South Indian famous Tiny, tender and pickled baby mangoes. Perfect with curd rice!
It is surely considered a favorite in Tamil households. Tender mango has vitaminsA,C and E. These are pickled whole with chillies and a spice, these baby mangoes remind the coming of summer in South India. It takes us to a next level. We get this in summer. My mom gets this in bulk during the start of summer so that we can enjoy the whole year. Almost every year she prepares it in summer as we won’t get these mangoes the rest of the year. This time, I was there when she made it and of course I took a note of how she made it and clicked my pictures. Everyone has their own way to prepare these but I personally love my mom’s recipe and sharing it with you here now. I took the pictures in 2 days after she made it. If you wait for 1 week, they will ooze out the lot of water 🙂 and the mangoes will shrink. She packed some for me and my sister. Sometimes love is just a small thing that you can’t see. My sister totally loves this maavudu with curd rice! It is a perfect combo 🙂 “Thayir sadham and maavudu” only the few will understand this classic combo :D. The first day when she soaked them with castor oil and salt 😉 itself , I started drooling! Few like them even with tomato rasam or sambar.
My mom likes to keep it with stalk as it can stay for a year if its with stalk.
My other pickle recipes: Instant mango pickle, big mango pickle, Pavakkai thokku/pickle
- Raw tender Mango/Maavadu – 8 cups
- Castor oil – ½ tsp
- Rock salt – 1 cup
- Mustard seeds –1 tbsp
- Red chilli – 15
- Methi seeds-1 tsp
- Turmeric whole (thin ones)-8 ( use 2 tbsp of turmeric powder if not)
- Asafoetida – 1 tsp
- Wash them thoroughly to get rid of dirt. I keep the stalk with it.
- Then dry them thoroughly my keeping it under the sun for few hours.Ensure no water , the else fungus will form.
- Put them in a clean dry bowl with rock salt and castor oil. Mix well and keep aside for a day or two. After two days it would have oozed out some water.
- Blend the red chilli, Methi seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric and add a little water to it and blend to a smooth paste. Important: Do not add any water, add just the oozed out water from the mango marination only.
- Add the blended paste to the tender mangoes. Keep this covered and put in a dry place fro a week. It will ooze out more pickled water in a week to 10 days’ time.
- Then store them in the refrigerator in a glass jar or ceramic jar! Enjoy for a year
- You can have them even a year in the refrigerator. If you keep them outside around 6 months if properly maintained.
2. Castor oil is to reduce heat caused by mangoes.
3. Every time use the dry spoon.
4. Take little amount of pickle in the small container for daily use so that the pickle will be good for a long time.
The Maavadu Vadu recipe offers a delightful taste of South Indian cuisine, capturing the tangy and spicy flavors of traditional mango pickles. This recipe, passed down from the author’s mom, is a cherished family favorite that brings warmth and nostalgia to any meal. Overall, Relish the Bite’s Maavadu Vadu recipe is a wonderful way to bring the flavors of South India to your table and add a burst of tangy goodness to your meals. Whether enjoyed with rice, roti, or as a standalone snack, this homemade mango pickle is sure to impress with its bold and flavorful taste.