Best Sweet & Sour Pickled Mangoes |Asinan Buah Bogor

“Asinan buah”” refers to pickled fruits in Bahasa Indonesia. Simply put, it’s a tropical fruit cocktail pickled in sweet and sour brine. Usually served as a snack or dessert, it’s a favorite cold treat for the hot tropical climate of Indonesia. 

I would’ve loved to make a traditional recipe with all the tropical fruits, but some they’re too expensive and can be difficult to find in the US. To make this recipe easy and accessible, I’m sticking to just mangoes. It tastes just as delicious, and has quickly become my favorite go-to cold summer treat.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need and a few quick notes for some of them: 

• Unripe mangoes – any type of mango will work, but they must be unripe. The unripe mangoes will stay fresh and crunchy in the pickling brine.
• Water
• Granulated white sugar
• White vinegar 
• Salt 
• Tamarind paste – the most important ingredient in this recipe, so do read on explaining what it is and where to purchase it.
• Thai chili peppers – remove seeds if you are not a fan of anything spicy, but do not exclude them as it’s necessary to counterbalance the sweetness and sourness of the brine.

What is Tamarind Paste

Tamarind is a fruit found in Africa, Asia and many other tropical regions. The trees produce pods that contain sweet and sour-tasting fruits. Tamarind candy was one of my favorite sweets when I was young! It’s also widely used for cooking in South, Southeast Asia, Mexico, the Middle East and many more.

Tamarind paste is made by letting the fruits sit in hot water for a few hours, removing the seeds when its soft, and blending the leftover pulp into a smooth paste. 

The ready-made paste is not always easy to find in supermarkets, and only specialized Asian markets will carry them. Thankfully, our local Asian markets in NYC have them, but you can also buy them online.

Additional Ingredients

Here are other ingredients that you can add:

Unripe guava, papaya, pineapple – most tropical fruits would work for this recipe, but they must be unripe so they don’t become soft in the brine. 

Roasted whole peanuts – throw in a couple of roasted peanuts when serving the mangoes with the brine. It sounds odd, but that’s how we usually have it in Indonesia. 

How To Make it

This recipe is straightforward but requires patience and self-control to wait for the pickling process.

1. Peel and cut mangoes into bite-size slices and place them in an air-tight container/ jar.
Note: Ensure the glass container is large enough to contain pickling liquid and appropriate for storage in the fridge.

2. Finely mince chili peppers on a cutting board. Combine minced chili, sugar, salt, tamarind paste, vinegar and water in a pot. 

3. Boil brine over high heat, then simmer for 5-10 minutes over medium heat.

4. Pour hot brine over mangoes and cover with an air-tight lid.

5. Let cool completely at room temperature. Transfer to the fridge and pickle for at least 24-48 hours before serving!

How to Serve? How Do I Eat It?

Feel free to serve in a bowl with mangoes and brine. Unlike other pickles, where the brine is usually left behind and disposed of, Indonesian asinan buah is eaten with both mangoes and brine in a single bite. Please don’t sleep on it until you try it!

Storage

Asinan buah can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 weeks in an air-tight container. The brine does an excellent job of preserving the mangoes and keeping them crunchy and delicious!