recipe of kachri ka achar | traditions of foraging and preserving the best of season

Kachri is a small cucumber that grows wild by the fields in the end of summer season. Some smaller kachris keep growing till early winter and that is how I found them when I went to Tijara farm couple of weeks ago. I love kachri ki chutney made with dhaniya patta and garlic etc and another kachri ki chutney with sesame seeds and keep making it frequently.

I had heard about the kachri ka achar from my house help and the farm workers at Tijara so I gave it a try this season. I was not very hopeful because I always preferred the chutney more.

But as soon as the pickle got 3 day old and I tasted it I had to change my opinion. This was the most unusual pickle I had ever tasted. The slightly tart and very mild bitter flavour of kachri responded really well to the north Indian pickling process, though I had tweaked the pickling spices to suit the kachri.

Note that kachri grows at ground level and sometimes it get buried after rain or slush caused by irrigation water. Some of the kachri may be covered with a thin layer of dirt so soak it in water and rinse well before chopping it. 

ingredients 

first mix 
400 gm kachri cleaned and quartered lengthwise 
45 gm salt or 1 tbsp and a little more
1.5 tbsp turmeric powder
1.5 tbsp red chili powder
2 tbsp mustard powder

second mix 
200 ml mustard oil
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
2 tsp nigella (kalonji) seeds
1 tsp Bishop's or ajwain seeds 
2 tsp coarse fennel powder

 procedure

Toss the first mix together in a glass bowl and mix well. Keep it in sun for a day or two till it dehydrates a little.

Heat mustard oil to do the second mix once the first mix start looking a little dry and tip in the spices together. Take the pan off heat immediately and pour into the first mix. Stir and mix well.

Fill in sterilized jars.

The pickle gets ready to eat in 2 days though it can be eaten at any point during the mixing process. After 2-3 days the kachri becomes soft and the taste is very unique and pleasant.

Since I made this pickle for the first time I will wait to see how it behaves and how well it preserves. Now after about 2 weeks the pickle has not changed at all so I conclude that the texture will remain the same for a long time.

I will definitely update here about the shelf life as and when I see changes in the pickle jar I kept for myself. The other jar was sent to Tijara as a gratitude gesture.

Some of the kachri I brought is being dehydrated. Since winter sun is not enough for sun drying I am keeping it in refrigerator for cold drying that may take some time.

Kachri is a nutritious wild food and should be used frequently in everyday food. If the pickle doesn't suit your taste you can always depend on the chutney. Some people say the taste of millet rotis gets enhanced when eaten with kachri chutney and white butter. I have tried that combination and can vouch for that.

Let the kachri ka achar be for bajre ki khichdi or any khichdi we make during winters. 

chane wala aam ka achar | raw mangoes pickled with whole chickepeas

Kachhe aam ka achar or raw mango pickle is a necessity in Indian homes.

If the stock of aam ka achar has finished, people start feeling seriously deprived.

Last month when I was talking to my sister about her fetish for aam ka achar, she was the one who would even steal pickles and eat it like a candy while reading a book or playing, we were reminded of how the chane wala aam ka achar (raw mango pickle with chickpeas) used to get over sooner.

Chane wala aam ka achar was a favourite of all of us and the pickle jar was never out of sight on the dining table. Everyone wanted to keep this chane wala achar closer to themselves so second and third helpings can be taken quickly without anyone else noticing it. How we used to blame each other about who finished the achar.

Those days of chatorapan.

My mother used to make this chane wala achar with both black gram (kale chane) and the garbanzo beans (kabuli chane) but her method was a little different. She used to soak the chickpeas in the water left after marinating the raw mango pieces in salt and turmeric. So the quantity of the chickpeas was always limited. That explains the scarcity of the chane wala achar.

Since my recipe of aam ka achar uses up all the liquids oozed out during marination time, I had to device new ways to add chana to the achar. 

Recipe and procedure of chane wala aam ka achar

During the making of the aam ka achar, the day I mix the the pickling spices (check the recipe and steps), I soak some chickpeas in advance.

