Maavadu Oorugai recipe | Vadu Mango Pickle recipe | Baby mango pickle
How to make Maavadu Oorugai | Vadu mango pickle recipe at home - Baby mango soaked in brine with salt and spices.
Servings: 5 cups
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 5 cups Maavadu | Vadu mangai | Indian baby mango ( heaped)
- 35 Red chilli or 2 to 3 tbsp Chilli powder ( Use 40 for more spicy taste )
- 2 tbsp Methi seeds
- 1.5 tbsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Hing / Asafetida
- 2 tbsp Castor oil
- Rock salt / Crystal salt as needed
To temper
- 2 tbsp Gingely oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
Instructions
How to make Maavadu Oorugai | Maavadu Pickle | Vadu Mango Pickle recipe
- Remove the stalk / Kaambu of maavadu if they are very big. Ignore this step if the stalk is small. Keep little kaambu intact to avoid fungus formation.
- Wash them well and spread it in a towel. Pat it dry completely. Make sure there is no water at all. Take the baby mangoes in a porcelain bowl (Peengaan jaadi) or glass bowl as other vessels may react.
- In a kadai, dry roast the methi seeds till golden brown in medium flame. In a mixie jar take the mustard seeds, roasted methi seeds, red chillies, turmeric powder, Hing and rock salt. Powder them nicely. Now add water and make a smooth paste.
- Now apply castor oil all over the baby mangoes. Castor oil helps to reduce the body heat generated by mango.
- Add this paste to the baby mangoes and coat it well. Mix with a wooden ladle and not with your hands. Use wooden ladle only. Check for salt and add more if needed.
- Cover the bowl with a thin cotton cloth and keep it under the sun for a day. Mix well once or twice in the middle using a wooden ladle. Toss it well once in the morning and night. Remove and keep it closed over night. Repeat the same procedure for 5-7 days. Baby mangoes will leave water, start to shrink and soak well. Maavadu pickle is ready. Enjoy with curd rice.
- For storage: Transfer the required amount of pickle along with water to a small glass jar or porcelain jar and keep it refrigerated. Use a clean spoon. Keep the remaining pickle in a large glass jar or porcelain jar with a tight lid and store in a rack. This pickle stays good for few months upto an year.
Notes
- For 5 cups of maavadu, 3/4 cup crystal salt is required. It may differ based on the salt we use.
- Some version calls for roasting the chillies along with methi seeds and hing. But my MIL always add it raw. So I too follow her method.
- Adjust the quantity of red chillies as per your taste.
- U can also replace red chillies with chilli powder. Use Kashmiri chilli powder for best color.
- Mustard seeds gives a nice flavor to this pickle. So don’t skip it. But do not add more as it may give a bitter taste.
- Some people add the powedered mustard, methi and red chilli powder directly to maavadu but we make a paste and add it. It helps to release water quickly and we can have the pickle from 2nd day itself. But make sure you don't use your hands at any cost while mixing the pickle.
- If you want to store the pickle for years, mix the powders directly. Do not add it as a paste.
- This pickle tastes the best only after a week. So let it dry under sun. Do this patiently. Don't forget to toss it well at least twice a day. Once in the morning and evening.