Kadumanga Achar | Kerala Manga Achar

Say hello to Kadumanga Achar or Nurukku Manga Achar! Don’t be intimidated by the names. It’s simply a Kerala Style Instant Mango Pickle which is common during festivals and celebrations as a part of the traditional vegetarian food platter called ‘Sadya.’  This is a quick, 15-minute Instant Pickle from my mother and has been a regular at our home.

About Manga Achar

I really love this pickle as it can be made real quick, without any hassle. Here’s an interesting breakdown of the know-how of the Nurukku Manga Achar or the Kerala Style Instant Mango Pickle:

Name: In Malayalam language,

‘Nurukku‘ is chopped small or cut pieces

‘Manga‘ is a mango

‘Achar‘ is a pickle

Name: In Malayalam language,
‘Kadugu’ means mustard seeds

‘Manga‘ is a mango

‘Achar‘ is a pickle

Ingredients: This Pickle uses unripe mangoes, mustard seeds, curry leaves and some spices in its preparation. It also does not require sun-drying, neither does it need much of cooking.

Time taken: The best part of this pickle recipe is that it can be made in less than 15 minutes.

On Weight: As seen in the step-by-step pictures, I have used 4 small unripe mangoes which together weighed 300 grams. In the video, I have used one large mango weighing about 300 grams. The weight and size of the mangoes will decide this number. Ensure that after chopping the mangoes into cubes, you should have about 1 to 1.25 cups.

Scaling: You may decrease or increase the quantity of ingredients of this Pickle by halving or doubling them.

Storing and Serving Manga Achar

Prepare this pickle preferably during the mango season. As soon as you make the pickle, if not serving immediately, keep it in the refrigerator. It stays good for about a week in the fridge.

Remember to always refrigerate this instant pickle. Keeping the manga achar outside will spoil it. If after a few days of refrigeration, the pickle has an odd taste or a weird smell, then trash it.

Apart from being an important part of the Sadya meals, you can serve this Manga Achar with any other South Indian meal of your choice. For example, with sambar-sadam (sambar with steamed rice), curd rice or a simple dal-rice.

In addition to these, this pickle is good with your regular veggie preparations, pulao, roti, thepla and even paratha.

How to make Manga Achar

Preparation

1. Keep all the ingredients ready. I prefer to keep everything handy as this fastens the cooking process.

2. Rinse 4 small (300 grams) green mangoes and then dry them with a clean kitchen towel. There should be no trace of moisture on them.

In the video, I have used 1 large mango which weighed about 300 grams. Whereas in the step-by-step pictures, I have used 4 small mangoes and they weighed 300 grams in total.

3. Peel the skin of the mangoes. This is an optional step, but if the mangoes have thicker skins, then do peel them.

4. Chop the mangoes into small bite-sized pieces or cubes. Chopping is a bit tough, so use a good knife and be careful of your hands.

Place them in a mixing bowl or a wide dish. After chopping, you should get about 1 to 1.25 cups of chopped mango cubes.

5. Sprinkle the following spices and seasonings on the chopped mangoes:

• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder – if you prefer, you can reduce the Kashmiri red chili powder for less spiciness.
• 1 teaspoon salt

6. Mix everything nicely with a spoon.

7. The spices should nicely coat the cubes. Take the spices coated mangoes in a heat proof bowl.

Temper Manga Achar

8. Heat 4 tablespoons sesame oil (gingelly oil – made with raw sesame seeds) in a small frying pan or a small vessel. You can also use mustard oil or sunflower oil.

9. Keep heat to a low and add the spices listed below:

• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• ½ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)

10. Once the mustard seeds start crackling, add 8 to 10 curry leaves. Fry for 1 to 2 seconds and then turn off the heat.

11. Pour this hot tempering over the masala mixed mangoes.

12. Mix everything well with a spoon.

13. Allow the Manga Achar to cool and store in a clean, sterilized glass bottle. The pickle is ready to serve.

Serve the Manga Achar as a condiment with your favorite meal like Curd Rice, khichdi, sambar rice, vegetable pulao or Vegetable Biryani. Refrigerate the pickle for later use.

FAQs

This Manga Achar from the archives, originally published in June 2016 has been updated and republished on January 2023.