Instant Mango Pickle | Manga Achar | Kadumanga Achar

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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 Mango Pickle from my mother and has been a regular at our home.

Nurukku Manga Achar

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 Instant Mango 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 Kerala Style Instant Mango Pickle by halving or doubling them.

Storing and Serving Manga Achar

Prepare this Kerala Style Instant Mango 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 Instant Mango Pickle is good with your regular veggie preparations, pulao, roti, thepla and even paratha.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Manga Achar

Preparation

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

spices kept on a plate for the kerala style instant mango pickle.

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.

green mangoes kept on a tray.

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

green unripe mangoes peeled and sliced.

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.

mangoes further chopped in small cubes and kept on a white plate.

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
spices, salt added to chopped mango cubes.

6. Mix everything nicely with a spoon.

spices and salt being mixed with mango cubes.

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

evenly mixed mango mixture taken 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.

sesame oil being heated in a small steel pan for the tempering of the instant mango pickle.

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

  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • ½ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida added to hot oil.

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.

curry leaves added in the oil.

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

hot oil and spices mixture being added to mango cubes in the heat-proof bowl for the instant mango pickle.

12. Mix everything well with a spoon.

mixing everything well to get the instant mango pickle

13. Allow the Manga Achar to cool and store in a clean, sterilized glass bottle. The Instant Mango 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.

nurukku manga achar or kerala style instant mango pickle served in a white bowl.

FAQs

What other oil can I use instead of sesame oil?

You can use mustard oil or sunflower oil in place of sesame oil.

Are fenugreek seeds hard on the teeth?

Raw fenugreek seeds are hard. But when you fry them, they become brittle and can be consumed. Similarly, when you cook these seeds in a dal or gravy, they soften.

For how long can I store this pickle?

You can refrigerate this pickle for a week.

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Nurukku Manga Achar

Instant Mango Pickle | Manga Achar | Kadumanga Achar

This Nurukku Manga Achar is a 15 minute tempered Kerala Style Instant Mango Pickle prepared with green mangoes for Onam Sadya. This pickle also doesn't require any sunlight or much of cooking process.
4.89 from 18 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Cuisine Kerala, South Indian
Course Condiment, Side Dish
Diet Vegan
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 1 bowl
Units

Ingredients

Main ingredients

  • 300 gram mangoes – unripe & green or 4 small green unripe mangoes – peeled and chopped or 1 to 1.25 cups chopped and peeled green mangoes (manga, keri, kairi or kachcha aam)
  • 3 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt or add as per taste

For tempering the pickle

  • 4 tablespoons sesame oil about ¼ cup, add more if required, can use sunflower oil or mustard oil too
  • 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • ½ teaspoon asafoetida
  • 8 to 10 curry leaves

Instructions
 

Preparing the pickle

  • Rinse the mangoes and dry them with a clean kitchen towel. There should be no trace of moisture on them. Peel their skin. To peel is optional.
  • Chop them into small bite-sized pieces or cubes. Chopping is a bit tough, so use a good knife and be careful of your hands.
  • The chopped mango cubes should be about 1 to 1.25 cups.
  • Place them in a heat proof mixing bowl or wide dish.
  • Sprinkle turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt on the mango cubes.
  • Mix everything nicely with a spoon.
  • The masala should nicely coat the mango cubes.

Tempering the pickle

  • Heat sesame oil in a small vessel or tadka pan or small frying pan. Keep heat to a low.
  • Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida.
  • Once the mustard seeds start crackling, add the curry leaves.
  • Fry for 1 to 2 seconds and then turn off the heat.
  • Pour this hot tempering over the masala coated raw mango cubes.
  • Mix everything with a spoon.
  • Allow to cool and store the pickle in clean, sterilized glass bottles. 
  • The Manga Achar is ready. Serve as a side dish in Sadya meals or any of your favorite meals.

Video

Notes

The approximate nutrition info is for the entire pickle made with this recipe. 

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Instant Mango Pickle | Manga Achar | Kadumanga Achar
Amount Per Serving
Calories 750 Calories from Fat 549
% Daily Value*
Fat 61g94%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Polyunsaturated Fat 25g
Monounsaturated Fat 24g
Sodium 2432mg106%
Potassium 754mg22%
Carbohydrates 55g18%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 42g47%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 5334IU107%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.2mg13%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.2mg12%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 95mg475%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 271mg328%
Vitamin E 6mg40%
Vitamin K 27µg26%
Calcium 121mg12%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 1084µg271%
Iron 5mg28%
Magnesium 76mg19%
Phosphorus 130mg13%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This Instant Mango Pickle from the archives, originally published in June 2016 has been updated and republished on January 2023.

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Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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20 Comments

  1. It was good just now tried but the turmeric’s flavour was a little disappointing and mustard oil too4 stars

    1. mustard oil will give a different taste and flavor and may not go well with everyone. mustard oil can be used when sesame oil is not there. this pickle also tastes good in sunflower oil. when cooking with mustard oil, it should be heated till it begins to smoke and then the tempering ingredients should be added. this reduces the pungency of the mustard oil. for turmeric, its flavor and taste is there, but i hope you added the amount as mentioned in the recipe.

  2. Hello Dasana,
    thank you so much for your recipe, I just made it, had to tweak it a little, but its awesome, keep up with sharing the love!5 stars

  3. Namaste, I just tried to make it and I have a question do these fenugreek seeds are supposed to be so hard on teeth? Or I bought not good ones? Because they crackle as if my tooth broke 🙂4 stars

    1. fenugreek seeds when raw are hard. but when you fry them, they become brittle and can be eaten. same is when you cook them in a dal or gravy, they soften. i guess they needed to be fried for some seconds in the oil. you wouldn’t have felt them to be hard. hope this helps.