My cousin’s social media page is flooded with images of the famous thirumoorthy vadu maanga.From as far back as I remember maanga urugai of all kinds have been gracing the sideboard of our dining room at home.
My cousin’s social media page is flooded with images of the famous thirumoorthy vadu maanga.From as far back as I remember maanga urugai of all kinds have been gracing the sideboard of our dining room at home.
Manga thokku, vadu maanga, avakkai, chundha (sweet mango pickle) are the names I grew up hearing during lunch time. We were quite spoilt for choice, having so many home made pickles to choose from!
Each time a family member or friend shares with me a bottle of their delicious home made seasonal urugai, I’m filled with gratitude. A few years ago I decided to add my own pickle making to the summer pickle exchange!
We have a beautiful mango tree in our front yard which has been around for many decades. It was in a less used part of the property. After we moved in, one of the things we focused on was to tend to the grand old trees which stood in our front yard. A few years later all that tender loving care bore fruit, literally.
I can never forget that sight of seeing fat green mangoes hanging from the boughs swaying lightly in the summer breeze. We are still unsure about the variety of mango but do know that it’s best eaten when green. They are large with the quintessential mago shape (like what we learned to draw as children) and have a cream to pale yellow flesh depending on the degree of ripeness. They tend to ripen very quickly without the skin changing colour. Sometimes when we aren’t keeping track, the flesh inside would have turned rotten despite the exterior staying green.
We know it’s right for picking when the squirrels begin to feast on them and leave a mess below the tree every morning for us to clean. For the past 8 or 9 years we have been harvesting these mangoes which arrive right at the beginning of summer. Around the end of March or first week of April, they are ready for picking.
While we still have a few fruit hiding behind the leaves, by the end of May this tree is ready to commence it’s resting period.
Our gorgeous maanga maram is easily visible through all the South facing windows of our home. I love how the leaves go from a young green to an intensely dark coriander chutney green over the course of the year. Like clockwork it announces the arrival of summer by dangling bunches of green mangoes all the way from it’s top most branches to the lower lying ones.
It’s these mangoes which we use to make our mango salad, maanga saadham, maanga kozhambhu and the ready-to-eat- arutha maanga urugai.
This pickle is like an instant version of ancient pickle making because it isn’t sun-dried or left to marinate for several days. I’m always fearful of moisture spoiling beautiful produce so this particular pickle doesn’t give any room for that kind of worry.
Once the mangoes are picked, we wait until all the hands at home can contribute to the chopping process. Because these mangoes need to be cut into fine cubes, the cutting process can be time consuming. Also if more hands are involved, the hum of conversation also makes the chore less mundane.
The chopped bits find their way to the largest steel deep bottomed vessel which we have. After that, the job is all mine and mine alone.Salt (I use organic Himalayan pink crystal salt or powdered sea salt ), red chilli powder, asafoetida and roasted fenugreek powder are added and given a good mix.
All that’s left to do is to heat a big pan of cold pressed nallennai and temper some mustard seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. As soon as the ingredients crackle, the hot oil is poured over the spiced and salted mango bits.I love that sound as the oil mixes into the green fruit with a whoosh !
Once it has cooled down, the pickled mango is carefully ladled into sterile glass jars and sealed with a lid. Since it has no preservative or sun drying, this pickle needs to be refrigerated. In the olden days,in a large household this would be eaten up during the course of the day and finished.
Many of my relatives tell me that it’s so tasty that it finishes in a few days. A few of my cousins said that they ate it like a ‘poriyal’ because it’s more tangy than spicy.
A traditional practice like this every summer makes me feel so connected to the environment, my home and my people. What’s your manga urugai story ?