Delicious Colorful Mixed Pickle (Chow-Chow)

Ingredients

• 25 whole Large raw mangoes (fleshy variety) (Use 'Koyal' or similar large variety without fiber.)
• 10 ounces Salt (for curing) (Originally 25 tolas.)
• 750 milliliters Strong white vinegar (Originally 1 bottle 'Jalad Soja Sarka'.)
• 3 pounds Sugar (for first syrup) (Originally 3 seers.)
• 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds (crushed) (Originally 1 tola.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Chili powder (pure) (Originally 0.5 tola.)
• 5 whole Dried Goan red chilies (Large variety.)
• 1 pound Mixed fruit preserves (Chow-Chow Murabba) (Drained of syrup. Originally 'Chinai Chow-chow Murabba'.)
• 1 1/2 pounds Sugar (for second syrup) (Originally 1.5 seers.)
• 1 pound Fresh Kokum (Originally 1 seer 'new' kokum.)
• 1/2 pound Orange or Sweet Lime peel preserve (Drained. Originally 0.5 seer.)
• 1/2 pound Fresh ginger (Originally 0.5 seer.)
• 1 tablespoon Salt (for ginger) (Originally 1 tola.)
• 3 tablespoons Salt (for final mix) (Originally 3 tolas.)
• 1 tablespoon Chili powder (pure) (Originally 1 to 1.5 tolas.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cardamom seeds (Originally 0.5 tola.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon (Originally 0.5 tola.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cloves (Originally 0.5 tola.)
• 375 milliliters Toddy vinegar (or malt vinegar) (Originally 0.5 bottle.)
• 1 cup Vinegar (for washing/grinding) (Estimated quantity for processing kokum.)

Instructions

1. 1Peel the mangoes, remove the stones, and cut the pulp into 1.5-inch pieces. Mix these pieces with the curing salt (10 oz) in a jar. Let stand for one day. On the second day, stir the contents by hand. On the third day, remove the mango pieces and dry them in full sunlight for 3 to 4 days until properly dried. Weigh out 3 pounds (3 seers) of these dried mango pieces for the recipe.
2. 2Dissolve 3 pounds of sugar in 750ml strong vinegar. Strain the mixture through a cloth into a non-reactive pot (originally tin-coated). Place on the stove uncovered. As it heats, add the crushed coriander, 1.5 teaspoons chili powder, and the 5 whole dried chilies. Do not let the vinegar boil; remove from heat as soon as steam begins to rise. Cover with a cloth and let it cool completely.
3. 3Once the syrup is completely cold, mix in the dried mango pieces. Transfer everything to a jar, cover tightly with a lid and cloth. Stir occasionally (bringing bottom to top). Keep this until the mangoes become slightly soft.
4. 4Before filling the pickle, prepare the ginger: Peel and slice it very finely into 1-inch pieces. Mix with 1 tablespoon salt in a stoneware bowl and let stand for 24 hours. Then remove and dry in the sun for 1 to 2 days.
5. 5Pound the cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon separately. Take 1/4 pound of the kokum, clean it, cut into 0.75-inch pieces, wash with vinegar, and soak in a little vinegar in a stoneware bowl for 1 hour. Take the remaining kokum (3/4 pound), wash with vinegar, and grind it finely on a stone with a little vinegar. Put the ground kokum in a large bowl, add the 375ml cold toddy vinegar (do not heat), and mix. Squeeze this mixture through a strong, thick cloth to extract all the thick juice. Discard the skins/husks.
6. 6In the extracted kokum juice, dissolve the 1.5 pounds of sugar and remaining 3 tablespoons of salt. Mix in the chili powder, ground cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Remove the mangoes from the first syrup (Step 3). Take about 14 ounces (3.5 pasher) of that first syrup and mix it into this new kokum base. Discard any remaining first syrup.
7. 7Into the prepared base, add the marinated mangoes, the drained fruit preserves (murabba), the soaked kokum pieces, the orange peel preserve, and the dried ginger slices. Mix everything thoroughly. Pack into a porcelain jar, cover tightly, and tie a cloth over the top. Stir the pickle from bottom to top every 3 to 4 days. The pickle is ready to use once it has matured ('char'), but continuing to stir occasionally will keep it in good condition. This pickle turns out very well.