Summer has arrived in Dar Es Salaam and with it has come the season of mangoes. There appears to be a bumper crop this time because I see trees laden with mangoes and the markets are flooded with both raw and ripe mangoes. A good time to relish the different local varieties of juicy mangoes and to pickle the raw ones while the season lasts.
A favourite mango pickle of mine is chunda, the sweet mango pickle of Gujarat which I had come to love during our stay in Ahmedabad. I happened to mention my fondness for this pickle to my friend and neighbour Jennifer during an evening walk and she promptly offered to share the recipe for this pickle with me. In fact she went a step ahead and guided me through each step of the process.
Jennifer told me that back in Gujarat a special variety of mango is used for making this pickle and it is left for several days in the sun to dry out and thicken the sugar syrup. Here of course we have to make do with the local variety and, as there is no open terrace or courtyard to keep the pickle in the sun, she showed me the instant way of making the pickle which cuts down on the time and effort involved but does not detract in any way from the taste.
Ingredients:
3 cups grated raw mangoes
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp salt ( approx)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
Method: Peel the skin of the raw mangoes and grate. Add salt and turmeric powder and leave aside for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile powder the sugar. Add to the grated mango and mix well. The sugar will dissolve and together with the grated mango form a thin syrup. Let it remain thus for a day.
Next day transfer the grated mango with the accompanying syrup to a heavy bottom pan and stir over high flame for a few minutes till it reaches one string consistency. Remove from flame and let it cool completely for several hours or overnight. Add red chilly powder and cumin seeds and mix well. Fill in clean bottles and store.
Mango quality tends to differ so in case the mango is very sour, or if juice released is insufficient, make more sugar syrup of same consistency and add to pickle.
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