Winter Pickles

Gajar, Gobhi aur Shalgam ka Khatta Meetha achar

Ingredients

• 1 kg carrots
• 1 kg cauliflower
• 1 kg turnips
• 25 gm brown mustard seeds 
• 50 gm jaggery
• ½ cup white vinegar 
• 100 gm ginger
• 100 gm garlic
• 250 gm red onions
• 100 gm mustard oil
• 25 gm garam masala
• 2 tbsp red chilli powder
• Salt to taste

Method
Peel the carrots and dice. Cut the cauliflower into florets and turnips into wedges. Blanch the vegetables for two minutes. Drain them thoroughly, spread the vegetables on an absorbent cloth and let them dry out in the sun for a few hours. Remember that the water should completely evaporate and the vegetables should become a little limp.

Grind the onions, ginger and garlic into a fine paste. Heat the mustard oil in a kadai, take it to smoking point and then switch off the flame. Let it cool down. 

Now, heat the oil again, add ginger, garlic and onion paste and sauté till it turns light brown. Tip in the red chilli powder, garam masala, salt and powdered mustard. Keep frying until the mixture starts leaving oil from the sides. Then add the vegetables, turn the flame to a simmer and cover the pan. Let it cook for two to three minutes. 

Meanwhile, boil jaggery and vinegar till it melts completely. Don’t forget to stir continuously. Add the syrup to the vegetables and cook for a few more minutes, without the lid. The goal is to let the water evaporate completely, soften the vegetables a bit, but they should still be slightly crunchy. The pickle is ready when the syrup-oil mixture comes on top. Transfer the pickle into a clean, dry glass jar or a martaban. 

Kamal Kakdi ka Achar

Ingredients

• 500 gm lotus stem
• 1 tsp ajwain
• ½ tsp hing
• 1 tsp saunf  
• 2-3 black pepper 
• 1 tsp haldi
• 1 tsp coriander seeds 
• 1 cup oil (approximately 200 gm)
• Lemon juice of 2 lemons
• Salt to taste

Method
Wash the lotus stem thoroughly, peel it and wash again. Strain the water and cut into small pieces.

Boil the lotus stem slices for three to four minutes. Once the lotus stem slices are little tender, turn off the flame. Rinse it in cold water, and pat it dry. Remember that the slices should be dried completely. 

Slightly pound ajwain, saunf, black pepper, and coriander seeds. 

Now, heat oil in a kadai, add hing along with the pounded masalas, sauté for a minute, add salt, tip in the blanched lotus stem slices and mix well. Remove from the flame and set it aside to cool down and add lemon juice to it. 

Now, transfer this pickle in a dry plastic or a glass container, place it under direct sun. It takes four to five days for lotus stem pickle to be ready to serve. 

TIP: To store it for a longer period, add more oil so that the pickle is completely submerged into the oil.

Dana Methi Chane ka achar

Ingredients

• 100 gm methi dana
• 100 gm kala chana
• ½ tsp methi powder
• 1 tbsp jeera powder
• 2 tbsp dry mango powder 
• 2 tbsp coriander powder 
• 2 tbsp saunf powder
• 1 tbsp kala namak
• 3 tbsp red chilli powder 
• 1 tsp turmeric powder 
• 4-5 dry red chillies 
• 1 tsp onion seeds 
• 1 tsp mustard seeds 
• 1 tsp jeera
• 1 tsp hing
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 big bottle vinegar
• 250 gm oil

Method
Wash and soak methi dana and kala chana over night or for a minimum of eight hours. Drain out the water and dry completely. Now, soak methi dana and kala chana in vinegar for more than twelve hours. 

Heat oil in a kadai, take it to smoking point and then switch off the flame. Add dry red chillies, onion seeds, mustard, jeera, turmeric powder and hing. Keep aside and allow it to cool.

Drain the vinegar from the soaked methi dana and kala chana and add jeera, mustard, dry mango powder, coriander powder and saunf powder. Mix well. Now, add kala namak, red chilli powder, salt and oil. 

Transfer the pickle in an air tight jar. It takes three days for this pickle to be ready to serve.

Garlic pickle

Ingredients

• 500 gm garlic cloves
• 1 tsp methi powder
• 1 tbsp jeera powder
• 2 tbsp dry mango powder 
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp saunf powder
• 1 tbsp kala namak
• 2 tbsp red chilli powder 
• 1 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1 tsp onion seeds 
• 1 tsp methi
• 1 tsp jeera
• 1 tsp hing
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 big bottle vinegar
• 200 gm oil

Method
In a bowl, add garlic cloves and vinegar, and keep it aside for at least 12 hours.

Heat oil in a kadai, take it to smoking point and and then switch off the flame. Add onion seeds, methi, mustard seeds jeera, turmeric powder and hing. Keep aside and allow it to cool.

Drain the vinegar from the garlic cloves and add all the dry ingredients such as methi, jeera, mustard, dry mango powder, coriander powder and saunf powder. Mix well. Now add kala namak, red chilli powder, salt and oil. 

Transfer the pickle in an air tight jar. It takes four days for this pickle to be ready to serve.

TIP: Store in a cool dry place. For better flavour, use the pickle after a week.