Summertime brings with it seasonal fruits. Of course, the king of them all is the mango! Like most of India, Goans also like to store this seasonal fruit for the rest of the year in many forms. The most popular of them all is the stuffed mango pickle. It is called bharille lonche or miskut in Konkani.
I spent some of my summer holidays at my grand mother’s house. Right from my childhood, I had a liking for sour fruits, be it raw mango or tamarind. My grandma has 9 children and 15 grandchildren! So she made a lot of stuffed mango every year to give to all her kids. She has a storeroom where she stores her “purumet” (food items that are stored in the summertime to eat during the monsoons). Now, she would not let us have tamarind and we were definitely not allowed to touch the mangoes which were in the brine. Sour fruits apparently cause a cold! But as kids, breaking rules was so much fun! When my grandmother took her afternoon nap, I would sneak in with my cousins and steal some tamarind and brined mangoes. My cousins and I would enjoy our loot! This pickle brings back so many fun-filled memories! It is a perfect accompaniment to any Goan meal!
What you will need:
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Fenugreek Seeds | 1/2 tablespoon |
| Oil | 3/4 cup |
| Pepper | 1 tablespoon |
| Raw Baby Mangoes | 750 grams |
| Red Chilies | 35 grams |
| Salt | 1/3 cup |
| Shankarchap Hing/ Asafetida | 1 gram |
| Split Mustard Dal | 1 tablespoon |
| Turmeric | 2 tablespoons |
How to make it:
- Wash and dry the raw mangoes. Ensure that you have fresh mangoes to make your pickle last longer.
- Slit the top as shown, but ensure that the bottom is still attached. Remove the seed carefully and discard it.
Slit the raw mangoes as shown - Once you cut all the raw mangoes, stuff them with salt. Cover with a clean banana leaf if available. Add weight on top and set aside for 5 days. After 5 days, the mangoes will turn a lighter green color, will ooze out water and appear wrinkled.
Stuff the raw mangoes with salt 
Brined raw mangoes - To make the masala, dry roast the red chilies, fenugreek seeds, pepper and shankarchap hing (asafetida).
Dry roast the fenugreek seeds, pepper, and asafetida - Add into a mixer once cooled, and blend into a coarse paste.
- Heat oil in a vessel. Once hot, add the split mustard dal. Turn off the flame and let the oil cool.
- Add 1/3 of this oil to the ground masala and make a coarse paste as shown below.
Lonche Masala - Separate the brine water/ khal from the mangoes. Boil this water and let it cool.
Reserve the brine/khal - With clean and dry hands, stuff the masala into the raw mangoes.
Stuff the brined mangoes with the masala - Place the mangoes in a dry clean glass bottle or a bharni (clay bottle).
- Pour the cooled oil and some of the khal on top.
- Store in a dark place.
- If stored properly this pickle will last you at least a year. Refrigerate for a longer shelf life.
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