If you grew up in Goa like me, the title of this recipe itself must have made you salivate and remember the salty- tangy taste of this delicious pre-summer pickle. My granny would make stuffed mango pickle every summer. The first step to making this pickle was to make kholatlyo amblyo. Well, it is slightly different. For kholatlyo amblyo, you use whole mangoes and for the stuffed mango pickle, you make four slits in the mango while keeping them all still attached.

So my aunts and granny would go through the entire process of slitting the mangoes and then generously covering them in rock salt. A banana leaf was placed on top and then heavy rocks to allow the good old process of osmosis to occur. We kids would get a stern warning to not touch these mangoes. Now us being kids, of course, we would not follow those instructions.

When everyone retired for an afternoon nap, we would sneak into the storage room. One of us would gently lift the rocks, another would lift the banana leaf and another slowly steal the salty raw mangoes, while one watched to make sure none of the grown-ups woke up. Our little team of cousins would work together with the precision of a swat team! We would all then leave the contraption as we found it. We then would run to the front of the temple adjoining my grandparents’ house, and enjoyed the fruits of our “mission impossible”. 😀 I still wonder if granny ever knew of our doings. 😀

I was at the grocery store the other day and when I saw a bag of these tiny raw mangoes. I was so happy that my husband thought I found a pot of gold! 😀 It was for me! I knew right away what I was going to make with these beauties. This pickle is the true Goan mango pickle in brine with no water added. This pickle would last the whole year (if not more) back in the day. 

What you will need:

How to make it:

• Clean the mangoes with a wet cloth thoroughly.
• Let them dry completely.
• Add a layer of the raw mangoes and then salt. Repeat till all the mangoes are covered in salt. Ideally, rock salt is used. I do not have rock salt here so used pink Himalayan salt. You can use any salt of your choice. 
• Cover them with a clean banana leaf or plastic wrap.
• Place a heavyweight on top.
• Keep in a dark place for four days (and resist the temptation to look or taste it! This was the hardest part for me LOL)
• At the end of four days, open the container and you will find that the mangoes have turned a lighter green and have shriveled due to osmosis. You will also find a lot of liquid/ brine. 
• Place the mangoes in an airtight container and pour the liquid over them. Due to weather fluctuations in the USA, I keep mine in the refrigerator.
• Tip: As long as your mangoes are submerged in the brine and you have used clean hands to handle them in the whole process, the pickle will last a long time. 
• Enjoy them with a Goan meal, as is, or with kanji which is a popular way to have it in Goa.