Bellam Avakaya(jaggery)

Ingredients:
5  Mangoes
500 gms Jaggery
250 ml Sesame Oil
250 gms Mustard seeds
125 gms Red chilli powder
125 gms Salt
2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
Method:
Cleaning the mangoes:

1. Wash and wipe the mangoes with a dry cloth.You really need to have sharp thick knife to cut into 1" thick mango wedges with the inner shell.
2. If the inner shell is in tact this will increase the shelf life of pickle.Take a sharp knife and scrub the inner shell to remove a thin white layer over it.This is another important step you should keep in mind otherwise the pickle gets spoil.
3. Now take a dry cloth and wipe the pieces from all the sides ensuring that they are cleaned and dried well.
4. Spread them over a dry cloth while you are preparing the spices for the pickle.

For making pickle:

1. Keep ready the sterilized and sun dried jars ready before you start pickling.
2. Grind mustard seeds to a fine powder.No need to roast them before grinding.
3. Dry roast fenugreek seeds until slight golden in color and cool it.Grind fenugreek seeds to a fine powder.
4. Now take a big bowl and mix the mustard powder,turmeric powder,fenugreek seeds powder,red chili powder and salt until everything is mixed well.
5. Add grated jaggery,asafoetida to it and mix well.Do not bother if you have some small pieces of jaggery in it,they will melt in the pickle automatically once it is mixed.
6. Add the mango pieces to it and mix well and apply the mixture all over the mango pieces with your hands.Using your hands for this step is better than mixing it up with ladle.
7. Add 200ml oil to the spice coated mango pieces and mix well.Take care that all the mango pieces are coated well with oil and spice mixture.
8. Put the masala coated mango pieces and all the remaining masala in the sterilized jar add remaining 50 ml oil over it and cover it with lid and keep it aside for 2-3 days.
9. On day-1 check it some oil might have started floating over the pickle.Now taste the masala mixture in the pickle,it should be slightly salty as the pickle has to be yet marinated for a week before its usage.But if you feel the salt is less add a tsp or 2tsps of salt to it and mix well.
10. Mix with a clean and dry ladle all over and repeat the same process on day-3.
11. On the day-3 if you see the oil is floating on the pickle up to an 1/2" height then it is perfect.Otherwise add extra sesame oil over the top until the oil floats on top.
12. Store it in a clean air-tight tupperware container or glass bottle.This way your pickle stores for long with freshness in it and even the mango pieces do not get soft.This pickle can be stored for over an year.
13. Serve it with hot rice and ghee or it can be even served with dosa/idli.

Nuvvula Avakaaya(sesame)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups Mango pieces
• 1/2 cup Sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup Red chilli powder
• 1/2 cup minus 2 tbsp Salt(use salt less than 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup Sesame oil

Method:
Cleaning the mangoes:

1. Wash and wipe the mangoes with a dry cloth.You really need to have a sharp thick knife to cut into 1" thick mango wedges with the inner shell.
2. If the inner shell is in tact this will increase the shelf life of pickle.Take a sharp knife and scrub the inner shell to remove a thin white layer over it.This is another important step you should keep in mind otherwise the pickle gets spoil.
3. Now take a dry cloth and wipe the pieces from all the sides ensuring that they are cleaned and dried well.
4. Spread them over a dry cloth while you are preparing the spices for the pickle.

For making pickle:

1. Keep ready the sterilized and sun dried jars ready before you start pickling.
2. Dry roast sesame seeds until slight golden in color and cool it.Grind sesame seeds to a fine powder.Do not grind for long which makes the sesame powder to a paste which makes the pickle bitter.So take care to make it into a powder not the paste.
3. Now take a big bowl and mix the sesame powder,red chilli powder and salt until everything is mixed well.
4. Add the mango pieces to it and mix well and apply the mixture all over the mango pieces with your hands.Using your hands for this step is better than mixing it up with ladle.
5. Add 1/4 cup oil to the spice coated mango pieces and mix well.
6. Put the masala coated mango pieces and all the remaining masala in the sterilized jar add 1/4 cup oil over it and cover it with lid and keep it aside for 2-3 days.
7. On day-1 check it some oil might have started floating over the pickle.Now taste the masala mixture in the pickle,it should be perfect and slightly salty as the pickle has to be yet marinated for a day or two before its usage.But if you feel the salt is less add a tsp or 2tsps of salt to it and mix well.
8. Mix with a clean and dry ladle all over and repeat the same process on day-3.
9. On the day-3 if you see the oil is floating on the pickle up to an 1/2" height then it is perfect.Otherwise add extra sesame oil over the top until the oil floats on top.
10. Store it in a clean air-tight tupperware container or glass bottle.This way your pickle stores for long with freshness in it and even the mango pieces do not get soft.
11. Serve it with hot rice and ghee.

