Pickles and Relishes: North Indian Pickles & chutneys
Relishes and Sauces are made from vegetables, fruits, herbs and many flowering plants.
1. Mango Punjabi Pickle - Aam Ka Achar:
Mango Punjabi Pickle
Ingredients:
1 kg Mango pieces (washed, dried, cut into ½ -1”, and deseeded)
4oz/ ½C salt
2-4tbsp Chili Deghi powder
1tbsp Kalonji (nigella seeds)
1tbsp Saunf (aniseeds)
1tbsp Methre (fenugreek seeds)
2tbsp Turmeric Powder
16oz / 2½ C Mustard oil
A wide mouth clean, dry glass jar for the achaar
Method:
1. Place the mango pieces on a cloth to dry for 1 hour.
2. Mix all the spices with 8oz oil in a broad mouth container.
3. Put the mango pieces in the oil spice mixture and coat the pieces by the mixture.
4. Put 2tbsp of spicy mixture at the bottom of the jar before adding the mixture coated pieces in the jar. When all the mango pieces are added to the jar, pour the remaining spices- oil mixture in the jar.
5. Add sufficient oil in the jar to form a layer over surface of pickle.
6. Tie with thin muslin, before placing lid. Put the pickle jar in the sun to mature. It will take 10-12 days for the achar to be ready.
Note: Store carefully to keep the prickle from going bad.
Making time: 30 minutes (total maturing times 15 days)
Makes: 1 ½ kg pickle (approx.)
Shelf life: 10-12 months
2. Sweet Sour Mango Chutney: Punjabi Aam Ke Meethi Chutney
Ingredients:
250gm pulp of raw mangoes, peeled and seeds discarded
250/750gm sugar
2tsp salt
2tsp red chili powder (dehgi mirch)
½ - 1tsp whole black pepper
1tsp kalongi (onion seeds)
1-2tsp cantaloupe seeds
1tbsp Saunf
1tbsp cantaloupe seeds
Method:
1. Weigh the exact weight of the mango pulp so that the same amount of sugar can be added to it. Put the pulp into a 1 kg capacity of steel, broad mouth vessel.
Add sugar and mix. Put the vessel on low heat and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Take the container off the heat and add the salt, red chili, black peppercorns, onion seeds, saunf and the cantaloupe seeds. Mix.
3. Pour the chutney in a glass jar with broad mouth. Cover the mouth with a muslin cloth and place the jar in the sun for 10 days to cook the syrup of the chutney, which will thicken a little. The onion seeds become soft.
4. Remove the cloth and tightly cover the jar with an air tight lid. Put it in a dry place. In rainy season put it in the refrigerator. With care it can be kept for 6 months.
This chutney can be served with Indian meals.
Also it can be used as spread on a toast, to form a delicious sandwich.
3. Carrot, Turnip and Cauliflower Sweet Punjabi Achar
Ingredients:
1lb (Gobi) cauliflower clean and take the head discarding the thick stem with the leaves. Cut flowerets into 1“pieces
1lb (Gajar) Carrots, clean, scrape and cut into 2” long and ¼”thick sticks
1lb (Salgam) Turnips, cleaned, scrape and cut into ¼“thick rounds.
Spices for the prickle:
For the total weight 2lbs of the cut, steamed vegetables;
2oz salt
2oz powdered mustard seeds (Rye)
1tbsp red chili powder (Dehgi red chili powder)
Black pepper powder to taste
6 -8oz Gur
1-11/2 C Mustard oil to dip the vegetables
1tsp Haldi to boil water in which vegetables are boiled
1 Clean Glass jar with lid
Method:
1. Put the gur in a pan, add a little water to it and boil to dissolve the gur and form the syrup. Keep aside syrup hot.
2. In a big pan put water to fill it half. Heat the pan to boil water with 1tsp Haldi powder.
When the water comes to a boil, add each vegetable separately to cook for a few minutes.
Take the vegetables from the water and drain them on a dry cloth, laying them in a single layer. Let them dry in the open or in the sun for 25 -30 minutes until the vegetables are dried.