The soaked chickpeas are mixed with salt and turmeric powder again and kept overnight. For each 100 gm soaked chickpeas I use 15 gm salt and 5 gm turmeric powder.

Then the overnight marinated chickpeas are added to equal amount of freshly mixed aam ka achar.

Note the amount of mixed aam ka achar left in the pan here. The chickpeas were added to that.

The chane wala aam ka achar gets ready to eat in a couple days and stays good for at least 6 months. I haven't seen this pickle lasting more than this, if the present batch lasts the whole year I will update this post.

Some people make this achar with grated mangoes too, Anjana's recipe can be referred if you want that type. I sometimes chop the raw pickling mangoes in smaller bits but never have made it with grated mangoes. 

The chane can even be added to sooran ka achar as well and I remember my grandmother used to like that one more.

The pickle can be served just as any other Indian pickle and the chickpeas taste really good while retaining their texture.

Do let me know if you try making this chane wala aam ka achar. 

sooran ka achar or zamikand ka achar | pickled elephant yam

I keep saying we are not a pickle consuming family but we do appreciate a good pickle once in a  while. And sometimes when someone mentions a pickle that was made back home with much ostentation, I feel like making that pickle just for my memory's sake.

This sooran ka achar was one of those pickles that I made after my brother was remembering this pickle made my our grandmother.

We used to take second and third helping of this pickle whenever it was placed on the table. I remember this was one of the pickle that was used to show off the varieties of pickle that my parents used to hoard. And we were lucky to have a grandmother who used to find great pleasure in seeing such pageantry around the food she made.

Making sooran ka achar is not difficult once you get the vegetable grated and ready. A food processor or a handy house help and you can easily breeze through making this Elephant yam pickle. Peeling the muddy skin and grating this hard tuber is the most difficult thing, but once it is done you just have to toss it like a salad.

Salad? Do we have salads in India? Check this article I wrote for my column in Indian Express.

Coming back to this sooran ka achar, it is actually a balanced mix of the yam, ginger, garlic, chillies and of course the pickling spices. It looks more like a chutney and tastes somewhere between an Indian tart chutney and a pickle resplendent with pickling spices. Ginger plays a very good role in this pickle.

ingredients 

300 gm peeled, rinsed and grated sooran
200 gm cleaned and grated fresh ginger root
100 gm garlic peeled and minced (or chopped roughly if you like the bite)
50-60 gm dry red chilly powder (coarse preferably)
150 gm salt
100 gm pickling spice mix
50 gm turmeric powder Or 100 gm fresh turmeric root grated
200 ml pure cold pressed mustard oil (a little more to top up)
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
100 ml vinegar of your choice (I use home made jamun or apple cider vinegar)

procedure 

Take care to clean the chopping board and grating equipment thoroughly. Grate and chop the ingredients as required and mix with salt and turmeric. Keep aside for an hour or so. No need to sun dry anything.

Heat the mustard oil, add the hing powder and wait till it froths. Add the remaining spices at once and take the pan off the stove. Add this infused oil along with the spices in the sooran mix and give it a good stir.

Add the vinegar, mix well and immediately fill into a sterilized jar, press it down to remove air gaps. Pour some additional mustard oil if the pickle looks too dry, the top layer should be submerged in a thin layer of oil.

This pickle will be ready to eat in 2-3 days and keeps well for a whole year. The taste keeps getting a little more tart as this pickle ages.

This sooran ka achar is great as a condiment for Indian meals but do try it as a spread for sandwiches sometimes and see how it replaces your regular mustard.

Sooran is also known as Zamikand, Oal or Ole in other parts of India but this pickle is probably a recipe belonging to eastern UP and Bihar. I haven't come across this sooran ka achar in any other regions till now.

methiya athanu or keri methi nu athanu | the Gujrati fenugreek and raw mango pickle

I love methi (fenugreek) in almost every form and have grown many varieties of methi in my garden. While the methi greens make delicious methi parathas and alu methi ki subzi apart from many more winter favourites, it is the methi seeds that come to rescue in summers.

