Maavadu / vadu manga/ vadu mago is nothing but baby mangoes. A specific variety of this tender mango is made pickle, the ever popular “vadu mango pickle”. Mom makes more like the neer nellikai, which is also my most favourite. I like the water more than the nellikai/mango. It tastes great with more sadam/ thayir sadam. I can live with it! But this way of authentic maa vadu pickle I learnt from my MIL. She has this recipe in her handwritten cookbook, which she shared me over the phone and I tried it successfully for the first ever time in my life. And every day when I open the jar of this pickle the whole space is full of the pleasant mango flavour along with the spices! Wow! Too much!😀.
I clicked these pictures just after one day I prepared, coz the baby mangoes where photogenic and actually I was too much enthusiastic to click it, cant wait until it gets soaked. How ever the picture below the ingredients table has been shot only after one week, just to show the looks of the shrunken, well soaked maavadu. Anybody remembering any tamil song now as you read this post?😉
Vadu mango pickle recipe
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Lunch (pickle)
Prep Time: 1 Week soaking | Cook time: 15 mins | Makes: 3 cups
Prep Time: 1 Week soaking | Cook time: 15 mins | Makes: 3 cups
Ingredients
Vadu manga*/ maavadu/baby mangoes – 2 cups heaped
Salt (rock salt preferred) – As needed
Castor oil or sesame oil – 2 tbslp
Salt (rock salt preferred) – As needed
Castor oil or sesame oil – 2 tbslp
*The baby mangoes should be round variety
To Roast and grind
Red chillies (Long variety) – 20
Vendhayam (fenugreek seeds/ methi seeds) – 1/2 tsp
Mustard – 3/4 tsp
A small piece of turmeric
Or turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
Vendhayam (fenugreek seeds/ methi seeds) – 1/2 tsp
Mustard – 3/4 tsp
A small piece of turmeric
Or turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
Method
- Choose fresh, roughly same size of baby mangoes/ vadu manga. Wash properly and remove the stalks if any. Pat dry completely in a clean kitchen towel and dry in the shade for making sure it has no water. In a porcelain bowl or glass bottle, big enough to hold the manoges, transfer the mangoes and pour oil and mix well so that the oil coats all the mangoes completely.
- Meanwhile, roast the items given under ‘To roast and grind table’. Add asafoetida powder towards the end. (I used the solid ones). No need to roast the turmeric. Roast until the mustard starts cracking. Do it in medium flame. Cool down and powder everything along with salt.
- Then add 1/4 cup boiled & COOLED water and grind it to a paste. Add it to the greased baby mangoes.
- Mix well with a spoon or if the jar has lid, shake it well so that the spicy sauce coats every mango.Toss 3-4 times a day so that it gets soaked evenly. For first few days, the salt makes the mango ooze out water and the mangoes will shrink little by little and the water quantity also increases. The below picture shows 2 days old soaked mangoes. But it takes atleast 1 week to get completely shrunken.
Notes
- As always told for pickles, always use clean spoons while handling the pickle.
- Make sure no water is there in the mangoes for long shelf life. This pickle can stay good for months even when kept outside.
- Use only peengan or glass bottles as others may not withstand the salt content in the pickle.
- Using kal uppu / rock salt is recommended.
- Do not forget to toss the mangoes everyday atleast 2-3 times for a week.
- By end of a week, the mangoes will get smaller and the spicy water will cover the mangoes – the way it is supposed to be.
Serve with sambar/ rasam sadam ( I don’t do this, but have heard it will be good) or classically with the thayir sadam😍. Spicy and flavourful, simply a treat every single time you eat/lick it!
Akila
April 16, 2013 at 7:35 amMouthwatering pickle.. Saw some vadu mangai in shop opp to mustafa.. But didn't buy it… Now I feel I should have bought it….
Ruchi Indu
April 16, 2013 at 7:39 amwow nice clicks. This is my favourite, but a different recipe than what my mom follows. Need to try both..
AparnaRajeshkumar
April 16, 2013 at 7:50 ami had a this plan 🙂 some how u posted it ! nice pictures !