Maagaya

Ingredients:

• 5 raw mangoes
• 1/2 cup(125 gms) Red chilli powder
• 1/2 cup(125gms) Salt
• 2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
• 2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp Mustard seeds
• 200 ml Sesame Oil

Method:

1. Peel the raw mangoes and cut into thin slices roughly.Here you don't need cubes,we need thin slices of pieces,the shapes are not important but make sure that the pieces are medium sized and very thin as we are going to dry the pickle.
2. Mix the mango pieces with salt and turmeric powder properly .Use a plastic container while mixing.Keep it in a porcelain or ceramic or plastic container which has lid.Leave this mixture aside for 3 days untouched.This will leave some water from the mango pieces.
3. After 3 days,on the 4th day slightly squeeze the mango pieces(reserve the water which we get after squeezing and the extra water that the mango pieces leave) and spread them on a clean plastic sheet and dry it in full sun for one complete day.The pieces should loose all the moisture but it should be slightly soft to touch.Take care that they would not turn hard.
4. On 5th day after they get dried we start the remaining process.
5. Heat sesame oil and crackle mustard seeds quickly and remove it from stove and let it cool completely.
6. Dry roast methi(fenugreek seeds) seeds and grind it to a fine powder.
7. Add red chilli powder,fenugreek seeds powder and reserved water from mango pieces(you would have got approx 1 cup) and mix well.If you have got more than 1 1/2 cups keep aside some portion and use just one cup of water in the pickle
8. Store this in an air tight tupperware/glass/ceramic container.
9. After 3 days if you see the oil is floating on the pickle up to an 1/2" height then it is perfect.Otherwise heat 1/4 cup of sesame oil and let it come to room temperature and pour over the top until the oil floats.
10. This pickle needs a week to get marinated and ready to use.This stays good for over an year.
11. Serve it with hot rice and ghee.

Avial

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fresh Curd,beaten well
• 2 tbsp Oil
• A sprig of Curry leaves

Vegetables-peeled and chopped lengthwise:

• 1 Potato,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
• 1 Raw banana,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
• 1 Carrot,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
• 1 Drumstick,cut into 2" pieces
• 6-8 French Beans,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
• 1/4 cup sliced Red Pumpkin
• 1/4 cup sliced Yam

To grind:

• 1 cup grated fresh Coconut
• 1 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 5-6 Green chillies
• 1 tbsp Rice,soaked for 1 hr
• a pinch of Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a big pot add water and add chopped vegetables like potatoes,carrots,drumsticks,french beans and let them boil  until half done.Now add the remaining vegetables ,raw banana,yam,red pumpkin and boil for another 6-8 mins until completely done.Do not make the vegetables mushy,they should be firm to touch and slightly crunch to bite.If you have more water in it remove some.
2. Meanwhile grind grated fresh coconut,cumin seeds,soaked rice,green chillies,turmeric powder and salt to a fine paste using little water.
3. Add the ground paste to the boiling vegetables and reduce the flame and cook until it comes to a boil for 5-6 mins.Adjust the consistency of the gravy according to your wish.
4. Heat oil in a small tadka pan until it is luke warm.
5. Add curry leaves and heated luke warm oil to the boiling gravy and switch off the flame.Cover it with lid,this will help in retaining the flavor.
6. When it is warm add beaten curds and mix well and serve it.You can add the beaten curd and simmer for another 2-3 mins,but do stir continuously in order to avoid the curdling.
7. Serve it with hot rice.

Moong dal payasam

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Moong dal
• 1/2 cup  grated Jaggery
• 1 cup whole cream Milk
• 1 1/2 cups Water
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
• 10-12 Cashew nuts,broken
• 1 tbsp Ghee

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a thick kadai and add cashew nuts and fry them until they turn light golden brown in color and keep them aside.
2. In the same kadai add moong dal and fry until it turns slightly red in color.
3. Meanwhile boil water in another vessel and add the boiling water to the roasted moong dal.
4. Cook this for 12-15 mins until moong dal splits and is cooked.It should be properly cooked and also should not become mushy.You can even pressure cook this for 2 whistles.
5. Add grated jaggery to it and boil for 5-7 mins until the jaggery is melted and the kheer starts thickening.
6. Add boiled milk to it and simmer for another 5 mins.Feel free to add more milk if you want slightly a thin payasam.Also adjust the jaggery if adding more milk according to your taste.
7. Add cardamom powder and fried cashew nuts and mix well and switch off the flame.
8. Serve it hot/cold/warm or at room temperature.

Aavakaaya

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Mango pieces of 4-5 medium raw sour Mangoes (pickle variety,see the notes)
• 3/4 cup Mustard seed powder(ground from 1 cup mustard seeds)
• 1 cup Red chilli powder
• 1/3 cup Garlic pods
• 1 tbsp Methi seeds
• 1 cup (minus 3 tbsp) Salt(use salt less than 1 cup)
• 1 1/2 cup Sesame oil

Method:
Cleaning the mangoes:

1. Wash and wipe the mangoes with a dry cloth.You really need to have sharp thick knife to cut into 1" thick mango wedges with the inner shell in tact.
2. If the inner shell is in tact this will increase the shelf life of pickle.Take a sharp knife and scrub the inner shell to remove a thin white layer over it.This is another important step you should keep in mind otherwise the pickle gets spoil.
3. Now take a dry cloth and wipe the pieces from all the sides ensuring that they are cleaned and dried well.
4. Spread them over a dry cloth while you are preparing the spices for the pickle.