The methi ki launji is a very popular UP (Marwadi to be precise) dish that is served like a relish. I was really glad to have discovered a methi and raw mango pickle a few years ago when a client of mine asked me one day if she can eat methi nu athanu while on her diet regime. When I asked about it she told me details and promised me to share the recipe, thankfully she used to write a food blog too back then.

Of course she was allowed to eat this pickle and even I found myself hooked to this unusual pickle very soon. I have been meaning to share the recipe of Mehtiya athanu since then but I make very small batches of pickle and this one gets over really fast somehow.

You would know how it gets over so fast when you make this methi seeds and raw mango pickle too. I have been eating it even with idlis and plain rotis and dal chawal, practically everything I mean.

Methi keri nu athanu is actually a genius recipe from Gujrat that neutralizes the bitterness of methi seeds with the tartness of raw mangoes and the methi seeds swell up with the juices exuded by the mangoes, beautifully complementing each other.

This recipe is adapted from a client of mine as I mentioned. You can see the original recipe here.

ingredients 

200 gm firm raw mangoes
200 gm methi (fenugreek) seeds
5-10 gm (1-2 tsp) red chilli powder according to taste
25 -30 gm salt (scant 2 tbsp)
5 gm or 1 heaped tsp turmeric powder
a generous pinch of hing (asafoetida)
3/4 cup mustard oil and a little more if required

procedure 

Grind the methi seeds coarsely.

Chop the green mangoes in small bits with skin, discarding the stone.

Mix the coarse methi powder with chilli, turmeric and salt. 

Heat the mustard oil with hing and pour it over the spice mix. Let it cool.

Mix the chopped raw mangoes with the oil and spice mix, stir to mix and bottle. The pickle is ready after 2 days and it keeps well for the whole year.

Just take care to keep it lightly covered with a layer of mustard oil, pouring a little more over the top if required.

Do let me know whenever you make this methi keri nu athanu. I suggest you make just with 2 raw mangoes just like I did and start enjoying it asap. Making a larger batch can take time so make sure the quick small batch keeps you company.

aam ka kuchla 2 ways | seasonal recipes of UP using raw mangoes

Come summer and we start thinking mangoes in all it's hues and flavours. Raw mangoes hit the markets first and our kitchens go berserk with all the raw mango chutneys and chundas and khatta meetha aam ka achar or aam ki launji.

Few weeks ago when my house help's daughter wanted a raw mango to be peeled and given to her with salt, I thought she would eat one slice but she devoured 2 large raw mangoes within a matter of 10 minutes puckering her mouth all this while much to my entertainment. I can't remember when I myself did that.

We love to pucker up with some raw mango in our mouth all over the country in fact. A plethora of pickles, chutneys and preserves made in every region are a testimony to that.

Since raw mango is considered cooling if consumed in a specific way, there are recipes of aam panna and many related drinks that are made regularly in Indian homes. A fresh chutney is made with loads of mint leaves and some raw onion and green chillies to make a summer meal finger licking. Another soup like kachhe aam ka saar is made to be served like raita especially with lunch as it is the hottest time of the day.

Kachhe aam ka kuchla was one recipe that was made frequently in my home when my grandmother was around, but I had somehow started using the mixie and my kuchla started getting chutneyfied. But when I started making the Thai green mango salad I thought of reviving this kachhe aam ka  kuchla in my kitchen too.

So kachhe aam ka kuchla is of 2 types. Both Kuchlas are freshly made condiments but one is made with chutney ingredients and the other is more like a quick pickle, often called as kuchla achar. The name kuchla comes from the act of thrashing the ingredients lightly in a mortar and pestle that macerates the mango slices to soak up the flavours.

Sometimes the raw mango is grated to make kuchla but the idea is to keep the kuchla coarse. .

