Gatte aur Aam ka Achar

Wash the raw mangoes and dry them thoroughly (not a single drop of water should remain).

Cut them into small square pieces.

Mix 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric with the chopped mangoes and let them sit for 4-5 hours or overnight. This will remove any excess water from the mangoes.

Strain the mango water and spread the mango pieces on a cotton cloth and dry them in the sun or under a fan for 2-3 hours to remove all moisture.

Preparing the Gatte: Put gram flour in a plate. Add celery, turmeric, chili, crushed fennel seeds, asafoetida, salt, and 2 tablespoons of oil and mix well.

Add water little by little to form a stiff dough

Make thin rolls (logs) from this dough.

Boil water in a pot and cook the rolls in the boiling water for 10-12 minutes.

When small bubbles appear on the surface of the gattas, they are cooked.

Remove the gattas from the water and let them cool completely, then cut them into small pieces.

Spread the cut gattas on a cloth and dry them in the sun or under a fan for 2 hours to evaporate any moisture. (If any moisture remains, the pickle may spoil.)

Toast fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, and mustard seeds in a pan over low heat for just 1 minute (do not fry, just remove the moisture). After cooling, grind them coarsely.

Heat mustard oil in a large pan until smoking, then turn off the heat and let the oil become lukewarm.

First, add asafoetida and nigella seeds to the lukewarm oil.

Next, add the coarsely ground spices, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt, and mix well.

Now add the dried mango pieces and gram flour balls to the spiced oil and mix well to coat everything with the spices.

After the pickle has cooled completely, fill it in a clean, dry glass or ceramic jar.

After filling the pickle jar, fill it to the top with mustard oil (heated and cooled). The balls absorb oil, so if the oil seems low the next day, heat and cool a little more oil and add it to the pickle. If the balls and mangoes remain immersed in oil, the pickle will remain piquant for a year.

Expose this pickle to the sun for 4-5 days. In about a week, the balls will absorb the spices and mango juice and become soft and savory.

This pickle is delicious with puris, parathas, or plain theplas.