Avakayi (Mango Pickle)

½ When someone asks you which state in India you are from, and you say “I come from Andhra Pradesh”, the usual response is, “Ooooh I love avakayi and gongura chutney”. Then the conversation continues: “Have you been to Andhra? Which places did you visit?” By the time you finish your conversation you end up inviting him or her to your house and become great friends.

8 Very green and hard mangoes
4 Cups ground red pepper (mild if you don’t like it to be very hot)
4 Cups mustard powder. (Take whole mustard seeds and powder them in spice grinder until you have four cups powder)
1 Teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
3 cups salt
1 Cup clear sesame seed oil (divided 1/2 cup+1/4 cup +1/4 cup)
¼ Cup methi seeds
½ Cup small dry chickpeas (optional)
1 Cup small peeled garlic cloves (optional)
2 Cups clear sesame seed oil (for third day)

Cut each mango in to 16 or 20 pieces (with part of the seed attached to most pieces). In a large stainless steel bowl, mix red pepper, mustard powder, turmeric, salt, half a cup of oil, methi seeds, chickpeas, and garlic with clean dry hands. You may have to use plastic (not latex) gloves if your hands are sensitive to the red pepper powder.
Take a large dry glass bowl or plastic bowl and pour 1/4th cup of oil. Sprinkle ½ a cup of red pepper mixture on top of the oil in the bowl.
Take a hand full of mango pieces and put them in the stainless steel red pepper bowl and mix until the spices coat on mango pieces and put them in the glass bowl. Repeat this process with all the mango pieces and pack them. Sprinkle left over spices on top of mangoes and sprinkle 1/4th cup of the oil on top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep a heavy plate like pizza plate on top of the bowl.
Keep the bowl in a dry place for three days without mixing. On third day mix the pickle with wooden spoon and pour 1 cup of oil and mix thoroughly.

Storing: Take a large glass bottle. Pour ½ a cup of oil in the bottom of the bottle and fill the bottle with pickle. Pour the remaining ½ cup oil on top of the pickle. Store it in the refrigerator to keep the color and also to keep the mango pieces hard. Never use wet spoons to serve.

A little bit of nostalgia: Whenever I make this pickle or eat, it takes me back to my days in our village in India. Making mango pickles those days is a major event in the summer season lasting two weeks. First we have to go to the mango grove and pick mangoes that are just ready for pickling. Then we make sesame oil. To do this they have to soak the sesame seeds with skin over night, take them to Godavari river to wash the skin, dry them and take them to the oil-making machine (ganuga). And then the powders have to be made fresh one by one. We used to call it the Avakayi season. 
 

Guvar Bean Patoli (Goruchikkudukayi Patoli)

2 ½ Pound guvar bean pods (washed, stringed and cut in to one inch pieces)
¾ Cups water
1 Teaspoon salt (divided ½ + ½)
2 Tablespoons oil
½ Teaspoon red mustard seeds
3 Red dry chilies
1 Teaspoon urad dal
½ Teaspoon cumin seed
1/8 Teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
¼ Teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
2 Green chilies chopped
2 Stems curry leaves
½ Red bell pepper (cut into half inch slices)
1 Cup laddu besan (coarse chick pea flour)

Boil ¾ cup water in a medium size non-stick skillet. Add half a teaspoon salt and the bean pods and cook for three minutes. Drain the beans saving ¼ cup water. Keep the beans aside.
Return the pan to the stove. Heat two tablespoons oil and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add red chilies, urad dal and cumin seeds. Fry until urad dal is light brown and add rest of the ingredients (asafoetida, turmeric, green chilies, curry leaves, red bell pepper slices and laddu basen) Fry in low heat for two minutes being careful not to let the basen burn. Add beans, ¼ cup water and remaining half a teaspoon salt. Mix well and cover for a minute and stir gently so that the beans retain the shape. If it is not hot enough mix little ground red pepper. Tastes good with rice.

Note: Instead of laddu besan, you can use chana dal (soaked for two or three hours and blended). But this will consume more time and more oil for frying.



 

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