The Summer must - Avakai Pacchadi

History

It is that season of the year, when almost all households in India engage in the process of pickling and making appalam (papads), and vadiyalu (raw chips made of vegetables and lentils). It has been a norm every summer that we make the traditional Avakai Pacchadi - a very flavourful and spicy pickle made of raw mango pieces, garlic, and a variety of spices and pickled using Til oil (sesame oil). 

So what is Avakaya? Ava in short is powdered mustard seeds which are called Avalu in Telugu and Kaya is the unripped fruit of a tree or a plant. Avakaya is typically made of raw mangoes, hence, when someone refers to it, it is safe to assume that it is made of raw mangoes. 

No two families have the same taste of the Avakaya. Everyone gets their own unique taste in the process. Today, we will talk about the process my ammamma (maternal grandmother) thought my mom and who inturn imparted the knowledge to both me and my sister. 

Tradition of Pickling 

The pickling process is taken very seriously and must be done with proper discipline. My mother says ammamma would isolate herself before starting the pickling process, she would sanitise the house, all the utensils and appliances used in the process, and herself too. Once she goes through the sanitization process, no one shall touch her until the process is completed. No non-veg food would be cooked in the house on the day of pickling. Well, who needs regular food when you are gonna get the yummy pickle at the end of the day, isn't it? Owing to the same tradition, I could only smuggle a few pictures of the process for the blog.

The pickle itself is considered holy and menstruating women are not allowed near the pickling process, nor can they touch the pickle during those days. They have their own rationale behind this and I would leave that to them. 

Best Products

Selecting the right ingredients is one of the vital parts of the pickling process. The first thing starts from selecting the right kind of mangoes. Pickles are made using a variety of mangoes based on the purpose the pickle will be used for. The typical Avakaya is eaten with hot rice, dosas, idlis, chapaties and everything you can think of under the sun. Some quirky ideas of Avakaya being used are in Maggi and making Avakaya Biryani. I am glad ammamma did not see this happen in her lifetime 😀. 

Process

Ingredients List:

1. Raw Mangoes - 15
2. Garlic - 1/4 KG pealed
3. Chilli Powder - 300gms  (sieved to remove any lumps)
4. Mustard Powder - 300 gms (slightly roasted, powdered and sieved)
5. Rock Salt, crushed and sieved - 200 gms
6. Oil - 2 Ltrs - Best to use Cold pressed Til Oil
7. Fenugreek (Methi) seeds - a handful

Other Items and utensils needed:

• Large mixing bowl, best to use stainless steel or glass. Thoroughly cleaned and dried
• Measuring cup - If you do not have one, consider a medium-sized coffee glass 
• A ceramic jar large enough to store the pickle 
• A clean and dry cotton cloth

Picking and Prepping the Mangoes

Pick the darkest, firmest, and sourest mangoes. After selecting the mangoes from the vendor, ensure you wash them thoroughly using water that you carry to the market, once cleaned, wipe them with a dry cloth to remove every drop of water from the mangoes. Ensure the flesh is firm and white when you cut the mangoes, if you find any yellowing, reject the pieces as it is the initial state of ripening.

The mangoes must be cut into pieces of eight or ten, depending on their size. The pieces are cut using a special cutter by the vendor. Ensure, the pieces have the stone (seed) intact with the flesh. This will ensure the pieces do not disintegrate post the pickling process. 

The pickling process must be completed the same day the mangoes are cut. Because the raw mangoes will start losing water when they come in contact with air over time and will lose texture.

Steps

• The mango pieces must be cleaned of any impurities made by the cutting knife, using a clean and dry cloth wipe all the pieces until they are clean. Remove any pieces of seeds stuck to the stone (leave just one small piece of the seed in the pickle, this is to enhance the mango taste a bit more), and remove the light brown layer of skin right underneath the stone. 
• In the mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients, the mustard powder, salt, chilli powder,  and fenugreek seeds.

• To this mixture, add one part of the oil and mix well until it forms a smooth paste.
• Add the mango pieces in batches of 6-8. Coat each piece with the spice mix. 
• Add the coated mango pieces to the ceramic jar that has been prepared.
• Repeat the above step until all pieces are coated well and have been placed in the jar

• Add the peeled garlic to the jar.
• If there is remaining spice mix left, pour it over the mango pieces and then give it a good mix.
• Close the lid of the jar and tie a clean dry cloth around the mouth of the jar.

By this step, the pickle must be a semi-dry mixture of spices and mango pieces. Do not worry, the salt in the spice mix makes the mango pieces sweat and will get it to a loser consistency. And, do not miss all the goodness that the remaining spice mix from your dish has to offer. Take some piping hot rice, throw in some ghee and mix it up to relish a quick taste of the pickle. 

On day 3...

Open the jar of the pickle to give it one last adjustment in taste and oil levels. Take a spoonful and taste it with rice or any other main you wish to eat it with. You can add salt, chilly powder or mustard powder based on the taste you wish to have in the pickle. You will most probably need to add oil, the oil must reach an inch above the pickle leaving no parts of the pickle exposed to air, to preserve it perfectly.

Once you have the final product, you can fill a small jar for daily use and keep the main jar closed and covered with the lid and cloth to rest and develop further taste. 

Tips

• It is a long process, so start early
• Prep the dry ingredients the day before.
• To get the best taste, use home ground spice powders. I have used whole (big) black mustard from 24 Mantra Organics and custom made Gunturu Mirapakaya podi (Guntur Chilly powder), Idayam Til/Sesame Oil, Tata Rock salt, Pro Nature fenugreek seeds
• Use a mask while the pickling process, a sudden sneeze could spoil the process and is very unhygienic
• If you are mixing the pickle by hand, speed it a bit. The chilly and mustard powders can be harsh on the skin.
• Once the pickling is done, wash hands thoroughly with soap and apply a coat of oil or ghee. Do not use this hand to rub your eyes or nose. 

Do give it a try and wait for my next write up on making a short shelf life raw mango pickle...