Punjabi mango pickle (aam ka achaar)
Vegetarian
ਅੰਬ ਦਾ ਅਚਾਰ · amb dā acār
Chunks of raw green mango cured with salt and turmeric, then packed in mustard oil with fennel, fenugreek, nigella and chilli and left to mature in the warmth for two weeks. Pungent, sour and salty — eaten a little at a time.
Punjabi mango pickle (aam ka achaar) is a Punjabi pickle from India, ready in about 45 minutes and made with raw green mango and mustard oil. It serves 80 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 80
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 36
Plus 1 day salting, a few hours drying and about 2 weeks maturing before it is ready.
Method
Step 1
Wash the mangoes, then dry them completely with a cloth and leave them to air-dry for an hour — any water left on them can cause mould. Cut into chunks, keeping or discarding the soft inner stone as you prefer.
Food safety: Every utensil, bowl and jar must be completely dry.
Step 2
Toss the mango with the salt and turmeric (opens in a new tab) in a dry jar or bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave for 24 hours, shaking once or twice. The mango will release sour brine.
Step 3
Drain the brine (keep it for later if you like) and spread the mango on a clean cloth in the sun or a warm, airy room for 3–4 hours until the surfaces are dry to the touch.
- 5 min
Step 4
Heat the mustard oil (opens in a new tab) until it just smokes, then let it cool completely. Mix the crushed fennel, mustard, fenugreek (opens in a new tab), nigella, chilli powders and asafoetida (opens in a new tab) with the mango and about a third of the oil.
- 10 min
- medium-high heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Let the smoking oil cool fully before it meets the spices, or they will burn.
Step 5
Pack into a sterilised, dry glass or ceramic jar, pressing down, and pour over the rest of the oil so it sits at least 1 cm above the mango. Cover with a clean cloth for the first few days, then seal.
How it looks · Photo: Maria Verkhoturtseva on Pexels Step 6
Leave in a warm, sunny spot for about 2 weeks, shaking or stirring with a dry spoon every day, until the mango softens slightly and the spices mellow. Top up with oil if the mango is ever exposed.
- 2 min
Food safety: Discard the pickle if you see fuzzy mould, pink or slimy patches, or it smells rotten rather than sour.
About this dish
- Origin
- Punjab, India · Commonly attributedMustard-oil mango pickles are made across North India and Pakistani Punjab; this is the Punjabi style.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Breakfast · Pickles & ferments · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
- Cooking method
- Fermented, Raw
- Taste
- sour, salty, spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced
- Diet
- Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead · Batch cooking
- Cook more with
- Raw green mango · Mustard oil · Turmeric · Fennel seeds · Mustard seeds · Fenugreek
- Techniques
- Fermentation · Drying
Allergens
- May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
- May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
- Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds, mustard oil
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
36 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 16 g · recipe makes 80
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 3%
- Carbohydrate 24%
- Fat 73%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 36 kcal | 223 kcal |
| Protein | 0.3 g | 1.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 2.3 g | 14.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 1.9 g | 11.5 g |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.4 g | 2.7 g |
| Fat | 3.1 g | 18.9 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.4 g | 2.2 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | — | — |
| Sodium | 388 mg | 2389 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1 g | 6 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 34 mg
- Calcium
- 6 mg
- Iron
- 0.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 4 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 11 µg
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 6 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Optional ingredients are not included: cayenne / chilli powder.
- Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): nigella seeds, asafoetida.
- Raw green mango: Ripe raw mango (FDC 169910) used as a stand-in; unripe green mango is more acidic and has less sugar, so sugars are slightly overstated.
- Kashmiri chilli powder: Paprika (FDC 171329) used as a stand-in: Kashmiri chilli is a mild, deep-red chilli powder used mainly for colour.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Choose very firm, sour mangoes with no ripening at all; soft mango turns mushy.
- Keeping the pieces under oil is what protects them — never let them dry out on top.
Common mistakes
- Using washed but still-damp mango or jars — the most common cause of mould.
- Cutting the salt to make it 'healthier'; the pickle will not keep safely.
Serve with
- Serve a piece or two with parathas, dal-chawal, curd rice or a lunchbox of roti and sabzi.
Food safety
- Store in a scrupulously clean, completely dry jar (sterilise it in boiling water or a low oven and let it dry fully), and always use a dry spoon; moisture is what spoils chutneys and pickles.
- This pickle is very high in salt; enjoy it in small amounts.
Storage
- Once matured, keeps for many months at cool room temperature if the mango stays under oil and only dry spoons are used; refrigerate in hot, humid weather.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Goes with
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Raw green mango, firm, sour and unblemished; washed, dried completely and cut into 2–3 cm chunks1000 g
Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.
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