Quick Pickled Amba

- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound unripe, green-skinned mango (about 1 large or 2 medium)
- 1medium white onion, finely chopped
- 1jalapeño, chopped (seeds included)
- 2tablespoons kosher salt
- 3garlic cloves, chopped
- 1½teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1teaspoon ground fenugreek
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon sweet paprika
- 3tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1teaspoon fish sauce
Preparation
- Step 1
Peel the mango, and grate the fruit on the large holes of a box grater, directly into a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups water, the onion, jalapeño, salt, garlic, mustard seeds, turmeric, fenugreek, cumin and paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mango and onion have softened and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 20 minutes. (If the mangoes aren’t very juicy and the pan starts to dry out before the fruit has softened, add a splash of water so the mixture can cook for the full 20 minutes without burning on the bottom of the pan.)
- Step 2
Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then stir in the lemon juice and fish sauce. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth and glossy. Chill before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Private Notes
Comments
Fish sauce, an umami source, was discovered independently by several cultures - the Romans had garum - but production is now limited almost exclusively to Southeast Asia. I doubt that it's in the original recipe, inspired by Indian raw mango pickles, which use spices in greater amounts: "Aamba" (Marathi) and "Aam"(Hindi) are two native words for mango in India, to which mangoes are native. Ottolenghi's amba recipe is vegan. If you wish, try the alternative umami source soy sauce.
I really like Red Boat or Tiparos brands.
Can you leave the fish sauce out? If not, Can I use anything else as I am a vegetarian.
Mine was so salty as to be inedible, don't know what I did wrong. Followed recipe precisely.
@Elizabeth I was in the same boat. Bizarrely salty, beyond a difference in saltiness preference. We ended up making a salt-less half batch to salvage the whole thing. For anyone reading, definitely cut the salt a good deal.
Can I freeze this?
Tejal Rao, are you using ground fenugreek seeds or ground fenugreek leaves in this recipe?
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