235) AMBO KADGI ADGAI

AMBO KADGI ADGAI

MANGO, TENDER JACKFRUIT PICKLE

A SPECIAL TRADITIONAL KONKANI PICKLE

Ingredients:

     1)    Mature or young (but not tender) green mango chunks (minus the stone) – 600 gm.

     2)    Tender jackfruit chunks (without the peel and the core) – 400 gm. (for tips on cutting, see my kadgi talaasan recipe)

     3)    Coriander seeds – 50 gm.

     4)    Mustard seeds – 100 gm.

     5)    Dry hot red chilies – 100 gm.

     6)    Fenugreek seeds – 20 gm.

     7)    Asafoetida powder – ½ teaspoon

     8)    Powdered salt – 125 gm.

     9)    Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon

     10)     Gingelly oil (sesame oil) – 1 teaspoon

To make the pickle powder (for this recipe only):

          Set a cast iron wok (for best taste) on high heat. Pour in the gingelly oil and tip in the mustard seeds, the coriander seeds, the red chilies, the fenugreek seeds and the asafoetida powder. Stir nicely. The mustard seeds will crackle. As the wok heats up and the oil starts to smoke, quickly lower the heat and keep on stirring till the chilies are roasted (the red colour will fade and will turn to creamy orange).

          A nice ‘pickley’ aroma will fill your kitchen. Now switch off the heat and allow to cool naturally. As the cast iron wok continues to retain a lot of heat, there is danger of the ingredients at the bottom getting burnt. So remember to stir occasionally till the wok cools down.

          Once cool, transfer the roasted ingredients to the clean sundried jar of a food processor and grind to fine powder.

To prepare the pickle:

          The mango chunks and the tender jackfruit chunks need to be of somewhat uniform size (½ inch to 1 inch as you prefer) and need to be kept separately. Put the tender jackfruit chunks in a curry vessel. Pour in enough water to immerse the chunks. Tip in the turmeric powder and set on high heat.

          As soon as it starts to boil nicely, switch off the heat and drain off all the hot water (there is no need to cook the tender jackfruit chunks. They only need to be blanched with turmeric to get rid of their gummy taste). Allow the chunks to cool down fully (reach the same temperature as the unblanched mango chunks).

          Select a large airtight glass jar or a food grade polypropylene container to make the pickle. Mix up the powdered salt with your pickle powder in a dry bowl and put in a dry spoon. Now put a handful of mango chunks in the jar followed by a handful of tender jackfruit chunks. Sprinkle some pickle powder over the chunks with the spoon. Repeat the process till all the chunks are in the jar.

          If any pickle powder is left over, tip it in too. Close the lid tightly and shake the jar a little bit to make the chunks settle in nicely. Now open the lid and pour in filtered, purified, drinking water till all the chunks are submerged. Close the lid and keep in a cool, dark place for the pickle to marinate.

          This delicious ambo kadgi adgai is ready to serve after 3 days of marinating. However, you must stir the pickle well before serving since some of the pickle powder may have settled at the base. Once you start using it, remember to keep the jar in the refrigerator for longer shelf life.

Enjoy!!!

Notes:

     1)    I find that use of filtered, purified, drinking water gives the pickle much better keeping quality than when I use boiled and cooled water.

     2)    In tender jackfruit season, the Konkani people love to serve this mango-tender jackfruit pickle in nearly all marriage and festival feasts. Ambo kadgi adgai is verily a treasure for all pickle lovers. In fact, I am sure; all Konkani people living outside India who follow my blog will find their mouths salivating when they see this recipe and its picture since childhood memories are quick to awaken. So quickly lay your hands on some raw mangoes together with a tender jackfruit and let your gastronomic dreams come alive!