Gunda nu kairi is a pickle , very famous from the state of gujrat. In this recipe, a particular kind of berry called gunda is used in preparation of pickle. Gunda looks like the the fruit in the above pic. Gunda has a big seed in it middle, which is removed before preparing the pickles. Also its stem is cut off and the gundas are washed and cleaned before using them to prepare recipe.


Gunda is a kind of berry which along with kairi means raw mangoes is salted and spiced to make pickle which can be stored for long. This pickle goes well with anything from rice to rotis and is economical. Gundane kairi jo athanu or gunda kairi pickle is popular pickle from gujrat. It is normally prepared in huge amount and stored for long. Here, i am giving the step by step details of preparing this recipe traditionally and easily at the same time.





Ingredients:
Gunda - 2 kilograms
Raw mangoes - 1½ kilograms
Sea salt, ground ½ cups
Lemon juice - 5 lemon's juice.


For Masala:
1 cup split/hulled mustard seeds
1/2 cup coarsely ground coriander
1/2 cup coarsely ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 sticks cinamon
4 whole cloves
3 cardomom pods
8 whole black pepper
1 and 1/2 cups oil
1 cup ground red chilies
2 teaspoons tumeric powder.
Method:

1. Place the whole spices in a pan.
2. Heat the oil in another panAdd the oil to the spices.
3. Add chillies and tumeric to the masala mix , cool it and use to make pickle (it is enough to make pickles for 3 preparations so u can store and use later too).
4. Cut the gunda and scrape the seeds with a salted knife.
5. Wash and dry the mangoes and gunda.
6. Mix the lemon juice and salt in a bowl.
7. Cut the mangoes into small pieces keep aside.
8. Split the gunda, remove the seed, and place in the lemon juice.
9. Add the mangoes to the lemon juice and salt mixture and mix well leave overnight at room temperature.
10. The next day, discard the lemon juice and spread the mangoes and gunda on a dry tea towel, leave to dry for one day.
11. Take a clean jar, place 1/2 cup of oil in the jar.
12. Stuff the gunda with 2 tspn of masala and place in the jar.
13. Or else mix in the gunda and the mango pieces cubes to the masala mixture and mix till all of them are well coated with the masala.
14. Place the mangoes in between the gunda.
15. This pickle will be ready to eat in 1 months time.
16. Store it in the fridge, but a cool place should be fine

Making Time : 45 minutes (excluding time of soaking and allowing to cool and get prepared).
Serves : serves for a family of 4 for 3-4 months.
Shelflife: Upto 1 year.
Note:

• Apply a little oil and salt to your hands before handling gunda. Split them and remove the seeds. Also place the knife in salted water or apply salt to it and leave for 30 minutes before using them for scraping off the seeds.
• Instead of placing the mango cubes and gundas in lemon juice, it can also be applied salt and turmeric and left for few hours. In that case leave it for 2-3 hours. And discard the excess water it leaves due to salted marination.
• Always transfer the pickles into sterilized glass or porcelain bottles, packing it tightly to remove any air bubbles. Sterilized bottles means , take a good glass jar with tight lid, clean it properly and place it in hot water for few minutes for about 30-40 minutes. Then remove it and dry it up completely and make sure it is not wet before placing the pickles inside them .
• As a another option, heat the remaining oil to smoking point, cool and add it to the pickles. Again cover and keep for at least ten to fifteen days. (In case the masala is not prepared or ready before hand).
• The preparing process for the pickles to get ready usually takes weeks . Best is for three weeks by which time the oil will surface and the pickle will be ready to eat.

Click here to know more about Gujrati foods and cuisines- An Introduction To gujrati cuisines and Recipes.