Mango Pickles

You know from previous posts that I've been haning out in the kitchen with my friend from India, Prethi.  I have not only enjoyed learning about Indian foods, but also Indian traditions.  One of the things Prethi has told me about is the food at Indian weddings.

• The fact that you need at least 11 curries.  The more the better, but it must always be an odd number. 
• The meal is served on a banana leaf.
• There is prescribed place on the leaf for everything - a place for the salt, a place for the sweets, a place for the pickle.  

As Prethi was showing me photos of wedding meals on her iPad, the pickle is what caught my attention because it was a little dab of something red.  What are they pickling that's red?  It was pickled mango, made with a lot of spices.  When she learned that I'd never had mango pickle, she ran to the pantry and opened a jar for me to sample.

If you like a salty and spicy heat, you might want to try mango pickle.  I found a jar in AZ.  I was either at Whole Foods or Sprouts on a aisle with international foods.  I've enjoyed stirring it into rice or quinoa.  That's what I'll be doing for breakfast - quinoa with diced avocado, a little oil and vinegar, and a dab of mango pickle.