For making pickle:

1. Keep ready the sterilized and sun dried jars ready before you start pickling.
2. Grind mustard seeds to a fine powder.
3. Remove the extra outer layers of garlic and keep just one thin layer intact with the pod.
4. Now take a big bowl and mix the mustard seeds powder,red chilli powder and salt until everything is mixed well.
5. Add the mango pieces to it and mix well and apply the mixture all over the mango pieces with your hands.Using your hands for this step is better than mixing it up with ladle.
6. Add methi seeds and garlic pods to the mixed mixture and mix well.If you are using kala chana instead of methi seeds add them at this time.Use either methi seeds or kala chana in the recipe.
7. Add 1 1/4 cups of oil to the spice coated mango pieces and mix well.
8. Put the masala coated mango pieces and all the remaining masala in the sterilized jar add 1/4 cup oil over it and cover it with lid and keep it aside for 2-3 days.
9. On day-1 check it some oil might have started floating over the pickle.Now taste the masala mixture in the pickle,it should be perfect and slightly salty as the pickle has to be yet marinated for a day or two before its usage.But if you feel the salt is less add a tsp or 2tsps of salt to it and mix well.I don't think it would be necessary if you follow the measurements accurate.
10. Mix with a clean and dry ladle all over and repeat the same process on day-3.
11. On the day-3 if you see the oil is floating on the pickle up to an 1/2" height then it is perfect.Otherwise add extra sesame oil over the top until the oil floats on top.
12. Store it in a clean air-tight tupperware/ceramic/glass container.This way your pickle stores for long with freshness in it and even the mango pieces do not get soft and also would not change the color.
13. Serve it with hot rice and ghee.You can serve it with muddapappu(mashed up cooked toor dal) or pappula podi(spiced up fried gram powder) and ghee which are classic combos with avakaya.

Notes:

1. Use pickle variety mangoes which are sour and also cut them in to the pieces with the inner shell in tact.
2. Increase the amount of sesame oil as required in the recipe.The basic thumb rule is to make the oil float over the pickle after 3 days.So feel free to add extra sesame oil.
3. This pickle stays good for an year.

Allam AAvakaaya

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Mango pieces of 4-5 medium raw sour Mangoes (pickle variety)
• 1/2 cup Mustard seed powder
• 1 tsp dill seeds powder
• 1 cup Ginger-Garlic paste,home made
• 1 cup Red chili powder
• 1 cup Salt(use salt less than 1 cup)
• 1 1/2 cup Sesame oil

Method:
Cleaning the mangoes:

1. Wash and wipe the mangoes with a dry cloth.You really need to have sharp thick knife to cut into 1" thick mango wedges with the inner shell in tact.
2. If the inner shell is in tact this will increase the shelf life of pickle.Take a sharp knife and scrub the inner shell to remove a thin white layer over it.This is another important step you should keep in mind otherwise the pickle gets spoil.
3. Now take a dry cloth and wipe the pieces from all the sides ensuring that they are cleaned and dried well.
4. Spread them over a dry cloth while you are preparing the spices for the pickle.

To make Ginger Garlic paste:

1. Remove the skin of 2/3 cup garlic pods and approx 10 " ginger(should come upto 2/3 cup ginger after chopping) and wipe with a dry cloth and let them dry on a kitchen towel for 1 hr.Grind to a fine paste.
2. You should use equal quantities of ginger and garlic for the paste and we need 1 cup of ginger-garlic paste for this pickle.

For making pickle:

1. Keep ready the sterilized and sun dried jars ready before you start pickling.
2. Grind mustard seeds to a fine powder.
3. Now take a big bowl and mix the mustard seeds powder,dill seeds powder,red chili powder and salt until everything is mixed well.
4. Add ginger garlic paste to the above mixture and mix well.
5. Add the mango pieces to it and mix well and apply the mixture all over the mango pieces with your hands.Using your hands for this step is better than mixing it up with ladle.
6. Add 1 1/4 cups of oil to the spice coated mango pieces and mix well.
7. Put the masala coated mango pieces and all the remaining masala in the sterilized jar add 1/4 cup oil over it and cover it with lid and keep it aside for a day.
8. On day-1 check it some oil might have started floating over the pickle.Now taste the masala mixture in the pickle,it should be perfect and slightly salty as the pickle has to be yet marinated for a day or two before its usage.But if you feel the salt is less add a tsp or 2tsps of salt to it and mix well.
9. Mix with a clean and dry ladle all over and repeat the same process on day-3.
10. On the day-3 if you see the oil is floating on the pickle up to an 1/2" height then it is perfect.Otherwise add extra sesame oil over the top until the oil floats on top.
11. Store it in a clean air-tight tupperware/ceramic/glass container.This way your pickle stores for long with freshness in it and even the mango pieces do not get soft and also would not change the color.
12. Serve it with hot rice and ghee.You can serve it with mudda pappu(mashed up cooked toor)  and ghee which are classic combos with avakaya.