Gujarati Chhundo (Sweet Grated Raw Mango Pickle)
A sweet, tangy, gently spiced Gujarati pickle made by grating firm green mangoes, tossing them with sugar and spices, and letting the sun slowly turn the mixture into a glossy, jammy relish. Serve it with theplas, khakhra, puri or alongside any simple Indian meal.
- Prep
- 44 min
- Cook
- 3 min
- Wait
- 5.1 days
- Total
- 5.1 days
- Makes
- About 4 cups (950 ml), enough for 16 servings of ¼ cup
Steps
Before you start
- Plan for 5 days: you need roughly 5 sunny, dry days with about 6 hours of direct sun each. Do not start if rain is forecast.
- Choose very firm, sour, dark-green raw mangoes (such as rajapuri or kesar-type raw mangoes). Ripe or even slightly soft mangoes turn mushy.
- Wash a 1.5-liter (6-cup) glass or ceramic jar and a long-handled spoon in hot soapy water, rinse, and dry them completely in the sun or a 200°F (95°C) oven for 15 minutes. Any moisture can cause mold.
- Cut a clean square of muslin or thin cotton (about 12 inches / 30 cm) and a rubber band or string to cover the jar.
Peel and grate mangoes
- Wash and dry the mangoes.
- Peel them with a vegetable peeler.
- Cut the flesh away from the stone in large pieces, then grate it on the large holes of a box grater into a large non-reactive bowl.
- You need 1 kg (2.2 lb) of grated mango.
- Discard the peel and stone.
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Ready when: The mango is in even, coarse shreds, about the size of grated carrot, with no large chunks.
Tip: Work with dry hands and a dry bowl. Water dilutes the syrup and shortens shelf life.
Salt and turmeric rest
- Sprinkle the 2 tbsp (36 g) salt and 2 tsp (5 g) turmeric over the grated mango and toss with your hands or a spoon until evenly yellow.
- Cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature for 1 hour so the salt draws out the mango's juices.
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Ready when: A visible pool of yellow liquid has collected at the bottom of the bowl and the shreds look slightly softened.
Tip: Do not drain or squeeze out the liquid. It becomes part of the syrup.
Mix in sugar
- Add all 4 cups (800 g) sugar to the bowl and stir thoroughly for about 2 minutes, scraping the bottom, until the sugar is evenly mixed through.
- Let the bowl sit uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway, so much of the sugar starts dissolving.
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Ready when: The mixture looks wet and glistening, with the sugar mostly dissolved and only a few grains visible.
Fill the jar
- Spoon the mixture and all its liquid into the clean, dry 1.5-liter jar.
- It should fill the jar about three-quarters, leaving headspace for stirring.
- Cover the mouth with the muslin and secure with string or a rubber band.
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Ready when: The jar is about three-quarters full and the cloth is held snugly over the mouth.
Tip: Use cloth, not a lid, during sunning so moisture can escape. The cloth also keeps out insects.
Sun days 1 and 2
- Set the jar in direct sun, for example on a sunny windowsill, balcony or terrace, for about 6 hours each day.
- Stir with the dry spoon 2 to 3 times a day, scraping from the bottom up.
- Bring the jar indoors every evening before dew falls or the temperature drops, and keep it covered with the cloth overnight.
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Ready when: By the end of day 2 all sugar grains have dissolved and the mango sits in a thin, clear yellow syrup.
Tip: Always use a completely dry spoon. A single drop of water can lead to mold.
Roast and grind cumin
- On day 3, heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add the 1 tbsp cumin seeds and toast, shaking the pan constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Tip them onto a plate to cool for 5 minutes, then grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar.
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Ready when: The seeds turn a shade darker, smell nutty and smoky, and you may hear one or two faint pops.
Tip: Remove them from the pan right away. Cumin burns in seconds and turns bitter.
Stir in the spices
- Open the jar and add the ground cumin and 2 tbsp (14 g) Kashmiri chili powder.
- Stir well with the dry spoon for about a minute, scraping the bottom, until no streaks of red remain.
- Cover with the cloth again.
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Ready when: The pickle is an even deep orange-red with no dry clumps of spice.
Tip: Adding the chili after the sugar has dissolved keeps the color bright and prevents it from clumping.
Sun days 3 to 5
- Continue sunning the jar for about 6 hours a day for 3 more days, stirring 2 to 3 times daily and bringing it indoors at night.
- On day 5, check the syrup.
- If it is still thin, sun for one more day.
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Ready when: The syrup is the texture of thin honey and falls from the spoon in a slow ribbon; the mango is tender and slightly translucent, with no crystals or raw sourness at the edges.
Tip: The syrup thickens further as it cools. Stop when it is still pourable, or the pickle will set hard and crystallize.
Cool and store
- Bring the jar indoors and let the pickle cool completely, about 1 hour, uncovered by a lid but still under the cloth.
- Spoon it into the 2 clean, dry storage jars, press the mango down so it is submerged in syrup, and seal tightly.
- Refrigerate after opening.
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Ready when: The jar feels room temperature to the touch, with no warmth at the base.
Tip: Sealing while warm traps steam, which drips back and can cause spoilage.
Good to know
Tips
- If you cannot get sun, you can finish the pickle indoors: simmer the mixture in a heavy pan on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until the syrup looks like thin honey, though the flavor will be less complex.
- Weigh the grated mango and sugar. Cup measures vary with how finely you grate, and the sugar-to-mango ratio is what preserves the pickle.
- Check the jar for mold or off smells before every serving. Any fuzzy spots mean the batch should be discarded.
- If the pickle turns too thick or crystallizes after weeks, stand the jar in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes and stir.
Make ahead
Make the whole pickle up to a month ahead. Its flavor deepens and mellows after 1 week in the jar, and it keeps improving for several weeks.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: sealed in a cool, dark cupboard for up to 1 month, as long as the syrup stays thick and covers the mango. Refrigerator: up to 6 months in clean, dry, tightly sealed jars; always use a dry spoon. Freezer: up to 12 months in freezer-safe containers with ½ inch (1 cm) headspace; thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature, since cold syrup is stiff.
Substitutions
- granulated white sugar → Grated jaggery (700 g / 3½ cups packed). Gives a darker, caramel-flavored gor-keri style pickle. Chop or grate it fine so it dissolves in the sun.
- Kashmiri red chili powder → Mild paprika mixed with ¼ tsp cayenne. Use 2 tbsp paprika plus ¼ tsp cayenne to approximate Kashmiri chili's color and mild heat.
- cumin seeds → Store-bought ground cumin (1 tbsp / 6 g). Toast it in a dry pan for 30 seconds before adding for better flavor.
- fine sea salt → Rock salt (sendha namak), same weight. Use the same 36 g; coarse salt should be finely ground first so it dissolves.
