Aam tel

Step 1: Prepare the jar: wash jar and lid in hot soapy water, rinse well, then stand the jar upside down in a 250°F oven for 10 minutes (or boil jar and lid for 10 minutes and let them dry upside down). Let it cool completely; jar, lid, bowls and spoons must be bone dry, because a single drop of water is the usual reason a pickle goes mouldy.

Step 2: Wash the 2 ¼ lb raw green mangoes and dry well. Cut into slim wedges about 1 cm thick, with the skin on; discard any soft stone.

Step 3: Toss the slices with 2 ⅛ oz salt and 2 tsp ground turmeric in a glass bowl and leave overnight. They will release a lot of yellow juice; drain and discard it.

Step 4: Spread the slices on a clean cloth or steel tray and dry in strong sun for 3–4 days, bringing them in at night (or in a 60–158°F oven, door propped open, for 5–6 hours). They are ready when shrunken, leathery and dry to the touch, with no juice when pressed.

Step 5: Dry-roast 2 tbsp panch phoron and half the 5 dried red chillies in a pan over a medium heat until fragrant and a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Cool and grind coarsely.

Step 6: Heat 2 cups mustard oil in a pan over a medium-high heat until it just smokes, then turn off the heat. Let it cool completely, about 30 minutes; this mellows the raw pungency.

Step 7: In a dry bowl, mix the dried mango with the ground spices, 1 tbsp red chilli powder, 1 tbsp sugar if using, and the remaining 5 dried red chillies.

Step 8: Pack into the dry jar and pour over the cold oil until the mango is covered by at least 2 cm. Close, and keep the jar in the sun by day (or in a warm spot) for 10–14 days, shaking daily. It is ready when the oil is golden and smells of mango.

Step 9: Keep the mango under the oil at all times, topping up as you use it, and always use a clean dry spoon. It keeps up to a year in a cool cupboard (in the fridge in hot, humid weather). Throw it away if you see fuzzy mould, the oil smells rancid or rotten, or the mango turns slimy.