Diced Mango Pickle (Kadu Manga Pickle) - Mummy's Recipe

With Good Friday soon approaching, I would like to share with you what would be our main meals throughout the day. We normally have gruel (Rice soup), a veg mix of green gram and green banana, mango pickle and Pappad/Pappadum (Fried cracker).

Diced Mango Pickle

There are several ways to make this accompaniment. However I would like to share the delicious make that my Mum creates.

You need:

Kanthari or Bird's Eye Chilis

• 5-6 medium sized raw, green mangoes, diced in small pieces
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1" ginger, diced and crushed
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2-3 tbsp of red chili powder
• 2-3 small chilis / Bird's eye Chili (kanthari) - * optional
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp of Fenugreek(methi/uluva) seeds powder
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbsp or more of Sesame oil (Ellaenna) - ** some people also use coconut oil
• 1-2 cups of filtered drinking water/boiled, cooled water

The Make:
Makes 1 large jar or 800-900gms | Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

1. Heat the oil in a large wok and splutter the mustard seeds. Next add the curry leaves and allow to stand for less than a minute (do not brown).
2. Add the garlic, ginger and other dry ingredients except the mangoes and simmer for 3-4 minutes. You will find that the spices leave the oil and is cooked.

Simmering the spices

3. Turn off the heat and add the mango pieces and stir. After it becomes lukewarm, add the boiled, cooled water. Taste to see if the seasoning is sufficient, else add more salt.

Adding the mango pieces to the spices

4. Cover and set aside for 4-6 hours or till evening if prepared in the morning.

Diced Mango Pickle

5. Bottle the pickle in a pickle jar or bottle jar and set aside for 2-3 days. Check if there is enough oil else top with oil as pickle needs to have some extra oil for preservation.

Jarred up!

6. You can use after 3 days and refrigerate after Day 3.

Serve as an accompaniment with gruel, rice, roti, other flatbreads.

Mummy's Mango Pickle recipe

* Note: Bird's eye Chili or Kanthari is the spiciest Chilis in Kerala, India and is known to reduce cholestrol levels if used with care. I got some from my Aunt Anne's home so decided to toss it into the mix.

Ridgegourd skin Chutney (Beerakaya Thokkala)

I had watched Masterchef Australia's episode on making use of leftovers to whip up several meals. After being introduced to Ridgegourd, I always wondered how much of waste the skinning away of Ridgegourd was and how little was left of the vegetable. I asked my maid whether they make use of the Ridgegourd skin for anything. I was surprised to know that there was an Andhrite recipe making use of the skin of Ridgegourd. It makes for an excellent accompaniment to flatbread of any kind or rice.

Ridgegourd skin Chutney (Beerakaya Thokkala)

I used the Beerakaya Thokkala with Rice flour Dosas.

You need:

• Skin of 4-6 ridgegourd. cleaned and finely diced 
• 4 green chilies
• 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp urad dal
• 2 tbsp chana dal (I avoided this)
• 2 tbsp of sesame seeds (Til)
• 1 lemon sized tamarind juice(add the tamarind to hot water and squeeze and take out the seeds/fiber)
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 5-6 garlic flakes
• 1-2 dry red chilies
• 1 tbsp of jaggery
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tbsp of cooking oil

The make:
Makes about 1 cup of chutney | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 15 minutes

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet on high.

2. Add the cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal (optional), sesame seeds and fry for about a minute on medium-high and then add the green chilies until the dal turn light brown. Set aside.

Frying the dal, cumin seeds and sesame seeds

3. In the same skillet, add the ridgegourd skins and salt on medium-high. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the skins are cooked.

Cooking the ridgegourd skins

4. Coarsely grind all the fried  ingredients in an electric grinder and set aside.

5. Next add the ridgegourd skins, jaggery, garlic, salt and tamarind juice to the grinder. Add the ground mix to the fried, ground ingredients.

6. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds.

7. Next add the curry leaves and red chilis and lightly brown.

8. Next add the ground mix to the pan and mix well. Do a seasoning taste and add more salt if required.

Mixed in ground mix and ridgegourd skins

Serve with flatbreads like roti, chapatti, rice flour dosas or regular dosa. I even tried it with rice and it goes well.