3. Meanwhile, in a pan heat the 250-300gm oil to smoking hot. Take the pan from heat add all the spices in the oil. Now, carefully pour the hot gur syrup in the hot oil, mix well and dip the vegetables in this mixture so that the vegetables are coated with the spice oil mixture.
4. Take a sufficiently big jar to put the achar in. Spread some of the oil gur mixture at the bottom of the jar. Then put the oil gur spiced coated vegetables in it. Be sure that every vegetable piece is nicely coated with the masala adding a little of the mixture with every batch.
Pour the remaining oil mixture on the top of the jar so that oil completely immerge the achar pieces.
5. Cover the jar with a thin piece of cloth and place the jar in the sun for 10 days so as to ripe the rai and mature the achar.
The achar should be kept in the sun in the day time and in the evening take it inside.
Shake the vegetables in the jar before taking it in and also before putting it in the sun.
After that you can serve it with Aloo puri, sabzi parantha or Shahi Paneer and Nan.
4. Lemon & Green Chili prickle with Ginger slices: No oil.
Ingredients:
2lb lemon, cut into 8 pieces
1lb medium size green chilies
8oz Ginger root,
200g salt
1tsp Ajwan seeds (Thyme) roughly grinded
1/2 tsp grounded black pepper
1tbsp Dehgi red pepper
Method:
1. Cut the lemons in 4 pieces or 8 pieces according to your size preference. Squeeze some juice from the cut pieces to cover the base of the jar before adding the achar pieces.
2. Mix the salt, red pepper and ajwan. Sprinkle some salt mixture to the juice at the base of the jar.
3. Mix lemon pieces and ginger pieces. Add these pieces into the jar in batches squeezing some juice to keep the pieces moist, also adding salt mixture and lemon juice with every batch of lemon ginger pieces added, so as to cover them with the seasoning.
3. In this way add all the Achar pieces and the salt mixture in the jar.
4. Cover the jar mouth with a muslin cloth. Keep the jar in the sun to ripe for 6-8 days till the juice thickens a little.
5. Put this jar in a cool dry place. This Prickle if carefully kept can be kept for years.
Note: If the prickled lemons are dried in the long run, can be used as a medicine. This can be taken to cure and stomach ailments.
5. Kachaloo & Baigan (Eggplant) Achar:
Ingredients:
1 lb Eggplant approx. 6” long and thin ones, cut each into 2 longitudinal cuts to form 4 pieces but should be in tact at the stalk base.
To prepare the vegetables:
1lb Kachaloo boil them in turmeric water until cooked. Take them from the pan and let them cool a bit, then cut them in ¼“ thick rounds.
Dip the cut eggplant pieces in the same boiling water pan for 2minutes on slow heat. Drain the eggplant slices.
Put the vegetables on a cloth in a single row without overlapping to dry.
Spices for 2lb vegetables:
70gm/1oz powdered Rai
2oz salt
1tbsp red chili powder
1tsp level whole black pepper
1tbsp haldi
1tbsp sauf
1tsp Methre (yellow mustard) seeds
1tsp kalongi
1-2C Mustard oil, sufficient to cover the vegetables
A clean, dried, lidded glass jar
Method:
1. Take a broad vessel put all spices with salt in it, add oil and mix.
2. Put the vegetable pieces in the spiced paste to coat them.
3. In a jar put some of the spiced oil at the bottom and then transfer the coated vegetables in batch. With each batch add 1tbsp of the oil masala mixture. Pour the remaining oil and masala mixture over the top.
4. Cover the jar mouth with a cloth and put it in the sun for 8- 10 days, until the Rai is ripe and the achar is sour.
Pour the remaining oil mixture on the top of the jar so that oil completely immerge the achar pieces.
5. Cover the jar with a thin piece of cloth and place the jar in the sun for 10 days so as to ripe the rai and mature the achar. The achar should be kept in the sun in the day time and in the evening take it inside.
Shake the vegetables in the jar before taking it in and also before putting it in the sun.
