Raw mango murabba (sweet pickle)

Mango is a seasonal fruit, a delicious treat for summer. Summer time brings lots of cooking recipes that use both raw and ripe mangoes. Raw mangoes are pickled as spicy and also as sweet. I am sharing the sweet version of the raw mango pickle. Because this recipe has both sweet (sugar) and spices (cinnamon and cloves) it is not exactly a jam or a pickle. It's actually somewhere in between both and that is why it is called a murabba, more like a fruit preserve.

I am sharing my mother's authentic North Indian Punjabi recipe. And I am not exaggerating when I say that the whole murabba was gone within half a day even before it cooled completely!! That's how addictive this is! The flavor is a blend of sweetness from sugar and cinnamon, spiciness from cloves, tartness from raw mango that captures right with the first bite. 

Ingredients: 

2-3 large raw mangoes OR 6-7 small raw mangoes (whatever is available in the local market)

2-3 ladle heaped fine granulated sugar

3-4 cloves

3-4 cinnamon sticks

Recipe:

1. Wash and peel the fresh raw mangoes, slice and dice the mango. I was short on time so I cooked the raw mangoes in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes (2 whistles). This way the mango skin was easy to peel as well.  

2.Cook the mango slices in a pan (if diced) or cook the mango pulp as in the above picture.

3. Add sugar to the pulp, cook till the sugar dissolves while stirring. 

4. Add cloves and cinnamon. (You can add ground cardamom as well). Very soon the dissolved sugar starts changing color. I like it close to caramelized (indicated by browning of the pulp) but not overdone to avoid burnt taste. You can stop cooking anytime until caramelized. 

5. Once done, let it cool completely. Transfer to clean glass jar for storage. Keep in refrigerator, airtight container. Good for a month, but I am sure it will be all gone in few hours! Enjoy the mature deep flavors that have emerged in the murabba with bread, Roti, or as is spoonful!