The kuchla chutney is more of my type because it borders on being a salad of sorts.

ingredients for kachhe aam ka kuchla chutney

one large raw mango peeled and sliced thinly
one large red onion sliced thinly
2-3 green chillies sliced
few springs of mint leaves
salt to taste
1/4 tsp mustard oil (optional)

procedure 

Gather everything in a mortar and pestle and thrash till everything is macerated well. It looks like this when you want it to be like a salad.

Thrash a bit more to make it a coarse chutney.

This is the best summer condiment for everyday dal chawal meals but the best pairing in my opinion is with sattu. Both these exotic things together make the most common summer food for the farmers who work in the fields all day. I think if not the meals it becomes a snack to keep them cool. I have tasted it made by my grandmother made in our urban kitchen as she used to recreate a few things that she loved.

recipe of kachhe aam ka kuchla 'achar'
The achar version of kuchla is a quick pickle that is made int he morning and should be over during the day. It tastes great when fresh and that is the USP of this kuchla which is sometimes called as 'achari' too. Some people prefer kuchla achar more than the regular spicy preserved aam ka achar. 

The achar version of kuchla had traveled to the countries wherever the farm workers from eastern India migrated. I found slightly varying kuchla recipes from Fiji and Guyana when I was searching on the internet. But the achar version of kuchla has almost disappeared from our kitchens it seems. I asked a few friends who didn't remember kuchla achar being made into their homes.

This kuchla achar can be added to jhal mudi type snacks or can be added to plain Bhindi stir fry or Karela stir fry to pack some punch in the everyday subzi. 

ingredients

Raw mangoes peeled and sliced 1 cup
turmeric powder 1 tsp
mustard powder 1 tsp
red chilli powder 1 tsp
salt 1 tsp

procedure 

Toss everything up and let it rest for a couple of hours before serving. This quick pickle doesn't keep well and it gets softened the next day which is not the best way to eat it.

Any leftover kuchla achar was happily added to next day's arhar ki daal to make it sour and of course that also became a special summer treat.

Frugal cooking has been India's tradition. Something that we have forgotten with the deluge of ingredients available from all over the globe.

drumstick flowers in a delicious pickle | sehjan ke phool ka achar

The Drumstick tree in our garden has started flowering and we will see thin tender drumsticks protruding from the bunches in a couple of weeks. But early last month when it was still a bit cold the drumstick flowers were just budding. I plucked some and made a drumstick flower cheela for breakfast, planning to pluck more and cook a few new recipes this season.

A coincidence later that day, when I was out to buy some vegetables at the neighborhood subziwala I saw a silver haired lady asking the cost of ek pao swanjne ke phool (a quarter kilo drumstick flowers), pointing to a small basket and there I saw a heap of light pink hued buds of drumstick flowers.

These were the flowers of another variety of drumstick and the lady's question gave me ideas. I immediately asked her what was she planning to make and told her that she can get as much flowers as she wants from my tree. Some chitchat ensued and we exchanged recipes, she told me she makes pickle with it too and that perked up my ears.

The subziwala was not happy as so much drumstick flowers were being cooked in so many recipes and none was being bought from his shop. I ended up buying some drumstick flowers to please him.

This drumstick flower pickle was made the very next day after some planning, I thought of adding a few more elements to keep some texture in the pickle.

 The resulting pickle was really good. I gifted to a friend and she also loved it. Now to the recipe.

ingredients
(fills up a 500 ml glass jar)

200 gm drumstick flowers *cleaned* and rinsed under running water
200 gm lotus stem thinly sliced (I used thin tender ones, you can chop in smaller bits if the lotus stem is thick and fleshy)
one large bulb of garlic peeled and halved lengthwise
6-8 large chilly peppers (less hot variety) sliced in bite size pieces
1/3 cup mustard oil
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp yellow mustard powder
1 tbsp fenugreek powder
1 tsp nigella seeds crushed lightly
1 tsp ajwain (bishop's seeds) seeds crushed lightly
1-2 tbsp red coarse chilly powder (to taste)
3 tbsp salt

*cleaning the drumstick flowers may be tricky if it is not too fresh. Soak it in water for 20 minutes and then rinse under running water to make sure all dirt and impurities are washed away.

procedure

Boil water in a deep pan, about one liter with 1 tsp salt to blanch the lotus stem and flowers both.