After that you can serve it with Aloo puri, sabzi parantha or Shahi Paneer and Nan.
1. Mango Punjabi Pickle - Aam Ka Achar:
Mango Punjabi Pickle
Ingredients:
1 kg Mango pieces (washed, dried, cut into ½ -1”, and deseeded)
4oz/ ½C salt
2-4tbsp Chili Deghi powder
1tbsp Kalonji (nigella seeds)
1tbsp Saunf (aniseeds)
1tbsp Methre (fenugreek seeds)
2tbsp Turmeric Powder
16oz / 2½ C Mustard oil
A wide mouth clean, dry glass jar for the achaar
Method:
1. Place the mango pieces on a cloth to dry for 1 hour.
2. Mix all the spices with 8oz oil in a broad mouth container.
3. Put the mango pieces in the oil spice mixture and coat the pieces by the mixture.
4. Put 2tbsp of spicy mixture at the bottom of the jar before adding the mixture coated pieces in the jar. When all the mango pieces are added to the jar, pour the remaining spices- oil mixture in the jar.
5. Add sufficient oil in the jar to form a layer over surface of pickle.
6. Tie with thin muslin, before placing lid. Put the pickle jar in the sun to mature. It will take 10-12 days for the achar to be ready.
Note: Store carefully to keep the prickle from going bad.
Making time: 30 minutes (total maturing times 15 days)
Makes: 1 ½ kg pickle (approx.)
Shelf life: 10-12 months
2. Sweet Sour Mango Chutney: Punjabi Aam Ke Meethi Chutney
Ingredients:
250gm pulp of raw mangoes, peeled and seeds discarded
250/750gm sugar
2tsp salt
2tsp red chili powder (dehgi mirch)
½ - 1tsp whole black pepper
1tsp kalongi (onion seeds)
1-2tsp cantaloupe seeds
1tbsp Saunf
1tbsp cantaloupe seeds
Method:
1. Weigh the exact weight of the mango pulp so that the same amount of sugar can be added to it. Put the pulp into a 1 kg capacity of steel, broad mouth vessel.
Add sugar and mix. Put the vessel on low heat and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Take the container off the heat and add the salt, red chili, black peppercorns, onion seeds, saunf and the cantaloupe seeds. Mix.
3. Pour the chutney in a glass jar with broad mouth. Cover the mouth with a muslin cloth and place the jar in the sun for 10 days to cook the syrup of the chutney, which will thicken a little. The onion seeds become soft.
4. Remove the cloth and tightly cover the jar with an air tight lid. Put it in a dry place. In rainy season put it in the refrigerator. With care it can be kept for 6 months.
This chutney can be served with Indian meals.
Also it can be used as spread on a toast, to form a delicious sandwich.
3. Carrot, Turnip and Cauliflower Sweet Punjabi Achar
Ingredients:
1lb (Gobi) cauliflower clean and take the head discarding the thick stem with the leaves. Cut flowerets into 1“pieces
1lb (Gajar) Carrots, clean, scrape and cut into 2” long and ¼”thick sticks
1lb (Salgam) Turnips, cleaned, scrape and cut into ¼“thick rounds.
Spices for the prickle:
For the total weight 2lbs of the cut, steamed vegetables;
2oz salt
2oz powdered mustard seeds (Rye)
1tbsp red chili powder (Dehgi red chili powder)
Black pepper powder to taste
6 -8oz Gur
1-11/2 C Mustard oil to dip the vegetables
1tsp Haldi to boil water in which vegetables are boiled
1 Clean Glass jar with lid
Method:
1. Put the gur in a pan, add a little water to it and boil to dissolve the gur and form the syrup. Keep aside syrup hot.
2. In a big pan put water to fill it half. Heat the pan to boil water with 1tsp Haldi powder.
When the water comes to a boil, add each vegetable separately to cook for a few minutes.
Take the vegetables from the water and drain them on a dry cloth, laying them in a single layer. Let them dry in the open or in the sun for 25 -30 minutes until the vegetables are dried.
