Indian cooking challenge for the month was a pickle from the state of Punjab. Srivalli gave us Simran's mom's recipe. So, far, I can say, this is the easiest of all the challenges. This was a new kind of pickle for me. Though most of the pickle made in South India is spicy, we have our share of salted pickles and pickling in brine. And those doesn't call for any oil and salt is the only preservative. I have tasted store bought pickles that uses mustard oil. So I am used to the pungent mustard oil in pickles.
As I said, the recipe is very simple. You have to just mix all the ingredients and leave it for two weeks for the flavors to mingle. I did just that. After 10 days, I did a taste test and felt I should spice it up more. Washed and wiped dry, a handful of green chillies. Chopped it, not fine, and added it to the pickle.
I find the oil very flavorful, with the spices soaked in it. You can add some spice masala to the oil and brush it on your khakra/roti/puri. It will taste awesome.
The initial measurement given by Simran was for 5 Kg of mangoes. Srivalli scaled it down to 1/2 kg of mangoes. The spices were given in grams and I don't have kitchen scale. I used some online converters and got a fair idea of how much it will be in teaspoons/tablespoons.
I am giving the measurement as I used.You need
- Raw Mangoes - 1/2 kg
- Mustard oil - 50 ml
- Salt - 4 tblspn
- Methi / Fenugreek seeds - 2tspn
- Kalonji / Nigella seeds - 1 tspn
- Saunf / Fennel Seeds - 2 tspn
- Turmeric powder - 3 tspn
- Whole Peppercorns - 2 tspn
- Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Method
Select mangoes which are sour. That works best. Chop the mango in to 1 inch pieces. Dry it in the sun for 2-3 hours. You can also spread it under the fan if no sunlight. Wash the glass/porcelain jar to store the pickle. Sun dry the jar too.
Take a large pot. Add mustard oil, turmeric, salt and the spices. Mix well. Add the sun dried mangoes and toss well, until they are well coated with the masala.
Keep the jar in the sun for a day. Leave it to mature for two weeks, though you can use it right away too.
