Sun-Dried Mango Pickle – Amsi Achar

Sun-dried mango (amsi), cold-pressed mustard oil, cumin, ajwain, coriander paste, bay leaves, dry red chilli, fennel seeds, black pepper, sugar, salt, and our traditional home spice blend.

What is not in it

• No vinegar or acetic acid
• No chemical preservatives
• No artificial colour — this is the colour mango actually is
• No palm oil

Allergen note

Contains mustard. Prepared in a kitchen that also handles sesame and nuts. Suitable for vegetarians.

What you will taste

Tangy and forward, with a firm chew that a fresh-mango pickle does not have. The spice builds slowly behind the sourness rather than arriving with it, and a faint sweetness rounds off the finish.

Heat level

Medium. Noticeable, but the dominant note is sour rather than hot.

Texture

Firm, chewy strips of dried mango coated in oil and spice. Because the water is gone, the pieces hold their shape completely — nothing turns to mush.

Early summer sourcing

Raw mango, bought in the short window when it is properly firm and properly sour.

Sun-drying

Slices go out on the terrace for two to three days. They lose their moisture, tighten up and concentrate. This step cannot be rushed with a dehydrator and still taste the same.

Oil and spice

Mustard oil is heated and cooled to take the raw edge off, then the whole spices go in, then the dried mango, then salt and a measured amount of sugar.

Resting

Days of sitting while the oil soaks into the fruit. The mango softens just enough to give, and the spices settle into it.

Everyday

Rice and dal, roti, paratha, khichdi. This is the pickle for anything plain that needs waking up.

Other ways

• Chopped small and stirred through hot rice with ghee
• In a cheese or egg sandwich — not traditional, but it works
• With curd rice, where the tang doubles up nicely
• Alongside a simple aloo sabzi or plain dal

A teaspoon on the side of the plate is the right amount. The chew means you notice each piece.

Keeping it fresh

• Always use a clean, dry spoon. Water is what spoils a pickle, not time.
• Keep the layer of oil sitting above the pickle — it is the seal that preserves it.
• Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Refrigerate after opening.
• Never store or serve pickle in aluminium, brass or iron. The salt and acid react with the metal. Glass, ceramic or food-grade plastic only.

Shelf life

Best within 9 months of the packing date unopened, and about 6 months once opened and refrigerated. The date is printed on the jar.

Travelling with it

Pickle is fine in checked baggage on Indian domestic flights. Cabin baggage falls under liquid and paste limits, so put the jar in your check-in bag and wrap it — and check your airline if you are flying international, as some countries restrict food imports.

Available in 200 g and 500 g glass jars. Because the mango is sun-dried rather than fresh, this pickle keeps its texture better than most and travels well.

Every jar is sealed, wrapped and cushioned before it ships, because Indian courier handling is not gentle. If one arrives broken or leaking, send us a photograph within 48 hours and we will replace it.

The Flavor Chapter is a small homemade pickle business run out of a kitchen in Kolkata, West Bengal. We make Bengali achar the way it has always been made at home — seasonal fruit bought locally, cold-pressed mustard oil, a spice blend handed down rather than bought in, and enough resting time for the two to meet.

We are not a factory. Every batch is made by hand in quantities small enough for one person to watch over the whole thing, which limits how much we can sell and is why some jars disappear for months at a time. Kul and chalta are winter fruit, so we make them in winter.

What we will not do: no chemical preservatives, no vinegar shortcuts, no artificial colour. A properly made pickle preserves itself in oil, salt and sugar — it does not need help from a laboratory.

Every order is sealed, double-wrapped and packed by hand before it ships across India. If a jar arrives broken, we replace it.