Hot and Sweet Date Mango Pickle

An heirloom original recipe from our family to yours. My moms famous date and mango pickle

Total time is not inclusive of the salt curing time for mangoes
( 8 hours).

The Recipe Intro contains more Info, pics as well as the VIDEO on this recipe. Don’t forget to check it out. Recipe below.

Ingredients:

Spices to be dry roasted and ground:

Method:

• The night before ( or at least 8 hours before): Cut the mango into large cubes.  Add to a bowl with a 1 1/2 Tbsp salt. Cover and set aside for at least 8 hours. This causes the mango to toughen up to be used in the pickle( so that it doesn’t go mushy in the process), It also pulls the excess water out of the mangoes.
• The next day/after 8 hours, it will have changed color and released a good amount of liquid.
• Strain the mango pieces using a colander and set aside to drain well. Reserve the resulting liquid and set aside for later.
• Initial Prep of the salted Mango: To a heavy based (Indian style wok), add the gingelly oil.  When it heats up, add the drained mango cubes and cook gently. Stir occasionally. You will see that more liquid is released and then eventually this liquid evaporates.
• Add 1 Tbsp sugar. Taste and add salt, if it seems like it needs a little more salt. Stir gently till all the water in the wok dries up. Now you will end up with mangoes in a ‘syrup like’ coating. 
•  At this stage, you can either, allow to cool, store in Tupperware in the fridge, to make the pickle on another day (This is good if you don’t have time, but want to preserve the fresh taste of your green mangoes for making the pickle later). OR you can continue making the pickle immediately. In case, you had refrigerated the mango, there might be a further change in color, but that is totally okay!
• Making of the Hot and Sweet Date Mango Pickle: Return the rinsed woke to the stove. To this, add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Allow the sugar to dissolve completely, to make a light syrup. Allow it to boil nicely.
• Add the prepared mango now. Add 2 Tbsp gingelly oil at this stage. Now cook with gentle stirring till the sugar syrup creates a thick coating and is reduced. It does not have to cook until totally dry. (Refer Video).
• Now, add the whole (Small) garlic cloves. Mix through. Also, add the green chilli.
• Just mix through the garlic and green chillies till everything is heated through. No need for longer cooking here. Remove the contents from the wok and set aside.
• Dry roast the spices and grind: To a small pan ( cast iron is good), add the spices one by one and dry roast, till lightly fragrant and remove before adding the next spice. Dry roast each spice separately for best result and do not roast for too long. When dry roasting the mustard seeds and the fenugreek seeds, cover the pan as the mustard seeds will pop. You can hear them pop. Just lift the lid and stir a few times.
• Grind all the roasted spices together to make a fine spice mix and set aside the spice powder.
• Next, rinse and wipe dry the same wok used earlier and return to the stovetop. Do not turn on the heat.
• Add 1/4 cup of the remaining Gingelly oil to the cold wok and add the coriander powder to this. Stir well.
• Now gently bring the oil to heat as you stir. Just as the spice and oil begin to heat up, add the Kashmiri chilli powder and stir well. (Follow this step precisely. Adding raw spice powders directly to hot oil can cause a distinct burnt aroma that will ruin the pickle.)
• Only stir till the spiced oil is warmed up. Turn off the flame. Add the prepared spice mix now and quickly stir well to incorporate.
• Immediately, add the prepared mango-garlic mixture and toss gently.
• Now turn the heat on again, stir gently to heat the mango and spice mixture together. Keep the mixture on low heat.
• Add 2 tsp salt and stir through so that everything is evenly mixed.
• Slowly/ Gradually add the vinegar. Once it is all added, increase the heat and allow to come to a boil. Stir from the bottom of the wok, to loosen any lumps of spice that have attached to the bottom of the wok.
• Now, do a taste test, and if you feel it needs more salt, Add the reserved liquid from curing the mango pieces overnight ( which is salty). Do this to taste.
• Add the chopped dates, and simply stir through and heat. No more cooking required. Turn of the heat.
• Allow the pickle to cool off completely.
• Store in sterilized jars with tight lids. Always use a dry spoon when serving.
• Enjoy the delicious recipe from our home to yours! My dear Ummas recipe.

Hot and Sweet Date Mango Pickle

Notes:

• Mangoes should smell fragrant and fresh and have a good mango scent, for this recipe. Mangoes should be nice and sour. Peel a little skin off the mango. If it tastes bitter at all, then you need to peel the mango before using in this recipe. Otherwise, chop the mango along with the peel.
• If you do not have Indian Garlic, which can be added whole to the pickle, you can slice the garlic cloves lengthwise, to resemble the size of the smaller cloves.
• Instead of gingelly oil, we sometimes make this pickle with coconut oil. However, this pickle will not keep as long as the gingelly version. Only make like this, if it is to be used up quickly. Coconut oil Pickle also tastes nice.
• Nigella seeds / Kalonji is added to this pickle and enhances flavor. It is highly recommended. Check out the spice page.

Key Ingredients: Mango, Dates, Garlic, Spices, Oil.

EAT AND TELL!!!

Let us know if you tried –  Hot and Sweet Date Mango Pickle

Hot and Sweet Date Mango Pickle

Author: Shana Shameer