Mango Thokku (South Indian Green Mango Pickle)

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Mango Thokku (South Indian Green Mango Pickle)

This easy recipe makes delicious and authentic mango thokku, a Tamil green mango pickle. The grated mangoes are seasoned with a few powdered spices and cooked down until they are soft and creamy.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Condiment, Pickle, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian, South Indian, Vegetarian

Diet: Gluten Free, Keto Vegan, Meatless, Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings (1 tablespoon each, approx)

Calories: 46kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Grater with large holes
Wok or kadhai or large skillet

Ingredients

1 cup sesame oil (or mustard oil or any neutral oil with a high smoke point)
2 teaspoons mustard seeds (rai, kadagu)
1 teaspoon asafetida (hing, perangayam)
3 green mangoes (mine weight 880 grams total before grating. Grate the mangoes using the large holes of a grater. Discard the seed, which is very bitter)
2 tablespoons salt (taste and add more if you would like the pickle to be saltier)
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
2 tablespoons red chili powder (like cayenne or Kashmiri chili powder)
1 tablespoon jaggery (or brown sugar)

Instructions

Heat oil over high heat. Add mustard seeds and asafetida.
As soon as you hear the mustard seeds pop, add the grated green mangoes and salt.
Stir in the turmeric and ground fenugreek seeds. Mix and let the mangoes cook for 10 minutes or until they are quite soft.
Stir in the red chilli powder and jaggery and mix well. Continue to cook the thokku until you see the oil separate (refer to the photograph below).
Turn off heat and let the mango thokku cool to room temperature. Store the pickle in an airtight jar.

Notes

Ingredient notes

Oil: Sesame oil is traditionally used to make pickles like mango thokku in Tamil Nadu. Indian sesame oil is made with raw sesame seeds and is very different in flavor from toasted sesame oil used elsewhere in Asia. You can also use mustard oil, which has a spicy taste that lends itself beautifully to pickles, or any neutral oil with a high smoke point, like avocado oil.
Green mangoes: Choose mangoes that are green all over with no soft or brown spots. The skin should be smooth and shiny and the mangoes should feel very firm to the touch.
Jaggery: Jaggery is an unrefined cane sugar widely eaten around India. You can sue brown sugar as a substitute, or if you have the Latin American sugar piloncillo on hand, use that.

Nutrition