Aam Ka Achaar | North Indian Style Mango Pickle

This year my MIL left to US just before the mango season and I had no intention of making any pickle as I am scared of attempting to make them on my own and hence my mom made Avakkay for me which I am yet to receive.Me and my husband do not like store bought pickles and we both are fascinated by the North Indian Aam ka Achar which my MIL makes and we love it especially with parathas.During one of our usual phone calls I have mentioned my MIL that we would not be receiving her signature pickle this time as she would be in US during mango season.Poor MIL,she really took it to heart and made the pickle masala with all the necessary ingredients and had sent that to me asking me to mix with the mango pieces during the mango season.She is really such a sweet heart and I really admire her for this nature of her's.

Coming to the pickle recipe,if you are a pickle lover this is one of the must try ones I would say as this tastes excellent with parathas or theplas.This pickle does not has anything for spiciness like red chili powder or green chili,but it is extremely tasty and flavorful with the other ingredients.The usage of mustard oil takes the pickle to another level,I must say that this pickle is a complete burst of flavors with the tartness from mango,pungency from mustard oil and mustard powder and the freshness from saunf and the mild taste from kalonji.This pickle is truly Punjabi style or you can say North Indian style Aam ka Achaar which is very famous.

I find it difficult to shoot pickles,though I wanted to show the pretty yellow mustard tukda in the pickle I could not capture it nice enough to show how the actual pickle looks like.So please don't go by its looks otherwise you would definitely miss this keeper aam ka achaar recipe.This is a hit at my place and even many of my relatives love this pickle which my MIL makes,so do try this one in your kitchen.

Aam ka Achaar Recipe:

Ingredients:
4 cups Raw mango pieces(pickle variety,ref the pictures)
1 cup Mustard powder (powder of approximately 3/4 cup mustard seeds)
1/2 cup yellow Mustard tukda
1 cup Salt
100gms Soamph
3 tbsp Methi seeds
1 tbsp Kalonji seeds
1 tsp Turmeric powder
300-350 ml Mustard oil approximately(see notes)

Method:

cleaning the mangoes:

• Wash and wipe the mangoes with a dry cloth.You really need to have sharp thick knife to cut into 1" thick mango wedges with the inner shell in tact as shown in the pictures.Here in India the shop keepers does this job during the mango season.
• If the inner shell is in tact this will increase the shelf life of pickle.Take a sharp knife and scrub the inner shell to remove a thin white layer over it.This is another important step you should keep in mind otherwise the pickle gets spoil.
• Now take a dry cloth and wipe the pieces from all the sides ensuring that they are cleaned well.
• Spread them over a dry cloth while you are preparing the spices for the pickle.

for making pickle:

• Keep ready the sterilized and sun dried jars ready before you start pickling.
• Grind soamph and methi seeds in whipper mode until coarse powder.Do not run it for long time just run it for 2-3 times until you get coarse powder.
• Now take a big bowl and mix the soamph-methi powder,mustard powder,salt,yellow mustard tukda,kalonji seeds and turmeric powder until everything is mixed well.
• Now take another wide small bowl and take 1 cup of mixed powders and add sufficient oil until the mixture is wet completely and mix with hands.

• Take some 10-12 mango pieces at a time and apply the mixture all over the mango pieces with your hands.Using your hands for this step is better than mixing it up with ladle.
• Put the masala coated mango pieces in the sterilized jar and repeat the process of coating the mango pieces in small portions and fill the jar up to 1/4 th and add 1/4 cup oil to it all over.You can even sprinkle some mixed pickle masala over this if you feel that your mango pieces are not well coated.
• Repeat the procedure coating the mangoes with the spice-oil mixed mixture and then layering in the jar with oil in between until you fill the jar.
• Pour 1/4 cup oil over it and cover it with lid and keep it aside for 3 days.

• On day-1 check it some oil might have started floating over the pickle.Do not panic if the oil does not float on day-1,if not on day-1 you will see oil floating on day-2.
• Mix with a clean and dry ladle all over and repeat the same process on day-3.
• Now taste the masala mixture in the pickle,it should be perfect and slightly salty as the pickle has to be yet marinated for atleast one week before its usage.But if you feel the salt is less add a tsp or 2tsps of salt to it and mix well.I don't think it would be necessary if you follow the measurements accurate.
• On the day-3 if you see the oil is floating on the pickle up to an 1/2" height then it is perfect.Otherwise add extra mustard oil over the top until the oil floats on top.
• Store it in air-tight tupper ware container or glass bottles.This way your pickle stores for long with freshness in it and even the mango pieces do not get soft.

Serve it with hot hot parathas and raitha.

Variations:

• This pickle is not spicy but it is a real burst of flavors.If you want it spicy add 1/2 -3/4 cup red chili powder while mixing the masala.But I strongly recommend not to use red chili powder for this pickle.