Dip the sliced lotus stem in boiling water for a couple of minutes and strain. Keeping the lotus stem in a steel colander while dipping it in the boiling water helps.

After removing the lotus stem from the boiling water, dip the drumstick flowers too for just a couple of seconds and take them out or pour everything over the colander that has the blanched lotus stem slices. Let all the water drain, for about 10 minutes. No need to make the vegetables dry.

Mix everything together in a large bowl.

 And transfer in a sterilized glass jar.

The pickle will be ready to eat in the next 24 hours or so. Top up with some more mustard oil if the pickle ingredients don't settle down and a thin layer of oil floats on top.

This lotus stem and drumstick flowers pickles lasts for at least six months. The tartness increases a bit after some time as the pickle keeps 'pickling' more.

I am loving this pickle though I keep saying I don't like pickles much. Sometimes with plain dal chawal meals and sometimes with a paratha, this new pickle has already become a favourite.

This pickle can also be made using sun dried flowers of drumstick. I am planning to pickle some drumstick leaves too along with the flowers next time. Will add those pictures when I do that.

karonde ki subzi (achari) | a pickled condiment

Karoda is a very tart berry (Carissa caradas) that appears in the Indian markets in the last leg of summer and continues till late August. We had a huge bush of this berry back home and our dog use to chase the birds that used to nest in that bush. A lot of pickles, chutneys and jams used to be made using karonda in those days.

We have used these berries to practice targets and it's fruiting branches to decorate flower vases. Karonde ka murabba is a popular condiment in some homes and is used as substitute for tinned cherries to make cakes etc. I think you can still find karonde ka murabba in the markets of Banaras. We never cared for keronde ka murabba though.

This subzi is nothing but a simplified pickle which is cooked quickly and is refrigerated for a week, to be served with almost all the meals during that time. Back home there were several of such achari recipes that my dadi (grandmother) used to make. She loved such hot and sour condiments herself and used to love serving 3-4 such condiments with each meal.

In modern times such condiments are more convenient as we sometimes resort to simpler one pot meals and any such pickle in the fridge can jazz up any simple meal for sure. I am reminded of and have been craving for my dadi's stuffed green chillies that was always there in the fridge whenever she stayed with us.

I must add that I remember my dadi for so much more than just the food, but I would agree food was a very tangible connect that established so effortlessly and we tend to bring that back whenever we can. My grandmother shaped my life by default and she continues to do so even though it has been 16 years she is no more.

Whenever I cook or write about such recipes I do remember her earnestly.

Coming back to karonde ki subzi, I know it is a pain to chop such tiny berries. But once you get to chopping the beauties they don't disappoint. You could sit with them to watch TV if possible. This activity used to be a meditative exercise in older days as I understand. Women used to chit chat while chopping vegetables often and that must have been great stress buster and bonding activity.

For this kaprinde ki subzi you have to peel some garlic and chop them too. Thankfully I have a maid who helps and I just cooked this subzi in about 5 minutes. Total time that karonde ki subzi needs after chopping them is just 10 minutes, so try and get it done if you are drooling at this subzi.

This subzi is called acahri for obvious reasons. It tastes like achar but doesn't keep well like 'achar'. Another quick karonde ka achar is made in season too that lasts a bit longer but if the pickle needs to be preserved for a year it needs some preservation either with vinegar or more mustard oil and salt.

So you see you just have to flash fry the karonda, garlic and chillies along with a tadka of hing, kalonji (Nigella seeds) and turmeric chilly powder mix, and the subzi is ready.

ingredients..

quartered karonda 1 cup
quartered garlic cloves 1/2 cup
chopped green chillies 1/2 cup
mustard oil 2 tbsp
hing 1 pinch
kalonji (Nigella seeds) 2 tsp
turmeric powder 2 tsp
red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

procedure...

