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.