Urgai maavadu

Mavadu is the easiest and tastiest urugai. Thayir sadam with vadu mangai is the tastiest. Even the charu without vadu mangai will be tasty for curd rice. It is healthy too because no oil is used as in other pickles.

 It has long shelf life.

Ingredients

Baby mangoes with stem -1kg

Crystal Salt - 1cup

 Castor oil/ gingely oil - 1tbp

Mustard seeds - 50 GM's / 1/4 cup

Round red chilli - 20

Hinge - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Wash the mangoes thoroughly and wipe well with a cloth. 
2. Spread on a white (veshti) cloth and dry it under fan for 2hrs.

3. Add castor or gingely oil and shake well so that it forms coating over the mangoes.

 4. Take the mustard oil and sundry if possible or you can straight away grind it to a fine powder.

5. To that add crystal Salt, red chilli and hinge and dry grind. Let it be a fine powder.

6. Add it to mangoes and mix thoroughly.

 Leave it closing it air tight. Use a broad vessel. It can be plastic container or even steel vessel. Later you can store it in glass bottle or ceramic jadi.

7. Daily morning mix thoroughly with a dry hand and dry ladle. It should be done for 3days.  You can see the water comes and fills the whole mangoes. You can see the wrinkles over the mangoes.

Now it is ready to use.  But it is advisable to leave for a week for the raw smell to go.

Tips: 

• No need to add any water.
• No prior soaking in brine solution or in salt is necessary.
• Buy round vadus with reddish stem.
• While cutting the stem leave a bit which will give you longer shelf life. 
• Also wash the mangoes after cutting the stem because the milk from the stem may come out.
• I used to add two three stems which will preserve the mangoes.
• Adding slightly dry roasted crystal Salt will also increase shelf life. Because the salt might have absorbed water from the air.
• Store it in air tight container. 
• Occasionally you can stir. If you are storing in ceramic jadi, cover the mouth with a white cloth and tie the neck tightly. Then place the lid.
• If all the above are followed it will last for an year.