Mango Pickle (Maanga Oorugai)

Traditional Mango Pickle (Maanga Oorugai) — sour country mango, hand-cut and sun-wilted, cured in salt before it ever meets a spice, then matured in cold-pressed gingelly oil. Tamil style is oil-heavy and fenugreek-forward — quite different from the mustard-oil pickles of the north.

Key Benefits

• Made to a traditional South Indian household method with sun-cured raw mango.
• Prepared in cold-pressed gingelly oil (nallennai) — the regional signature.
• No chemical preservatives, no synthetic colours, no added acetic acid. Salt, oil and the fruit's own acidity do the preserving.
• Small batch and hand-cut, matured in the oil before packing.
• Drained weight not less than 60%, in line with the FSSAI standard for pickles in oil.

Nutritional Information

This is a high-salt condiment. Sodium is roughly 4,700 mg per 100 g, equivalent to about 11.8 g of salt — because salt is the preservative here, in place of the chemical preservatives used in commercial pickles. A teaspoon alongside a meal is the intended serving. Indicative values; figures printed on pack come from our own lab analysis of that lot.

Ingredients & Serving

• Ingredients: raw sour mango, crystal salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, fenugreek (vendhayam), mustard (kadugu), asafoetida (perungayam), cold-pressed gingelly oil
• A teaspoon with curd rice — the classic pairing
• With thayir sadam, lemon rice or plain hot rice and ghee
• Alongside idli, dosai, adai or curd vadai
• With chapati, paratha or as part of a South Indian thali

Storage Instructions

• Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
• Always use a dry spoon — a single drop of water is what starts mould.
• Keep the oil layer above the pickle after each use. Press the pieces down so they stay submerged.
• Unopened at room temperature: 9–12 months. After opening: 3–6 months at room temperature with the oil layer intact, or 9–12 months refrigerated.
• In Chennai's coastal humidity we recommend refrigerating after opening.

Certifications & Compliance

• FSSAI licensed food business — licence number displayed in our website footer.
• Complies with the FSS (Food Products Standards) Regulations 2011 for pickles in oil: drained weight not less than 60%, with the pieces submerged in oil.
• No Class II chemical preservatives, no synthetic colours, no added acetic acid. Preserved by salt, oil and the fruit's own acidity.
• Organic certification for our own ingredients: PGS-India / NPOP (certificate available on request).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there so much oil on top?
The oil layer is the preservative — it physically keeps oxygen and water away from the mango. Don't drain it. Press the pieces down so they stay submerged.

Do I have to refrigerate it?
Not while the oil layer is intact and you always use a dry spoon, but refrigeration extends its life and is safer in Chennai's humidity.

Why is it saltier than the pickle I buy in a shop?
Because we use salt as the preservative rather than chemical preservatives. Treat it as a condiment — a teaspoon per meal.