Almond Avakaya | Badam Avakaya

Great Looking and Great Tasting Almond Avakaya

Avakaya is so popular in Andhra Pradesh. It is a delicious and spicy pickle which is a combination of different spices with raw mango as the primary ingredient. One can say that we have a deep attachment with this pickle as it exists in every Telugu house. Now-a-days this avakaya can be found in many stores, but nothing can beat the taste of homemade avakaya. 

Even though we usually use mango as the main ingredient for this avakaya, we also prepare it using different vegetables such as tomato, cucumber, drumstick and many more. Today’s recipe is from my dear friend Uma (yes, my namesake), who made this recipe with green almonds and give it to us. It tasted super delicious and has similar taste to mango avakaya. So I immediately asked her if I can post the recipe on my blog. She is so nice to share the recipe with us. Thank you Uma!

What are green almonds?

Green almonds are nothing but immature almonds. All almonds look green before they were fully grown. These green almonds are soft inside and fuzzy outside. But these almonds have very short life span so they are considered to be a rare delicacy. Green almonds are popular in the Mediterranean and Middle East. (Source: GreenAlmonds.com)

Here is the recipe as told my friend:

Ingredients: 6 cups Almonds, chopped into small pieces 1 cup Red Chili Powder ½ tsp Fenugreek Powder (మెంతి పొడి, Methi Powder) ½ tsp Asafetida (ఇంగువ, Hing) ½ cup Oil (or more) 1 cup Salt Preparation: Wash the almonds and wipe clean with a paper towel. Make sure there is no wetness on the almonds. Chop them into small pieces and keep aside. In a big bowl, combine chili powder + methi powder + salt + hing and mix well with a big spatula. Now add the chopped pieces to the above mixture and mix well either by hand or spatula. Pour oil on top and allow it to seep through the contents. Cover the bowl and allow it to stand for 1 or 2 days so that the almond pieces absorb the essence. Then transfer the prepared almond avakaya to an air-tight container or ceramic jar to store for a long time without losing fresheness. Enjoy this great tasting and aromatic almond avakaya with steaming hot rice and ghee. Yummy!!