Chunda Recipe | Aam Chunda | Mango Chunda (2024)

By Dassana Amit
Last Updated: April 24, 2023

Gluten Free, Vegan
4.92 from 12 votes • 40 Comments

Shredded raw mango, cooked with sugar and spiced, just the right way to result in a golden, sweet and sour Aam Chunda recipe. This is one of the jewel pickles from Gujarati cuisine and is easy to prepare too. Aam Chunda (also called Chundo in Gujarati) or Mango Chunda is also vegan-friendly and gluten-free. So, make it, store it and turn your meals fantastic!

About Chunda Recipe

I happened to make the Aam Chunda recipe the day I made this Aam Ka Murabba. Both these recipes have a similar method of preparation.

It’s just that this particular mango preserve, the Aam Chunda, has some ground spice powders that make a difference. While the murabba is flavored with cardamom and saffron, the chunda has red chili powder and roasted cumin powder.

Going by tradition, both Aam Chunda and the murabba are made with a green mango-sugar mixture which is kept to mature in sunlight during the sweltering Indian summers. And after some days, both these are ready for consumption.

However, this Aam Chunda recipe is a quick version that can be cooked on the stovetop and consumed instantly.

The Aam Chunda tastes just fab when paired with any Gujarati or even North Indian meal. Or you can also have it with your regular poori, roti, chapati, thepla or dhebra.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Aam Chunda

Prepare Mangoes

1. Rinse and wipe dry 2 large raw mangoes. Then peel them.

2. Grate or shred the mangoes.

Cook Mangoes

3. In a pan, take the grated or shredded mangoes, 1.5 cups sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt. The addition of sugar depends on the sourness of the mangoes and your taste.

I added 1.5 cups raw sugar. You can also use white sugar or add powdered jaggery instead of sugar.

4. Switch on the heat. Mix and combine the mango-sugar mixture evenly.

5. On low heat, cook the mango and sugar mixture. Towards the beginning you will see the sugar melting and the consistency will become liquid, runny and watery.

6. Stir often so that the sugar does not crystallize and keep on simmering the mixture.

7. When the sugar syrup starts to cook, you will see the mixture bubbling.

8. Keep on stirring and cooking.

Make Aam Chunda

9. Gradually the mixture will begin to thicken.

10. When the sugar in the mixture reaches a 1 to 2 thread consistency, switch off the heat.

Remember if you cook more, the aam chunda will become chewy, stringy and hard. The consistency should be like a jam with a translucent appearance. There should also be a slight crunch in the mangoes.

11. Add½ teaspoon red chili powder and ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder. For a spicy chunda recipe, you can increase the amount of red chili powder to 1 teaspoon.

12. Mixvery well andcool the mixturecompletely at room temperature.

14. Once cooled, spoon Aam Chunda in a clean sterilized glass jar or bottle. It stays good for more than 3 months in the refrigerator and about 15 to 20 days at room temperature.

15. Serve Aam Chundaas a side condiment with a Gujarati or North Indian meal or you can also have it with paratha, roti or poori.

Mango Pickles in India

While pickling involves soaking of a vegetable or fruit in brine or vinegar solution in other parts of the world, here it is a different ball game all together. Thus, Indian pickles are quite unique than their western counterparts.

In India, a pickle is much more than just the fruits and veggies in a certain liquid solution. It is also about the addition of various herbs, spices and other flavorings. Some of the common ingredients that are used in pickles here are red chili powder, turmeric powder, mustard, fenugreek, nigella seeds, cumin powder etc.

Just like any other dish in Indian cuisine, the mango pickle has its variations as you traverse through the length and breadth of this country. No doubt, this ‘king of fruits’ is one of the most popular choices for a pickle or chutney here.

Along with this Gujarati Aam Chunda recipe, these are some more regional versions of the mango pickle:

• Avakaya or the Andhra style mango pickle – spicy and robust, made with green mangoes, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder and more in cold pressed sesame oil.
• Rajasthani Mango Pickle – a spicy version with raw mango, spice powders, star anise, etc. in mustard oil.
• Aam Ka Achar or the Punjabi Mango pickle – another robust one with raw mangoes and a handful of spices made in mustard oil.
• Nurukku Manga Achar or the Kerala style instant mango pickle – a quick green mango pickle mixed with spice powders, salt, and tempered with whole spices in sesame oil.
• Stuffed Mango Pickle – green mangoes stuffed with a fried ground spice powder mix, soaked in oil and kept for maturing.

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This Aam Chunda recipe post from the archives first published in June 2015 has been updated and republished on April 2023.