Heat the mustard oil and tip in the hing and nigella seeds. Now make a paste of turmeric and chilly powder with 2 tbsp water and pour it in the hot oil. Let this mixture sizzle for a while till the oil separates or the mixture gets shiny. Add salt to taste.

Now tip in the chopped vegetables, toss and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Cool and transfer to a glass jar or container. Serve as required.

Do let me know when you try this karonde ki subzi. You can make similar subzi with chopped raw mangoes which was called as aam ka kuchla back home. Some people would call this karonde ki subzi too as karonde ka kuchla.

amle ka achar : Indian gooseberry pickle recipe and significance of Amlaki Ekadashi

Amla, Amlaki or Indian Gooseberry come in the season when winter is just about to start and we keep getting amla throughout the winter season. My grandmother used to call Amla as sacred fruit and as a blessing for winters. If one eats one amla everyday one wouldn't get sick ever she used to say and it is so true. Amla is a great immunity booster thanks to very high levels of Vitamin C in it. Read about more health benefits of Amla along with my grandmother's recipe of amle ki chutney.

It was because my Dadi (grandmother) that we got to know that there is a tradition of worshiping amla tree on the day of Amlaki Ekadashi as Lord Vishnu is considered to reside in it. I find it a beautiful philosophy to equate a tree to a God and worship it.

Most medicinal plants are worshiped in some form or the other in India, the traditions are prehistoric and might have tribal origins, but I find these traditions and rituals really beautiful. Just like ritualistic worship of Gods has preserved temples as the only surviving historical monuments, I believe the useful plants have also survived due to some or the other sacred ritual linked with them.

So there used to be a pooja and picnic under the amla tree in Banaras and the practice still survives as I am told by friends there. I remember there is a dedicated orchard of amla trees in Sampoornanand Sanskrit University where a community picnic happens every Amalaki Ekadashi. I have been to it once and it was really good. This day of Amlaki Ekadashi is also known as Aonra tar (below the amla tree) in Banaras and Eastern UP. Aonra is the name of amla in local dialect. ISCON devotees also worship amla this way.

Imagine how well our grandmothers were connected to nature and treated food as sacred. I remember about 10 kilos or more amle ka murabba being made in our home every year and it was a preferred way of eating amla during summer months as it is considered cooling. A great way to enjoy amla in the off season. Till a couple of years back I used to cook my grandmother's recipe of Chyawanprash too. May be I'll do that again with home grown ginger and long pepper, other herbs will be store bought of course.

Make this simple amle ka achar till then. This amle ka achar is a quick pickle that stays for a month in refrigerator, there is lesser salt than the regular pickles where more amount of salt preserves the pickles. Lesser amount of salt in this pickle helps eat more of it in one meal and have more benefits of amla in one dose.

ingredients

20 large amlas
20 large (Bhavnagri or Anaheim or Jalapeno chillies)

to make a paste with 3 tbsp water ...
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1.5 tbsp Kashmiri red chilly powder (this is very mild hot)
1 tsp fenugreek powder
1 tsp fennel powder
pinch of hing (asafotida)
1 tbsp salt

to temper the pickle...
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)

procedure

Boil (pressure cook) the amlas with a cup of water till their segments get separated like this.

Chop the chillies in bite sized pieces or whatever size you like.

Make a slurry of the ingredients listed for a paste, adding a little more water if required.

Heat the mustard oil and add the nigella seeds and wait till they get aromatic, taking care not to burn them. Bring the gas flame to minimum.

Pour the spice paste slowly and stir. Let it cook till the oil separates.

Add the chillies and the separated segments of amla (discard the seeds), take the pan off the stove and mix well to coat.

Fill in a sterilised jar. This pickle is ready to eat in a couple of hours and can be refrigerated for a month or so.

One can always make amla pickle just like aam ka achar but do not boil the amla for that. Just chop it with a sharp knife, discard the seeds and follow the aam ka achar recipe. That amla pickle will last the whole year without refrigeration.

Any of these pickles will the right choice for your family if you eat Indian food mostly. The same procedure can be followed to make green chilly pickle as well if you like hari mirch ka achar. This amla aur hari mirch ka achar is really good with roti, paratha or daal chawal meals. Let me know if you find this recipe useful and easy to follow.

