Small pieces of raw mango seasoned with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chilli powder and oil — the immediate, quick Maharashtrian mango pickle made fresh in season and consumed within days rather than the year-long preserved pickle. The fresh version has a bright sourness and crunch that aged pickle lacks.
Ingredients
2 large raw green mangoes — very sour (do not use ripe mangoes)
1 tsp salt (use generously — salt draws out moisture and preserves)
For the masala:
3 tbsp oil (mustard oil for authentic taste; sesame oil as alternate)
1 tsp mustard seeds — coarsely ground
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds — dry roasted and coarsely ground
2 tsp red chilli powder (Kashmiri for colour; add Byadagi for heat)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp sugar (optional — some families add, some do not)
Method
Prepare the mango: Wash and dry the raw mangoes completely. Any moisture causes the pickle to spoil. Cut the mango (with skin) into 1 to 1.5 cm cubes — do not peel. The skin adds texture and tannins.
Salt the mango: Place mango pieces in a bowl. Add 1 tsp salt. Toss. Rest 10 minutes — the salt draws out moisture from the mango.
Drain the drawn moisture: After 10 minutes, the bowl will have some liquid at the bottom. Drain this off.
Add dry spice powders: Add red chilli powder, turmeric and asafoetida to the drained mango pieces. Toss to coat.
Add coarsely ground mustard and fenugreek: Add the coarsely ground mustard seeds and roasted fenugreek powder. Toss again.
Add sugar if using: Add sugar. Toss.
Heat oil until smoking: Heat 3 tbsp oil until just smoking. Remove from heat.
Pour hot oil over the mango: Pour the very hot oil directly over the spiced mango. The oil briefly cooks the spices as it makes contact — a sizzling sound is correct.
Toss immediately: Toss everything together immediately after adding the hot oil.
Rest 30 minutes before eating: Allow to rest so the mango absorbs the spiced oil. Serve within 3 days.
Note: Aambyache Lonche (aambi = mango, lonche = pickle in Marathi) is the quick-consumption fresh mango pickle of Maharashtra — made immediately during the raw mango season (March to May) and eaten within a few days while the mango is at its most sour and crunchy. Different from the year-long goda lonche that is made with jaggery and slow-preserved. Every Maharashtrian family has a specific ratio of chilli to mustard — some prefer the sharp mustard character more dominant, others prefer the red chilli heat.