A rare and exotic pickle, made in the traditional Marwari way. Chunks of chickpea flour, pickled with raw mango…need we say more?

 The regional cuisines of India are a veritable treasure trove of fantastic recipes. Some of those recipes have crossed state and country borders to become mainstream, while some still languish in near-obscurity, waiting for someone to dig them up and employ them. Rajasthan is known for its traditional fare – the dal-baati-choorma and the ubiquitous gattey ki sabzi. Some enterprising ancestor took the delicious chunks of gattey and pickled them too, and this is the pickle we bring to you. Gattey are supple lumps of chickpea flour and spices, first steamed or boiled and then dipped in a curry, fried or served up in some concoction. We have taken those gattey and pickled them in raw mango and spices. The result? So delicious that you won’t stop dipping into the jar!

 It's a long laborious process to make the gattey just exactly right. From kneading the dough just right, ensuring that it’s just the right texture, and then shaping the gattas to boiling them gently, ensuring they don’t break and firm up enough but not too much. Making these is like standing on the edge of a precipice – one misstep and you’re gone and there’s no return. The gattas are forgiving in a curry, because there’s ample liquid to soak them up and soften them, but in a pickle, you have to make them exactly how you want them to be in the first place. The gattas then soak in raw mango juice for a couple of days, for an infusion of flavour before being pickled in raw mango, oil and select spices.

 A jar of Ammiji’s Gattey ka Achaar is a delight the minute you open it. The fragrance of spices and mango assail you instantly and the taste – that has to be tried to be believed. This pickle will go well with any meal you’re having. (We confess that we had this pickle even with breakfast during our trials!) This is not a recipe Ammiji was familiar with, but we sent one of our initial lots to her for approval and we could hear her smile over the phone when she poured in her tweaks. When Ammiji is happy, we’re happy.

 Ingredients: Gram Flour, Raw Mango, Salt, Mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Nigella seeds, Asafoetida, Fennel, Turmeric, Coriander seeds, Red chilli, Cold-pressed Mustard Oil

 Weight: 300 gm

 Refrigerate the pickle after opening. Always use a clean, dry spoon to scoop up Ammiji’s pickles.