Goa is blessed with a vast variety of mangoes with every household having at least one, two or more mango trees in their property. During summer, raw green mangoes are preserved into pickles for the rainy season or to relish throughout the year. One of the traditional and ultimate loved Goan pickle is the miskut. Tender raw mangoes with a soft seed are cut lengthwise, halfway into four, the seed discarded, stuffed with salt and kept under weight for 5 days until they change to olive green in colour. Filled with a spice mixture and tightly secured with a twine. Layered in a sterilized container immersed in oil to mature and preserve. An irresistible, satisfying accompaniment to a Goan meal.
My mother would bring 100 or more mangoes from Byculla wholesale bazaar, which would fill a couple of big plastic buckets. The flat rectangle base of the grinding stone placed on the mangoes with the oval rolling stone on top of the base to weigh the mangoes down. She had a wide stone mortar pestle, which was used to press down mangoes in the second bucket. Every day, the mangoes were moved around until ready to be stuffed. Miskut she made was so delicious and lasted us the entire year. A couple of years back, Angela my sister-in-law made miskut with bottle mangoes. She kept a container of these stuffed mangoes for me. Wow, miskut with bottle mangoes, I tasted for the first time, huge and just amazing. One big slice with a lot of spice mixture, incredible, tempting and memorable.
My mother would bring 100 or more mangoes from Byculla wholesale bazaar, which would fill a couple of big plastic buckets. The flat rectangle base of the grinding stone placed on the mangoes with the oval rolling stone on top of the base to weigh the mangoes down. She had a wide stone mortar pestle, which was used to press down mangoes in the second bucket. Every day, the mangoes were moved around until ready to be stuffed. Miskut she made was so delicious and lasted us the entire year. A couple of years back, Angela my sister-in-law made miskut with bottle mangoes. She kept a container of these stuffed mangoes for me. Wow, miskut with bottle mangoes, I tasted for the first time, huge and just amazing. One big slice with a lot of spice mixture, incredible, tempting and memorable.
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Miskut (Goan Stuffed Mango Pickle)
(Yields 12)
Ingredients:
12 raw green mangoes (with soft seed)
1 1/4 teaspoons fenugreek seeds (methi)
1/2 cup mustard seeds
1 cup chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing) powder or a very small piece of shankarchap rock hing
2 cups sesame seeds (til) or mustard oil
Kosher coarse salt
Method:
Wash and wipe the mangoes. Cut each lengthwise halfway into four ensuring that the mango is still intact. Remove seed and discard. Since the opening is too tight, I used the handle of a spoon to wiggle and get the seed out.
Stuff each mango with salt. Transfer in a plastic container, cover with a clean plastic plate and keep some heavy weight. I used the salad spinner and mortar pestle on top of a plastic plate to weigh the mangoes down. Leave for 5 days moving them around once a day until they change to olive green in colour.
Drain mangoes and reserve the brine. Boil the brine, strain and set aside to cool.
Lightly roast mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds separately.
Grind the fenugreek seeds to a powder. Mustard seeds should be coarsely ground.
Heat 1/2 cup oil until smoking. Add the asafoetida powder and remove pan from heat.
Allow oil to cool. Then, mix in turmeric powder, chilli powder, fenugreek powder, coarsely ground mustard seeds and one tablespoon of brine. This spice mixture is enough to stuff 12 good-sized mangoes.
Reserved 1 1/2 cups oil should be heated and set aside to cool.
Stuff each mango with the spice mixture and secure tightly with a twine. Layer into a sterilized container. Alternatively, pour 3/4 cup brine and oil (both cool) immersing the mangoes completely. Seal and allow mangoes to mature for 15 days. This pickle stays well for a year.
Note:
(Yields 12)
Ingredients:
12 raw green mangoes (with soft seed)
1 1/4 teaspoons fenugreek seeds (methi)
1/2 cup mustard seeds
1 cup chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing) powder or a very small piece of shankarchap rock hing
2 cups sesame seeds (til) or mustard oil
Kosher coarse salt
Method:
Wash and wipe the mangoes. Cut each lengthwise halfway into four ensuring that the mango is still intact. Remove seed and discard. Since the opening is too tight, I used the handle of a spoon to wiggle and get the seed out.
Stuff each mango with salt. Transfer in a plastic container, cover with a clean plastic plate and keep some heavy weight. I used the salad spinner and mortar pestle on top of a plastic plate to weigh the mangoes down. Leave for 5 days moving them around once a day until they change to olive green in colour.
Drain mangoes and reserve the brine. Boil the brine, strain and set aside to cool.
Lightly roast mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds separately.
Grind the fenugreek seeds to a powder. Mustard seeds should be coarsely ground.
Heat 1/2 cup oil until smoking. Add the asafoetida powder and remove pan from heat.
Allow oil to cool. Then, mix in turmeric powder, chilli powder, fenugreek powder, coarsely ground mustard seeds and one tablespoon of brine. This spice mixture is enough to stuff 12 good-sized mangoes.
Reserved 1 1/2 cups oil should be heated and set aside to cool.
Stuff each mango with the spice mixture and secure tightly with a twine. Layer into a sterilized container. Alternatively, pour 3/4 cup brine and oil (both cool) immersing the mangoes completely. Seal and allow mangoes to mature for 15 days. This pickle stays well for a year.
Note:
- Refrigerate pickle for a longer shelf life.
- Turmeric powder and chilli powder can be lightly roasted, if desired.
- My two sister-in-laws in Goa roast the rock hing and then powder it, instead of heating it in oil. My mother and relative (sister-in-law’s mother) used to add the rock hing in the hot oil, remove, powder and add to the oil again to prepare the spice mixture.
- This is the first time, I used mustard dal which was lightly roasted. Personally, I feel mustard seeds lightly roasted and ground coarsely taste better for miskut.
- Eight mangoes were stuffed and four cut into pieces.
- Three-fourth cup brine was used for the stuffed mangoes with the balance 1/2 cup for the mango pieces.
- Miskut recipe with mango pieces, click here.