Cheers.

hari mirch ka sarson wala achar | green chilly pickled with mustard ...

 Green chilly pickled with mustard seeds or hari mirch ka sarson wala achar is an easy recipe that needs just a couple of days to get pickled. Mustard is a traditional pickling agent in north India and we use it many ways and making the hot chilies milder is one of the benefits of pickling with mustard. It helps ferment the pickling chilies first, makes them a little sour after a few days and then the sourness just kills the heat of chilies after about a month or so. Some people like it a month old when all the heat of chilies is gone and the pickle has gone completely sour. I generally add the soured green chilly pickle to some salad dressing or blend it in some dip or hot green chutney.

If you are pickling green chilies this way, make smaller amounts so it is over in about 2-3 weeks, or wait till the required sourness is achieved and refrigerate the pickle after this point, if something is left till then.

Mild jalapeno peppers are used for this pickle, but you can go ahead and use the hot jalapeno as well. Depends upon how hot you like your pickled chilies.

ingredients..

8-10 mild jalapenos
1/2 cup yellow mustard powder
1 tbsp mustard oil
2 tbsp table salt

procedure...

Wash and pat dry the chilies. Make a slit lengthwise and keep aside.

Powder the mustard and mix in the salt and mustard oil.

Mix the mustard powder and oil well to make a crumbly mixture.

Stuff lightly into the slit green chilies and bottle them. The chilies release their juice within 2-3 days and you would see a watery liquid in the bottom. Shake the jar once in a while so the pickling is evenly done.  The pickle is ready after 2-3 days of pickling but keeps maturing for 2-3 weeks before getting too sour.

Serve this pickle with any Indian meal as a condiment or chop it and add to the salad you toss that requires a hot mustard dressing. You would see how versatile it is.

 Some more chilies anyone?

nimbu-khajur-adrak ka achar | pickled limes with dates and ginger...

 Limes-dates and ginger preserved into a sweet sour and hot pickle. I know this combination makes you salivate immediately. It does so to many of us. This one is a favorite pickle of many of my friends too. A must have condiment in your pantry.

Most Indian homes have a jar of some pickle on the dining table, be it a hot and spicy kind or a sweet and sour pickle. I have seen some families where the pickle jar on the dining table is refilled almost everyday. We don't eat much pickles but somehow I took fancy to making them and gifting them to my friends and family every now and then. Sometimes someone would just describe a pickle to me and ask me to make it and I would be tempted enough to recreate those flavors. This pickle happened when the husband was remembering a pickle that my research guide used to make and gift us. Now that she is no more and her gifted bottle was over a couple of years ago, I decided to make the pickle myself. After all, this was one of those favorite lime pickles we used to love with our poori subzi or paratha meals.

Recently, someone in the family was not well and her taste buds were feeling numb after having a course of antibiotics, I gave her this pickle to eat with her light khichdi. She was so happy to have this that I decided to pack a small jar for her. Then I was reminded of a few pictures I had taken while making it last year. And here is the recipe with a few recent pictures of the pickle. A sweet and sour pickle with a little hint of heat, it is one of those pickles you would lick the spoon for.

ingredients...
Indian limes cut into 8 parts or smaller bits 1 kilo (seeds removed)

sticky fresh dates chopped into bite size pieces 500 gm
golden raisins 100 gm
ginger chopped into thick julienne 500 gm
red chilly powder 50-60 gm or as per taste
black pepper powder 1 tsp (you can add about 20-30 whole peppercorns if you like)
salt 300 gm
kala namak (pink salt) 50 gm
sugar 100 gm
asafoetia powder 1 tsp (use lesser if using the pure resin)

procedure...
Chop the limes on a wooden chopping board and keep a draining tray beneath so the juices are not wasted. Collect the juice and let the asafoetida dissolve in it.

Meanwhile chop the dates too and mix everything in a wide container preferably glass but plastic would also work as this pickle would not require heating.

