Usually I am spoilt because my mum or my mum-in-law sends us pickle. However, with lock down and us not being able to visit our family I had to make a plan and make my own Sweet and Sour Mango Pickle.
Sweet and Sour Mango Pickle
My mum-in-law helped me with the ingredients and the method. I created my own little recipe and my Sweet and Sour Mango Pickle is perfect. It is so delicious, with a little tanginess and some sweetness, yum! The most difficult part about making pickles is the cutting up of the mangoes or veggies, if it’s a veggie pickle. These mangoes I must admit was really difficult to cut up. Have you ever tried cutting green mangoes, it’s a mission. Luckily I had my hubby’s muscle power or I swear I would have thrown these mangoes away…haha, lazy me.
Ingredients required for Sweet and Sour Mango Pickle
Green Mangoes, Pickle Masala, Garlic, Cumin, Coriander, Fennel, Sugar, Salt, Vinegar and Oil. This is a sweet and sour pickle it’s why I added sugar. The amount of sugar can be adjusted according to your preference. I found that the amount of sugar was perfect for our taste buds but if you feel you want a sweeter pickle add more sugar.
How do I make the Sweet and Sour Mango Pickle?
You have to cut up the mangoes, I usually cut them up into 8 pieces. Rinse them well and soak it in some salt to prevent it from turning brown. Drain all the excess water and spread the mangoes on a tray. The mangoes need to be air dried in a warm sunny spot. I usually place it on my kitchen counter top near a window, where there is some sunlight. If you are leaving it outside you can cover it with a net. It only needs to dry for about 3 to 4 hours. If it’s a cooler day it may take slightly longer.
Making the syrup
The water and sugar is added to a saucepan and you heat it until it forms a thick syrup. Takes about 30 minutes and it usually reduces to about 1/3 of what you started with. The syrup is cooled down a little and added to the mangoes. Many of us would want to know the answer to this burning question. My hubby ate it almost immediately. How soon you eat it depends on how soft you prefer your pickle. Obviously if it soaks for a few days it will be a little softer. It will also have a lot more flavour as all the spices will have the chance to really soak in. However, there’s nothing wrong with eating it immediately. We usually do, you just have a more crunchy pickle. I think pickles can last perfectly fine in a sterilized bottle, in the refrigerator, up to a month. If you make a large batch you can freeze the pickle. When required you will have to thaw the pickle out for a few hours before serving. We very often freeze pickles and it works perfectly fine.
If you want to try a Mango Pickle that’s a little different why not try this one from Rachna Cooks. If you do try my recipe please drop me a comment and a star rating, I always love hearing from you. Pickles pairs perfectly well with vegetarian curries: Sugar Bean Curry Gram Dal with Brinjal Dal Recipe If you loved this, please share!
