Pickles - The Pride of Andhra

Pickles are the pride of any Andhra home. Come summer, the abundance of mangoes ensure the start of the pickle making tradition. The hotter the summer, the more fiery the pickle! Spicy is the word to describe these. Andhra pickles are ever so famous, that these pickles are available bottled and are manufactured by many manufacturers in India. But nothing to beat the good old taste of homemade pickles.
Traditionally at home pickles are made during the summer months with the finest of mangoes and other tropical produce. The finest chilli powder, finest mustard powder and finest oil is used. Even though most households follow similar recipes, i have found a huge variation in the taste of the pickles. Call it the touch! These pickles are then allowed to marinade and are stored in what we call "jaadis". These jaadis are ceramic pots with lids on them. The pickles are tightly sealed in them and required quantities are taken out as and when needed.
As tradition would have it, our home is always in abundance of pickles. And as kids, mom, dad and my grandma all have made muddas for us from the various pickles. Everytime a pickle was made, rice was tossed into the bandli (pan) after the pickle was made and tightly stashed away in the jaadi, and mixed well and made into delicious muddas (or little balls). All of us eager would have our hands stretched out for the delicious muddas. Those were the wonderful days! Now what with calorie counting and weight watching, I dont delve into those nostalgias nor do I recreate them at home!

But guess what, RCI Andhra Cuisine made me do it all over again. I usually have a ton of pickles at home. Thanks to carefully parceled and sealed packets of homemade pickles from back home, recreating that magic was not hard at all.

Clockwise from left: - Avakaya Pachadi, Chintakaya Thokkudu Pachadi, Mamidikaya Thokkudu Pachadi and

Gongura Pachadi.

Avakaya Pachadi (Avakaya Pickle)

Spicy Avakaya Pickle

This is a traditional pickle from Andhra that is famous the world over. After the right mangoes are bought or picked at the onset of summer, these magoes are washed and dried, chopped into pieces along with the hard shell in the middle (called 'tenka' or 'vaata'). The chilli powder (yerra khaaram), mustard seed powder (avapindi), turmeric powder (pasupu), salt and methi seeds are mixed together evenly. Then a large quantity of gingely oil (nuvvula noone) is poured into theis mixture. The cut mango pieces are added and mixed well. This mixture is them stored in a jaadi for a few days until it is ready for consumption. The storing process ensures that the mango pieces absorb all the pickle mixture and become temder enough to be eaten.

This goes best with hot rice and ghee as shown in the Avakaya mudda below, or with rice and curds (plain homemade yogurt).

Avakaya Annam Mudda (Avakaya Rice Ball)

Chintakaya Thokkudu Pachadi

Chintakaya Thokkudu Pachadi (Chintokku for short, Raw Tamarind Pickle)

This pickle always came from my grandmother's native village to our house parceled in a big jaadi. I guess the reasoning behind that was, chintakaya trees (or tamarind trees) grew in abundance over there. The tamarind is always picked fresh and is in its raw form for this pickle. Unfortunately, i have no idea how this is made. I am going to have to make a few phone calls to find out this guarded family recipe. I promise to update this post soon after :-)

Best served with rice and Ghee. Carbohydrate overdose u guys! Beware!

Chintakaya Thokku Mudda (Tamarind Pickle Rice Ball)

Maamidikaya Thokkudu Pachadi (Grated Mango Pickle)

You guys will surely appreciate this! I had mom make this pickle right before I took this picture. You see tommorrow we have the Thyagaraja Aradhana function in our temple here. As a volunteer I have been asked to make Mango Rice. So i bought green raw mangoes from the Indian store this evening. And it struck me that i can have mom make this delicious pickle for my post. This is the instant zamaana right!

Maamidikaya Thokkudu Pachadi (Maamidi Thokku for short- Grated Mango Pickle)

Nothing to beat the taste of freshly made thokkudu pachadis folks! This was delicious. Dad grated the raw green mango. Mom heated some sesame oil in a pan and seasoned it with mustard seeds. She then added the raw grated mango, salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. She mixed it well and let it cook in low heat. Meanwhile, she dry roasted a tsp of mustard seeds and some methi seeds (fenugreek seeds). She then powdered them with a mortar and pestle (you can use your coffee grinder). Once the oil separated and the pickle was oily looking and ready, she added this mustard-methi mixture and mixed well. Cool and serve with hot rice and ghee!

Maamidikaya Thokkudu Mudda (Grated Mango Pickle Rice Ball)

And finally to the last pickle on my list!

Gongura Pachadi (Sorrel Leaves Pickle)

Gongura Pachadi (Sorrel Leaves Pickle)

Gongura Pachadi is very typically Andhra. It is a Guntur speciality and is traditionally made with the freshest of gongura leaves. Gongura is also used in a variety of other dishes in Andhra cuisine.

This is how we make gongura pickle at home. Pick out the gongura leaves from their stems. Dont use the stems. Wash the leaves and dry thoroughly. Then in a pan, roast the gongura leaves and red chillies with some oil until the gongura wilts and is well fryed. Cool. Grind this mixture with salt, very coarsely in a mixer. In a pan, heat some oil and add popu ingredients. Mustard seeds, cumin seeds and garlic cloves. Turn off the stove and allow to cool. Then combine the oil mixture and the gongura paste and mix well. Dry roast methi seeds (use sparingly according to quantity) and powder finely. Add this to the gongura pickle and mix well. Store in an airtight jar when cool. Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Gongura Pickle Mudda (Sorrel Leaves Pickle rice ball)

Hope you guys enjoyed this post on Pickles. This will be my final entry to RCI-Andhra Cuisine.

Did you guys like the pictures in this post? Thanks to my dearest friend Bee for her tutoring in photography and providing me with some skills that i dont have the patience to read up on! I learnt a bunch from Jai's advice and Bee's tips. Thanks Jai and Bee. You guys are the best!

I have shied away from hosting a major event like this all through my blogging tenure due to lack of time and other commitments. But deciding to host this and finally going through with it was immensely satisfying. I got to know a lot of wonderful people through their posts and their emails. Thank you dear friends for the wonderful participation.
And thank you Lakshmi for letting me host this wonderful event.
See you all at the roundup soon :-)