Notes:

• Always transfer a small portion of pickle into a small jar and use a clean and dry spoon.
• Increase the amount of mustard oil as required in the recipe.The basic thumb rule is to make the oil float over the pickle after 3 days.So feel free to add extra mustard oil.
• Do not replace or remove any of the ingredients in the recipe,all the ingredients are must to get a tasty Aam ka achaar in North Indian style.
• This pickle stays good for an year.It might turn slightly sour after 5-6 months but it is good to eat with hot hot parathas and curd.
• You can easily double or triple the recipe,the basic rule is to use 4 cups of mango pieces with 1cup salt and 1 cup mustard powder.
• You can add a tsp of the pickle masala while making methi theplas,it really adds a nice taste to the thepla.

Check out other North Indian style pickles recipes in my blog here:

• Mixed Vegetable Achar
• North Indian pickle -stuffed Mirch pickle

Also check out my other Mango pickle recipes:

• North Indian style Aam ka Achar
• Maagaya/Sun dried Mango Pickle
• Bellam Avakaya(Jaggery Mango Pickle)
  
• Mukkala Pacchadi(Tiny mango pieces pickle)
• Pesara Avakaya(Mango pickle with Moong dal Powder)
• Palli Avakaya(Mango Pickle with Groundnut Powder)
• Avakaya/Andhra special Mango pickle
• Allam Avakay | Avakay with Ginger-Garlic paste
• Nuvvu Avakay (Mango pickle with Sesame powder)
• No oil Mango pickle(Water Mango pickle)

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Eggless French Toast | Besan Bread Toast

This toast is a nice alternative to French toast for vegetarians as it does not include eggs.The usage of besan in the toast gives a similar texture of french toast to this and it hardly takes 15 mins to finish off the entire process.This can be made as a quick evening snack or as a healthy low fat breakfast.You can use any variety of bread like whole wheat,white or multi grain bread and it all tastes the same.
My husband is a big fan of bread pakoda and I rarely make it as it has to be deep fried,which is a rare thing at my place.This besan toast tastes very much similar to bread pakora and is a low fat version.I also use ajwain in the besan coating mixture which gives the unique taste of pakora to the toast.This tastes best when served hot with green chutney and tomato sauce.

I generally make bread upma or Tadka Bread Snack or this besan toast with stale bread and this is one of the best ways to convert stale bread into a simple and healthy snack with in no time.You can even pack these toasts with some tomato ketchup for your kids lunch boxes,reduce the amount of green chillies if you are planning to make for them.You can add grated vegetables like carrot,cabbage,capsicum to it for extra nutrition.
Ingredients:
6 Whole wheat bread slices
1 cup Besan/gram flour
1 medium Onion,finely chopped
3-4 Green chillies,finely chopped (or 1/2 tsp red chili powder)
3-4 tbsp chopped Coriander
1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
a pinch of Hing/asafoetida
1/4 tsp Ajwain
a pinch of Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil to roast bread
Method:

• Cut bread slices in to triangles and keep them aside.
• In a wide bowl mix in besan with enough water to make it like a dosa batter consistency.Use a wire whisk to do this which eases the process in removing all the lumps in it.
• Add turmeric,hing,ginger-garlic paste and salt to it and mix well.
• Add chopped onion,ajwain,coriander,green chillies to it and mix well.
• Mean while heat tawa and smear oil over it.
• Dip each bread slice on both sides and with the help of a spoon spread some onion mixture over it and place it on the oiled hot tawa with the onion mixture facing up.Keep some 4-5 slices in one batch.
• Pour some oil all over and on top and cover it with a lid and let it roast on a medium flame until crisp on one side.Flip to the other side and add extra oil if necessary and roast until it is fried,do this process on medium flame and make sure the entire besan mixture is cooked and fried.

Serve it hot with green chutney,imli chutney or tomato ketchup.

Notes:

• It is essential to add either hing or ajwain to besan batter as it helps in easy digestion.
• Fry it on low-medium flame until one side is crisp and cook it covered and make sure besan is cooked properly.If it is not cooked it might create indigestion problems,so its always recommended to cook/fry besan items properly.

Variations:

• You can avoid hing and add only ajwain in the above recipe for different flavor.This tastes very much similar to break pakoda and hence you can say that it is low fat break pakoda.
• You can add grated carrot,finely shredded cabbage,finely chopped spring onion or finely chopped capsicum to the besan mixture.
• Bread can be cut into squares or rectangles or smaller triangles or you can even use cutter for different shapes for fun.

I am sending this along with Minapa Sunni Undalu to my dear friend Lubna's 'Joy from Fasting to Feasting-IV' event.Do check her space for more details and I am glad that I would be taking part of her event.

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