Revathi
April 16, 2013 at 8:33 amMy all time fav…i remember my grandma she make this pickle often…tastes awesome with sambar
JEYASHRI SURESH
April 16, 2013 at 9:32 amThough i am not a big fan of this vadu manga i love the water with curd rice.But my sister and mom love vadumanga with sambar sadam too.Vadumanga oorathungo ….
Finla
April 16, 2013 at 9:48 amPleaaaaaaaaaaassse bottle me a huge bottle and parcel this side. Love love them.
CHITRA
April 16, 2013 at 9:49 amI second jeyashri , ennathaa solrathungo , super ponga 😉 Its my most favourite pickle. iam telling aunty to buy in salem but couldn't get it 🙂
Priya Suresh
April 16, 2013 at 10:17 amDont kill me like this..seriously this is tooo tempting, even i love to get bottle full of this pickle from you.
Sharmilee! :)
April 16, 2013 at 11:06 amSlurrp…no one can resist…yummy pickle
Sowmya Sundararajan
April 16, 2013 at 11:57 amAhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Good job Raji. My Vadus are half shrunken now. Can t wait to get my hands on it. Ennaaaatha Solvenungo!! Vadumaaaanga OOOruthungo…….. Thayir Saadham ready pannungo
Shama Nagarajan
April 16, 2013 at 12:35 pminviting and a lovely treat
Veena Theagarajan
April 16, 2013 at 1:28 pmI used to live on this during my college days.. Looks good
dishesfrommykitchen
April 16, 2013 at 1:56 pmNo one can resist these babies… Is it available in singapore ??? I am way too tempted. My MIL and mom make them and keep it ready so that I can bring when I come to US.
Sayantani
April 16, 2013 at 2:03 pmone of my friend from Kerala used to bring this for us and we loved having this with big plateful of teheri…love the colour
Gayathri Ramanan
April 16, 2013 at 4:23 pmreally tempting…love to eat with curd rice…
anusha praveen
April 16, 2013 at 4:50 pmi eat vadu mangai with coconut rice Raji. I must say i m envious of you making the pickle because i never get these beauties where i live!
Shabitha Karthikeyan
April 17, 2013 at 12:04 amLooks super tempting !! I wish I could get baby mangoes here !!
Ms.Chitchat
April 17, 2013 at 3:17 amMmmmmmmmmm, tongue tickling maavadu, can have it any time with any combo.
Sanoli Ghosh
April 17, 2013 at 6:57 amStunning pickle. yummy.
Priti S
April 17, 2013 at 7:44 amAm not really fan of maavadu but your pics making me drool…liked that jar
Dr Hema
April 17, 2013 at 7:53 amThis comment has been removed by the author.
Divya Pramil
April 17, 2013 at 8:40 amWhat stunning pics..Love vadumanga pickle so much with curd rice..Looks finger-licking good 🙂
divya
April 17, 2013 at 2:12 pmlooks so awesome,nice tempting clicks.
Sireesha Puppala
April 17, 2013 at 8:31 pmyummilicious and nice pics..they look stunning..cant take my eyes off..amazing
ibrahim ali
January 27, 2014 at 7:26 amwhat is asafoetida ?
Raks anand
January 27, 2014 at 7:30 amHing
Prabhavathi A
February 19, 2014 at 9:06 amHi .. did u used oil in this ..
Raks anand
February 19, 2014 at 9:08 amIn the first step
Asha Mohan
April 29, 2015 at 1:06 pmCan i place the jar under sunlight for the mangoes to get shrink with masala
sudha prakash
March 31, 2016 at 4:58 amHi raji, Madevadumanga pickle.I jva e added salt as per my requirement I want to know if I can add salt or chillies after tasteing after I gets soaked for 2 days.also can you mention the salt quanyity
Raks anand
March 31, 2016 at 5:11 amSure you can adjust. Salt quantity varies from person to person's requirements. Also from the type of salt 🙂
supriya mohan
April 4, 2016 at 7:15 amIs vadumanga available in singapore?if so pls let me know !!!
Raks anand
April 4, 2016 at 7:24 amI got from murugan stores next to saravana bhavan. You can also find in little india vegetable shops.