MAMIDIKAI AVAKAYA...

most awaited and most wanted recipe of the year... the world famous and andhra's fame " mamaidikai avakaya".. every house in andhra gets completely busy every summer in making this special recipe.. in most of the places women in the neighborhood will get together to make huge quantities of this pickle that will serve them for the rest of the year.

"it is mango season. we have to go and get the best raw mangoes available in the market and start preparing the avakaya". this is the very common talk heard in every house hold in andhra pradesh during summer.. people get restless until they prepare the avakaya... i have seen ladies going around for getting the best ingredients for making this pickle. they go in search of nice red chili's that have freshly arrived to the market, get them at the best price, dry them in hot sun for 2 - 3 days and get them powdered. they make sure that they use only freshly grounded red chili powder to bring the best taste to the pickle.

when in school, we used to visit our grandparents in bangalore for every summer. there my mom prepares this pickle for 3 - 4 families that is sufficient for them for the entire year. i learnt this recipe from my mom after my school.. i had to prepare this recipe in the summer vacation when i completed my schooling and was waiting for my college admissions... since my mom had fractured her hand that year and couldn't make the pickle she asked me to prepare it under her guidance. that is when i learnt the actual recipe of the avakaya... 

mamidikai avakaya is a simple and easy recipe to prepare and taste best with hot rice and ghee or muddha pappu (mashed dal). muddha pappu and avakaya combination is just unbeatable... hope you guys will love it too... after all it is the most favorite and desired dish of every telugu heart..

MAKES: APPROX. 3 KGS.

INGREDIENTS:

RAW MANGO PIECES (SOUR)	7 CUPS
RED CHILI POWDER	1 CUP
SALT	1 CUP
MUSTARD SEED POWDER	1 CUP
METHI (FENUGREEK) SEEDS	1/4TH CUP
GARLIC CLOVES	1/4TH CUP
SESAME OIL	1 ½ CUP

METHOD:

 Ø  Take raw mangoes, wash them cleanly and wipe them with a clean cotton cloth. Now cut them into desired size pieces, I have cut them into 1 inch piece each with the inner shell. Now take a sharp knife or spoon and remove the soft inner white part of the shell and clean the pieces with a dry cloth. Make sure that your mango pieces are completely dried and clean.

 Ø  Now in a huge vessel, add mango pieces, salt, red chili powder, methi seeds, mustard seed powder (dry the mustard seeds in hot sun and grind them into fine powder) and oil and mix everything well using hand.

 Ø  Now transfer the mango mix into a clean and dry plastic container and keep them aside for 2 days. Stir the masala coated mangoes on alternative days so that the masala gets mixed up well and will be evenly coated.

 Ø  You can see the oil floating above the pickle on third day. On the second or third day add the garlic cloves and mix everything well. Now taste the masala and check if everything is balanced. If you feel salt or chili powder is less you can add it and stir it and keep it aside for next 2 - 3 days. (the measurements given above are exact and if you follow that exactly you don’t need to add any extra spices).

 Ø  Pickle will take 4 – 5 days to completely marinate and give the best taste.once the oil floats completely on top your pickle is ready to serve. Now store the pickle in a clean and dry air tight plastic or ceramic containers.

Serve it with hot rice and ghee…

NOTES:

 ü  This pickle can be stored for one year. After few months the color of the pickle may turn dark and to avoid this you can store the pickle in refrigerator. This way the colour and texture of the pickle will remain fresh throughout the year.

 ü  Make sure you use only clean and dried jars to store the pickle. And also always use dry spoons to serve the pickle.  A single drop of water can spoil your pickle within days.

 ü  Make sure that the mangoes are sour and raw. Pickle taste the best only when prepared with sourest mangoes.

 ü  Use nice bright red chili powder that is freshly powdered. This will enhances the colour and gives nice bright and attractive colour to the pickle.  

 ü  When serving the pickle, drain the excess oil in the container and serve the pickle.