Andhra Pickles

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have the hottest pickle tradition in India, and their pickles are eaten mixed into hot rice with ghee, not just served on the side. Avakaya, cut raw mango with mustard powder, chilli and oil, is the best known. Gongura, made from the sour leaves of the roselle plant, is a Telugu favourite, and tomato, ginger, amla, brinjal, coriander and green tamarind pickles follow close behind. They are all part of our pickles collection.

Many Andhra pickles are made without garlic, which suits families who avoid onion and garlic for religious reasons and lets the fruit's own flavour come through. Others lean on garlic heavily. Look for gongura with red chilli if you want something fiercer, tomato or ginger for a softer, sweeter heat, and vadu mango, tender baby mango in brine, for a sharp, salty crunch.

To eat the Andhra way, mix a teaspoon of pickle and a spoon of ghee into a mound of hot rice, then finish the meal with curd rice. A spoon of avakaya also lifts dosa, upma and pesarattu. Keep the jar tightly closed and the pickle under its oil. For another regional style, see Sri Lankan pickles, or for more fruit choices, mango pickle and lime pickle.