Pickling winter veggies

The days seem cooler and the early morning hours, somewhat cold. But even before the temperature showed signs of a changing season fresh harvests from the fields have made their way into city bazaars. This is the perfect opportunity to have the vegetables pickled, as the flavours can now be preserved, making best of their freshness.

RED CHILLI PICKLE

Ingredients

1 kg large red chilli

250g fennel

250g dry mango powder (amchur)

100g mustard seeds

1 tbsp black cumin seeds ( kalojeera)

1 tbsp ajwain

500ml mustard oil

50g fenugreek seeds

1½  tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

Method

Heat mustard oil till it starts smoking. Cool before using. Dry roast whole spices for 3-4 minutes over medium heat, while constantly stirring them to prevent burning. Let them cool for 4-5 minutes and grind them to a coarse powder using a grinder. In a bowl take all powdered spices, salt, turmeric powder, dry mango powder and mix them well. Add ½ cup of mustard oil to the dry spices and mix them again. Stuff the chillies with these spices. Dip each chilli in the remaining mustard oil and keep in a sterilised glass bottle. Pour the remaining oil over. Close the bottle and keep in sun light for a week. Then it is ready to serve.

Coriander leaves pickle

Ingredients

1kg coriander leaves

1 tbsp five spices

1 cup mustard oil

5-6 dry red chillies

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1-2 tbsp gram flour/ besan  

½ cup garlic cloves

Method

Clean and wash coriander leaves and dry them completely. Then grind them to a thick paste. Dry roast the five spices and red chilli separately. Let them cool, and grind. Mix together coriander leaves, dry spices, red chilli, ginger garlic paste, salt and gram flour. Make a small marble size ball with these mixtures. Keep them in sun light for two days. After 2 days keep them in a glass bottle with garlic cloves and pour mustard oil over it. Close the jar and keep in the sun for a week. Now it is ready to serve.

Lemon pickle   

Ingredients

1 kg lime

1 cup salt

Method

Rub lemon over 'shilpata' or knife, keep them in a jar with salt and some vinegar. Keep them under sun for 15 days. Then it is ready to serve.

Lemon pickle

Ingredients

½ kg lemon

2-3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp ginger, julienne cut

1 tsp salt

1 tsp rock salt

1 tbsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp black pepper powder

1 tbsp ajwain

Method

Cut the lemon into two pieces. Squeeze out the juice in a bowl with some salt and remove all seeds from the juice. Peel out lemon zest/skin. Julienne cut the lemon skin with scissors and dip them in lemon juice. Add all spices. Mix well. Pour them in a glass jar and keep them in the sun for 15 days. When you see the colour of the pickle has changed, the pickle is ready and it is time to add sugar. Pickle is now ready to serve.    

Radish pickle

Ingredients

½ kg large thick radish

5-6 green chillies

½ tsp salt

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp mustard powder

½ tsp garlic paste

½ cup raw mustard oil

Method

Wash and peel radish. Cut into ½ inch large cube size. Boil the radish; remove from heat and let them cool. Add green chillies, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, mustard powder, garlic paste, mix well with radish water mixture. Then pour them in a glass bottle, put some mustard oil over it. Keep them for a week then serve with 'khichuri'.

Cauliflower and carrots pickle

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

2 cups vinegar

1 kg cauliflower

1 kg carrots

15-20 green chillies

2 tsp salt

10-12 garlic clove

1 tbsp red chilli powder

2 tbsp mustard powder/paste

Method

In a pan, boil together sugar and vinegar till the sugar dissolved completely. Let them cool. Cut cauliflower and carrots into thin strips. Remove green chillies stem. Wash all the vegetables and drain water. Dry up with cloths. In a bowl add cauliflower, carrots, green chillies with a teaspoon of salt and keep them aside for 2 hours. Then add slice garlic, salt, red chilli powder, mustard paste and mix them well. Put the vegetable mixture in a glass bottle and pour sugar vinegar syrup over it. Keep them a week. Then it is ready to serve. Try this sweet and sour vegetable pickle.

Mixed vegetable pickle

Ingredients

2 cups cauliflower

2 cups carrots

1½ cups long beans

1½ cups green peas

4 tbsp red chilli powder

2 tbsp lemon juice, 5 cloves garlic

Salt to taste

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

7-8 curry leaves

Mustard oil, as required

Method

Roast separately the fenugreek seeds and the mustard seeds. Make the roasted seeds into fine powder. Smash the garlic cloves. In a bowl add chopped vegetables, red chilli powder, salt, lemon juice, fenugreek and mustard powder, smash garlic, mix them well. Add oil as required. Mix them again.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, chopped garlic, pinch of asafoetida, curry leaves, lightly fry them, and pour tempered mixture to the pickle and mix them well. Keep in a glass jar for a week, and it is ready to serve.

Photo: Collected