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...

lime and chilli pickle | nimbu hari mirch ka achar

The aam ka achaar recipe invites a lot of hits on this blog and a lot of queries too. It is tough to believe that this recipe of achaar is so forgiving.

No fungal contamination (spoiling the pickle) even when the achaar is made without sun exposure.

The spice mix is hot and tangy and can be used for achaari vegetable and fish recipes too. I make the lime pickle with the same method too, the same blend of spices works well for the lime and green chillies pickle.... 

Nimboo ka achaar, nimboo mirchi ka achaar or mixed pickle, the recipe will be the same if you want this spice blend. Only you need to steam the vegetables if you are using fresh vegetables like cauliflowers, carrots, green peas or lotus stem etc. For mimboo and mirchi ka achar there is no need to parboil them.

So the first step is to chop the lime in 8 pieces each, discard the pips and chop the green chillies* in convenient size pieces. I make this achaar in large quantity so a large bucket size plastic container is used to keep the mix. Tossing the pickle ingredients will be convenient is a larger container is used.

 *The chillies I use is the variety called 'Bangalore torpedo', it is a long (about 4-6 inches) tapering chilly, labeled as 'bajji chilly' on the shelves, this chilli is mild hot, lighter in color that the regular hot green chilly. A single regular hot green chilly can be seen in the picture for comparison. A mild hot green chilly is recommended for this pickle as a lot of red chilly powder is used in the pickle spice mix*.

The green chillies and limes are to be washed properly and drained before chopping them.

Now add the turmeric powder and salt, mix well to coat everything. This mixture can be kept till you have prepared the spice mix, for days or even for weeks. I do it as and when time permits.

Chopping the lime and chillies is the most troublesome part of this pickle, all else can be done in steps, as time permits in your schedule.

This step results in some water release from the limes although it is much less that the water released from mango pieces. The reason is the lime, due to it's pectin content probably has a tendency to make a gel along with salt (as well as with sugar if making sweet pickle), so most of the water stays inside the pieces for gelling...

This is the stage of pickle preparation, as is said earlier, that can be extended. If kept in the airtight container for a couple of weeks or even more. This mixture otherwise needs to be rested for at least two days, allowing time for maximum water release.

Now is the time for the spice blending.

The basic achaari spices are the ones used in panchphoron, nigella seeds or kalonji  bishop's weed or ajwain seeds, fenugreek or the methi seeds, fennel seeds or saunf, and mustard seeds or sarson.

For 3 kilo of the lime and chillies mixture (I used 2 kilo of lime and 1 kilo of chillies) you need

100gm of yellow mustard powdered

100 gm of fennel seeds coarsely powdered
75 gm of fenugreek seeds coarsely powdered
50 gm ajwain seeds coarsely powdered 
50 gm of kalonji or mangrail seeds coarsely powdered


apart from this...

100 gm of red chilly powder
100 gm of turmeric powder 
1 tsp of powdered hing 
(asafoetida)
600 gm salt
500 ml of mustard oil

All the spices are processed separately,and are to be kept ready at the time of mixing.

Heat the mustard oil till almost smoking, switch off the flame. Now add the asafoetida, it floats on the surface immediately.

Then add the methi powder, fennel powder and ajwain and kalonji in that order, stirring after every addition. This allows the flavors to infuse into the oil and evaporation of any leftover moisture. The spices need to be completely dry by the way.

Now this mixture is poured over the lime and chilly mix. The chilly powder and mustard powder are also added to the mix and given a good stir. The achar is ready to eat immediately although it may be a bit bitter if the lime n chilly has rested just for a couple of days but it improves with time.

This achaar keeps well for a couple of years, becoming more jell like as it ages.

Here is a jar which was gifted to someone. I usually do not eat much pickles but invariably I make them a lot. Many of my friends and family keep demanding them and most of the time I eat these pickles when someone calls to tell how yummy they are  reminding me to reach for them in my next meal...

Making pickles is considered a forte of grandmothers, and I am one grandmother material. I like almost everything homemade as I prefer to do everything my way. So making the amchoor at home is not old fashioned any more. Nor is making marmalade, be it lemon, orange or any other citrus fruit.

I don't mind being a granny material , modernity is into my head , the heart prefers everything old fashioned.