Mukkala Avakaya / Mango Achaar (Tiny mango pieces in Tangy Mustard paste)

Mukkala Avakaya / Mango Achaar (Tiny mango pieces in Tangy Mustard paste)

Its very hard to find a good avakaya in any store. There is nothing better than home made avakaya. I have never tried making it at home. I always get mine from India or whenever my Mom is here she makes it here. But where do we get good green kachcha mangoes? For us here in Nashua, we don't get nice ones. We get some green mangoes, but they always end up being slightly yellow inside, which mean they are not totally kachcha or raw. This means that they would be slightly sweeter and not sour. For this reason my Mom adapted this way of making avakaya, that is by using amchoor powder to make it sour even if the mango is slightly sweet.
Usually avakaya is made by cutting the whole mango thru the seed, but since we didn't have any such sharp and big equipment to cut thru the seed, we cut it into small pieces. Also in India, special kind of oil is used, but here we used regular canola oil.
I always thought making avakaya is a very big work, but if you are making it in small quatity, its very easy. It will keep good for a few months if kept in the refrigerater. And also make sure that you don't let any water touch the avakaya. Always use a dry spoon or hand when touching the bottle outside or inside.
Always dry the bottle completely before putting the avakaya in the bottle.
We made it enough spicy for us, adjust spice according to your taste.
 
 

 
Ingredients:
 
2 green mangoes, chopped tiny with the peel on
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup red chilli powder
salt to taste
 
1/2 cup mustard seeds, ground to powder
1/4 cup amchoor powder
 
Tempering:
 
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed (optional)
1 tbsp urad daal
1 tsp methi seeds or menthulu
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 dry red chillies, broken
1/2 tsp hing
a bunch of curry leaves
1cup oil
 
 

 

 

Method:
 
Chop mangoes and keep aside. Grind mustard seeds to powder. Add red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, mustard seeds powder and amchoor powder to the chopped mango. Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and saute for 10 seconds. This is optional tho. You can directly add urad daal, jeera, mustard seeds, methi seeds, hing, curry leaves and red chillies to the oil. When they start spluttering, remove from heat and let cool. When cooled, add it to the chopped mango and mix well. This can be enjoyed immediately or can be keep aside in a cool dark place overnite before eating it. Sometimes immediately you cannot see any juices, but after sitting aside for couple of days, you can see the juices. Serve with hot rice, but can also be eaten with chappati, idli, dosa, bajjis etc.,. Enjoy!!!
 
 

 
Tip: Make sure the oil is cool enough, otherwise it couple spoil the avakaya. Make sure that no water touches the avakaya, otherwise it could spoil.
 
Prep time: 1 hour

Sending it to Complete My Thali - Pickle...Hosted by Nivedita's Kitchen started by Jagruti of Joy of Cooking for a good cause!!