Mummy ji ka Aam ka Achaar

Mummy ji ka Aam ka Achaar

Mom in law's Raw Mango Pickle

For something that is so stereotypically "Indian", it is interesting that the roots of the word achar are quite foreign. The word for pickle, but really meaning something salty, chilli and sour in many different parts of the country, most probably comes from the Portuguese achi for chilli. That in turn comes from the Aztec axi, pointing to the Colombian exchange, through which varieties of chilli finally found their way to our part of the world and became so indelibly entrenched in our cuisines. What is equally interesting, if you are fascinated by etymology, is that the old Irish word for "edge" is ochair. Nothing in Irish cuisine may be as edgy or sharp as some of our achars of course but roots of words, roots of plants and roots of cuisines all point to a certain global village view of the world. We are more connected that we think to each other.

We all have our time tested recipes of pickles and most of the time, these recipes have been passed and preserved generation after generation. 

My Saasu Maa's Aam ka achaar is the best in the world I can say without hesitation. Taste, balanced mix of spices and last but not the least, the color which remains intact year after year!

When I came to my sasural after marriage, I saw the tempting Mango pickle among tons of other pickles and it literally caught my attention.  Vibrant color, semi liquid texture and mind blowing taste! It became my all time favorite.  As I loved my Mom's lal mirch ka achaar and kathel ka achaar and for me those were the best, so I was not very fond of these pickles at my in law's place.  But this Aam ka achaar...O my Gosh! I would devour 3-4 at one time! And Mummy ji did not mind  😅  My Papa was also very fond of her Aam ka achhar and I was just hooked on it!!

She told me that it never dries up or turns blackish by the end of the year as other pickles do. And she did not use vinegar too. I was quite surprised and curious! How was it possible? As I was married in June, the pickles were made ahead of my wedding and thus were fresh, so I waited till next June to see how it retains the same color throughout and also doesn't dry. And trust me, this Aam ka achaar retained its color, taste and of course texture throughout the year. 

So, I was dying to know the secret. As I was not very much enthusiastic about making pickles, I hadn't learnt anything from my Mom, but this pickle I had to learn.

Mummy ji told me that she learnt this from an achaar wala who used to sell his pickles in the lanes of Vishwanath ji ki Gali at Banaras. Nana ji(her father) was posted over there and while shopping in the Gali, they met this achaar wala. Mango pickle which he was selling looked very tempting from the glass jar. They bought it and it was so yummy 😋. Afterwards whenever they used to go to that Gali, they would always buy this pickle. One day, Mummy ji asked," Chacha ji( people used to address everyone older than them with respect), iska rang kaise nahi kabhi bigadta?" The pickle vendor also had developed a bond of love with my Mom-in-Law and he shared his secret recipe with her! Later on, he prospered by selling his unique pickles and opened a saree shop. But he never forgot my young Mummy ji. They did not met for years after she got married but once she was strolling in the market with my father-in-law, they spotted each other in his saree shop and he gifted a saree to her and did not take a single paisa.... It's not that he did not charge her, the important thing is that he considered her husband as his own  damad (son in law) and such was the time, the bond and the people of bygone era! Today, we would rarely find such bindings.

Too much diversion, now let's jump to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Raw mango

Mustard oil 

Salt

Asafoetida 

Mustard seeds split

Kalonji masala

Red chilli powder 

Turmeric powder

Method:

Wash all the Mangoes and dry them by wiping.

Cut the pieces and in a glass jar, add asafoetida, turmeric powder and salt and add cut Mango pieces and mix well.

Cover and leave this overnight so that it can release water.

Next day, mix all the remaining ingredients and cover the mouth of the jar with a muslin cloth and put in sunlight. 

Daily show the sunlight till it is well blended and done, it may take 1 week.

Store with care.

The trick that makes this pickle unique lies in the first step of recipe...keeping it overnight to make it release water, this water stays with the pickle and makes it stand alone.

Note: Kalonji Masala Link...Kalonji Masala