Gujarati Special Recipe 7: Keri no Chundo (Hot and Sweet Shredded Mango Pickle)

Pickles are a main stay of Gujarati food. No meal is complete without a smorgasbord of pickles for each course. There are fiery hot pickles for accompanying puranpolis and laddoos, jaggery and mango pickles for daal and rice and then this one - colorful, fragrant and with just a hint of cumin - Chundo, for accompanying debras, theplas and masala pooris. 

Rajapuri mango is used in this preparation as it is not very sour and holds up well in the cooking process. Kashmiri chili powder is used because it imparts a bright red color and its not too pungent. 

Typically this pickle is made in the sun, the mango and sugar are mixed and left covered with a thin muslin cloth in the hot afternoon sun for 6-7 days till the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens a little. If you do want to make it this way, be sure to stir it everyday and bring it indoors in the evening, else the morning dew will spoil the pickle. On the last day, add salt, chili powder and cumin as given below.

Here I am giving you the stove top version. 

Ingredients: 

1 kilo raw rajapuri mango

1 kilo sugar

2 tablespoons kashmiri chili powder

1 tablespoon salt (you may need more per taste)

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Wash the mango thoroughly and peel the skin. Grate the mango using thick grate. Many mango sellers will do this for you, just be sure to take a bottle of water to clean the mango and a container to bring back the grated mango. 

Take the grated mango and put it in a large stock pot. Add the sugar and cook on low heat till all the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook till the syrup thickens slightly. Stir intermittently with a gentle hand, else the mango with disintegrate. The whole process will take about 30 minutes. It is essential to do this on a low flame, to avoid the pickle from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

Take a pan a slightly roast the cumin and coarsely grind it. 

When the pickle has completely cooled, add the salt, chili powder and cumin. Mix well. 

Store in an airtight container which is completely dry. Also while handling the pickle, use a clean and dry spoon so that water is not accidentally added. Outside water will cause the pickle to rot. This pickle will last for a year easily. If you wish to store it longer, refrigerate it. It may lose some of its vibrant color but it will taste the same.

Make this pickle this mango season and savour it!