Keep the container covered on a kitchen shelf, no need to keep it in the sun everyday. Just make sure you give the pickle a good stir every week or so, using a clean spatula. Within a month the dates would soak the juices and the limes will be softer. Pectin will be released from the limes and the syrup will be thicker, looking like jelly.

Fill it into sterilised jars to last a long time. This pickle keeps well for 2 years or more, it will keep getting jelly like and flavors would become more like Indian digestive chooran goli or sonth chutney as the pickle ages.

Best served with fried snacks like kachoris, pakodas and pooris etc. since the pickle has undertones of a sonth chutney. Even khichdi meals would welcome this pickle if someone is feeling under the weather. This is a quick pick me up kinda pickle.

Try this on crackers served on a cheeseboard. You will be surprised to the instant popularity of this sweet sour and lightly hot pickle..almost like a spicy fruit preserve.

Now tell me how do you like this rubber seal jar. I have been using glass jars of Yera for a very long time but ordered these from Devnow online to try a better quality of pickle jars that are not available in markets normally. Although I am wary of the rubber seal not being sterilised properly. But these jars are good even without the rubber seal.

Talking of online shopping, I am more comfortable now than ever, there are so many options to choose from and so many deals you can avail. Try this site CupoNation for convenient online shopping. I know you would find something you like and something that you don't get in markets around your place.

Cheers...

Kachalu ka achaar | instant Yam pickle...

 This yam is a tough elongated tuber root that looks like it will be very easy to cook just like potatoes. Just peel the skin, cut it in desired shape and cook it like any other potato based curry. Precisely that is the reason why I rarely buy this vegetable. I don't like potatoes much other than mashed potatoes and this one doesn't mash up like potatoes. Way too slimy for that.

In Banras it is called Banda, some people call it Kanda in Bihar and Jharkhand and some other call it Kachalu in the Hindi heartland. Taro root is a vernacular name, it is a yam family vegetable, call it by other name. I find it really too slimy and hard to soak any flavors...

And then I happened to eat at the Shyam Sweets at Chawri bazar last weekend and loved the green and red pickled Kachalu they served with the Bedmi aloo for breakfast. You must know this place is a hot spot for kachori/poori breakfast lovers. These places make their own instant pickles everyday to be served with the deep fried pooris or bhatooras. You might have noticed how the bhaturey chhole come with a freshly made carrot-green chilly and sometimes cauliflower pickle, part from the usual slices of onion etc..

This pickled Kachalu was quite hot with chillies, green and red in this case but that did not stop me from licking the pickle plate off. This is when I don't even like pickles much. With instant pickles it is a different story now. I decided to make the twin pickles at home.

So this Yam was peeled and cubed, then boiled into pressure cooker till done. Took me 5 minutes after the first whistle. Cooled and kept aside till I made my two different pickling mixtures.

The red pickle....

peeled and boiled kachalu cubes 300 gm
tamarind soaked in hot water for sometime and the thin pulp extracted 1 cup
kashmiri mirch powder 1 heaped tablespoon
hing or asafotida 2 pinches
salt to taste

Mix everything up and soak the boiled and drained Kachalu pieces in the pickling liquid. Store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. The pickle is ready within 3-4 hours.

The green pickle...

I found this green raw Tamarind legumes being sold in the old Delhi streets and bought it for this very pickle.

A green paste was made using these green tamarind pods, green chillies and Rai seeds (the smaller variety of mustard) with salt to taste...

peeled and boiled kachalu cubes 300 gm
green tamarind pods 30 gm
green chillies 20 gm or more 
Rai seeds 2 tsp
salt to taste

The paste is used as a pickling mixture. This pickle would keep well at room temperature and will keep getting piquant owing to the properties of the Rai seeds. The boiled and drained kachalu is added to this mixture as well.

I love this Kachalu pickle over plain boiled chickpeas too.

Served as a side dish or condiment, this pickle is a good way to perk up simpler meals.

I am loving it. Tell me if you want a bottle of this :-)