek seeds4 tablespoons

·         Sesame oil (til oil) 2 cups

Method

Select good, firm and sour mangoes. Wash thoroughly and wipe them completely dry with an absorbent kitchen cloth. Cut mangoes into half with the seed and then cut each half into six to eight equal pieces.

Spread pieces on a mat and dry in the sun for at least two days. Clean and dry mustard seeds in sun and pound to a coarse powder.

Thoroughly mix red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, asafetida powder, mustard powder, fenugreek seeds and oil. Remove seeds from the sun dried mango pieces and mix them with the pickle mixture.

Wipe chana to make it dry and add to the mixture. Transfer to a ceramic pickle jar, and keep in the sun for three days without stirring.Stir and keep it for another few days.

 Variations include adding whole flakes of garlic, 1 cup of Gur for a more sweetened version. Enjoy!