Mango pickle

We love pickles. Indian meals just aren't complete without the customary mango/chilly/lime pickle. Lime an chilly pickles need a little time to mature but some mango pickles are ready to eat the second you're done making them. But these don't keep for very long so you might have to refrigerate them right after making. We make it every year a month before the mango season hits which is when the raw mangoes are at their tangiest best.

You'll need:

Half a kg of raw mangoes
Half a tablespoon Mustard seeds
Three tablespoons chilly powder
One tablespoon methi powder (powder of fenugreek seeds)
A heaped teaspoon of Salt
3/4 cup mustard oil

Chop the mangoes into tiny pieces
Place in a bowl

Combine the chilly powder, salt and methi powder in a separate bowl and put it in a little mound over the chopped mangoes
Heat most of the mustard oil in a small skillet.(Leave out about 3 tablespoons. We'll get to that later) When it starts a smoke very slightly, add the mustard seeds. As soon as the crackling subsides pour the hot oil over the spices.
Wait for 5 seconds for the spices to absorb the oil and then mix thoroughly.
Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet. As soon as it starts smoking take it off and pour it all over the chopped mangoes. (When you pour the oil on the mound of spices the first time you'll notice the hot oil rolling down the sides and not immediately getting soaked up by the spices. This ensures hot oil is totally infused in the pickle.)
Mix the pickle thoroughly to ensure the pieces are nicely coated with the spice and oil.

Let it cool down completely.
Transfer to a glass bottle and refrigerate.
Done!

If the level of the oil starts decreasing with use. heat up some oil and add it to the jar. This will keep the mangoes succulent.