Ridgegourd skin chutney served with Rice flour Dosas

Homemade Mustard Sauce

Most of you would wonder why would you ever need to make mustard at home when you can get an American Garden or Dijon Mustard from the store. Well there are places where you do not get Mustard  or have to pay an "import" price for the same. Most importantly, when you make mustard at home, you can add your own preferred flavours to it. There are two reasons why I would make mustard or mayonnaise at home. There used to be a time when the store bought mayonnaise would cause me a headache until my stay in Mangalore, Karnataka, India where I attended college. Back then, I tasted homemade mayonnaise for the first time which I actually liked and I found the same with my mustard experience. And you can actually add your own preferred ingredients such as garlic, horseradish, onions, curry powder, carraway seeds/cumin seeds. I wanted to make my own as I had to make my famous BBQ Chicken in the next 2 weeks which was loved by both 'A' and Izzy. In fact we actually fought over the share of chicken. For those of you in India, more specifically Hyderabad, I have listed where I got some of my ingredients. There is no cooking involved in this process! Just blending adn whipping. This is how I made my mustard 3 weeks ago:

G'Gina's Kitchenette- Home made Mustard

You need:

Yellow and Black Mustard Seeds

Ingredients used

My lil one trying to reach out

•  4 tbsp of white or yellow mustard seeds (I used the yellow one - Yellow Rai is the Indian name and is widely available)
• 2.5 tbsp black mustard seeds
• 4 tbsp of cane sugar or light brown sugar (I used the Tate & Lyle version that I got from Godrej's Nature Basket)
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder or fresh tumeric root
• 1 tsp of dried herbs of your choice ( I used Herbes de Provence -  I got it from Q-Mart. You can also get it from Godrej's Nature's Basket)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups of white wine vinegar or dry white wine (Again I got the white wine vinegar from Q-Mart)
• 2 tsp of crushed garlic
• 1 tsp Paprika

Additional/alternate ingredients as per choice: Onion, Garlic, Horseradish, Tarragon, Cayenne Pepper or Paprika, Dried Basil, Dried Parsley Dried Celery or Thyme,Curry Powder, Beer or Cider or Sherry Vinegar
Note: Do not add all the alternate ingredients in one batch itself. These are just some of the options. You can add your own preferred one(s).


Tools required:

• A sterilised glass jar or any other sterilised bottle. If you are using plastic jar or squeeze tubes like I did, then ensure it is cleaned well with soap and water and air dried. You can also wash it again with luke warm water and air dry it.
• Mortar and pestle or grinder/food processor - I used my grain grinder
• Sterilised funnel
• Wooden spoon



Whipping the mustard

• Thin wired whisk

The Make:


Preparation Time: 40 minutes | Makes 75ml

• Once the bottle is sterilised and left to air dry, grind the mustard seeds, salt, brown sugar,turmeric and herbs either with the mortar and pestle or your grain grinder to a powder.
• Take out the ground ingredients into a bowl and add the white wine vinegar whipping part-by-part (this is where a food processor comes handy as you can actually slowly pour it through the opening of the processor) to a coarse pasty form.
• Let it stand for about 20-30 minutes
• Transfer the contents to your sterilised jar or squeeze tube (through the sterilised funnel) and store for about 2 weeks in a cool, dry and dark spot.



White wine vinegar and whipped up mustard

• Note: Refrigerate once open. It will last for many months if stored properly.

Try various flavours of your choice in other batches. You can use some of the alternate ingredients suggested or your own. Hope you enjoy your own homemade mustard!

Homemade Chilli Pickle

I have learnt how to make any kind of pickle from my darling mum. I have always loved pickles. I used to have it plain on bread or toast in my younger days. Now my poor tummy cannot take it like that although I do try at times:) Pickles go with everything rice, biriyani, flatbreads, etc.

This one was inspired from the fact that I had one too many bundles of chilies. I allowed it to air dry for a couple of days and then made this. Sorry I was too busy watching Masterchef Australia Season 4 that I forgot to take pictures of the process but I do have the after bottled pictures.

Chili Pickle

You need:

• 150 gms of fresh chilies (I had the mix of green and red versions in the same pack)
• 1 tbsp of mustard
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 4 tbsp of mustard oil
• 4 tbsp of Pickle powder
• 1 tbsp of Kashmiri Chili Powder
• 1 tbsp of Dosa-Idli Powder
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp of vinegar
• Additional 2 tbsp of mustard oil

The make:


Preparation Time: 5 mins| Cooking Time:10 minutes

• Heat the oil in a large skillet and splutter the mustard seeds.
• Add the curry leaves and on a medium flame, add the pickle powder and dosa-idli powder and toss for about 5 minutes or until cooked.
• Add the vinegar and salt and mix well for another 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the additional mustard oil. Allow to cool.
• Bottle and refrigerate after 2-3 days or once used.