3. Meanwhile, in a pan heat the 250-300gm oil to smoking hot. Take the pan from heat add all the spices in the oil. Now, carefully pour the hot gur syrup in the hot oil, mix well and dip the vegetables in this mixture so that the vegetables are coated with the spice oil mixture.
4. Take a sufficiently big jar to put the achar in. Spread some of the oil gur mixture at the bottom of the jar. Then put the oil gur spiced coated vegetables in it. Be sure that every vegetable piece is nicely coated with the masala adding a little of the mixture with every batch.
Pour the remaining oil mixture on the top of the jar so that oil completely immerge the achar pieces.
5. Cover the jar with a thin piece of cloth and place the jar in the sun for 10 days so as to ripe the rai and mature the achar.
The achar should be kept in the sun in the day time and in the evening take it inside.
Shake the vegetables in the jar before taking it in and also before putting it in the sun.
After that you can serve it with Aloo puri, sabzi parantha or Shahi Paneer and Nan.
4. Lemon & Green Chili prickle with Ginger slices: No oil.
Ingredients:
2lb lemon, cut into 8 pieces
1lb medium size green chilies
8oz Ginger root,
200g salt
1tsp Ajwan seeds (Thyme) roughly grinded
1/2 tsp grounded black pepper
1tbsp Dehgi red pepper
Method:
1. Cut the lemons in 4 pieces or 8 pieces according to your size preference. Squeeze some juice from the cut pieces to cover the base of the jar before adding the achar pieces.
2. Mix the salt, red pepper and ajwan. Sprinkle some salt mixture to the juice at the base of the jar.
3. Mix lemon pieces and ginger pieces. Add these pieces into the jar in batches squeezing some juice to keep the pieces moist, also adding salt mixture and lemon juice with every batch of lemon ginger pieces added, so as to cover them with the seasoning.
3. In this way add all the Achar pieces and the salt mixture in the jar.
4. Cover the jar mouth with a muslin cloth. Keep the jar in the sun to ripe for 6-8 days till the juice thickens a little.
5. Put this jar in a cool dry place. This Prickle if carefully kept can be kept for years.
Note: If the prickled lemons are dried in the long run, can be used as a medicine. This can be taken to cure and stomach ailments.
5. Kachaloo & Baigan (Eggplant) Achar:
Ingredients:
1 lb Eggplant approx. 6” long and thin ones, cut each into 2 longitudinal cuts to form 4 pieces but should be in tact at the stalk base.
To prepare the vegetables:
1lb Kachaloo boil them in turmeric water until cooked. Take them from the pan and let them cool a bit, then cut them in ¼“ thick rounds.
Dip the cut eggplant pieces in the same boiling water pan for 2minutes on slow heat. Drain the eggplant slices.
Put the vegetables on a cloth in a single row without overlapping to dry.
Spices for 2lb vegetables:
70gm/1oz powdered Rai
2oz salt
1tbsp red chili powder
1tsp level whole black pepper
1tbsp haldi
1tbsp sauf
1tsp Methre (yellow mustard) seeds
1tsp kalongi
1-2C Mustard oil, sufficient to cover the vegetables
A clean, dried, lidded glass jar
Method:
1. Take a broad vessel put all spices with salt in it, add oil and mix.
2. Put the vegetable pieces in the spiced paste to coat them.
3. In a jar put some of the spiced oil at the bottom and then transfer the coated vegetables in batch. With each batch add 1tbsp of the oil masala mixture. Pour the remaining oil and masala mixture over the top.
4. Cover the jar mouth with a cloth and put it in the sun for 8- 10 days, until the Rai is ripe and the achar is sour.
Pour the remaining oil mixture on the top of the jar so that oil completely immerge the achar pieces.
5. Cover the jar with a thin piece of cloth and place the jar in the sun for 10 days so as to ripe the rai and mature the achar. The achar should be kept in the sun in the day time and in the evening take it inside.
Shake the vegetables in the jar before taking it in and also before putting it in the sun.
After that you can serve it with Aloo puri, sabzi parantha or Shahi Paneer and Nan.