Instant Lemon Pickle

I love pickle and I used to have it daily along with my meal. Now being here, I solely depend on pickles that are bought off-shelf. I find these pickles as too salty and most of the time, I don't eat and it ends up in my bin. When I came across Instant lemon pickle recipe at sashiga's space, I felt very happy and talked about this to my mom over phone. She told that she also prepares it sometimes and described me the method. I found both the methods are same except the way the lemons are cooked. Here I take you through both the methods. You can choose whichever method as it suits you.

Basic Information:

Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes + 20 minutes for cooling

Makes: 1 and 1/2 cup approx.

Ingredients:



Yellow Lemons - 5 large nos

Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoons/ as per taste

Roasted fenugreek powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Sesame oil - 2 tablespoons / as per preference

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida - a pinch



Method:



1a) Take whole lemons in sauce pan and pour boiling water until the lemons are fully immersed. Cover and keep it aside for 20 minutes. then, drain the water and cut the lemons to desired size.

or

1b) Slice the lemon according to your desired size. Put the sliced pieces in saucepan and add little water. say about  <1/4 cup. Cook just enough to soften the lemon pieces. Make sure not to over cook as they taste bitter. Once it is done, keep aside with water. (Picture shown for this method)

 

2) Prefer any of the above method to cook lemons and bring them to room temperature.

3) Add red chilli powder, roasted fenugreek powder, asafoetida and salt. Toss it well.

 

4) Heat oil in kadai/seasoning pan. Add mustard seeds when it is hot and remove from heat. Allow this seasoning to cool to room temperature and add to lemon mixture. Toss well.

5) Store in sterilised bottle and serve with this rice.

Note:

1) Do not cook lemons for long time. It might taste bitter if you do so.

2) Try to use sesame oil for authentic taste.

3) I prepared it last week and it has stayed good till now. Do not forget to refrigerate.

Finger Food For The New Year Party - Lentil & Vegetable Dumplings

FINGER FOOD FOR THE NEW YEAR PARTY

LENTIL & VEGETABLE DUMPLINGS

This is an easy to prepare finger food. Lentil and Vegetable Dumplings are very healthy and nutritious since they are cooked in steam.

INGREDIENTS

Tur dal - 1 cup

Bengal gram dal - 1 tbsp

Green gram dal - 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 4  

NOTE - Wash the above ingredients, cover with water and soak for one hour.

Grated carrot - 1/2 cup

Finely chopped beans - 2 tbsps

Finely chopped capsicum - 2 tbsps

Finely chopped onion - 2 tbsps

Finely chopped Green chillies - 2 tsps

Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsps

FOR SEASONING

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Black gram dal - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Salt - 1 tsp

METHOD

1. Drain the soaked ingredients and grind coarsely without adding water.

2. Blend in the salt and keep aside.

3. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds.

4. When the mustard seeds splutter add the black gram dal and roast till golden in colour.

5. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida.

6. Add chopped onion and green chillies.

7. Add chopped capsicum and beans and stir fry till they are half done.

8. Mix in the ground lentil , switch off flame and allow to cool.

9. Blend in the carrot gratings and the chopped coriander.

10. Take lemon size balls of the prepared mixture and shape them into dumplings.

11. Arrange the prepared dumplings in a greased idly plate and steam in the pressure cooker without the weight for fifteen minutes.

Serve the hot Lentil & Vegetable Dumplings with a tangy tamarind sauce or mint chutney.

Avial / Aviyal

Getting fresh Indian vegetables/fresh coconut in the place where I stay is once in a blue moon. Right from the time I started this blog, I wanted to post traditional recipes, but they were getting postponed due to lack of ingredients at my place.

So, when I find and buy fresh coconut or any other native vegetables I try to cook some traditional dishes as soon as possible before they lose it's freshness. This time, I have prepared Avial with limited ingredients what I had.



Avial is nothing but an assortment of vegetables cooked with coconut, curd and seasoned with aromatic coconut oil. Avail can also be prepared in thin gravy consistency or thick consistency. It is a popular recipe often related to Onam sadya and can be traditionally served with steamed rice or with adai.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4



Ingredients:



For Avial:



Mixed Vegetables - 3 cups -  Any vegetables like Carrot, Beans, Potato, Drumstick, Eggplants, Yam, Plantain (Vazhaikkai), Peas, White pumpkin(Vellai Poosanikkai), Raw mango, Cucumber, Snake gourd(Pudalangai), Bottle gourd(Suraikkai)

Turmeric powder - a big pinch

Salt - to taste

Thick sour curd/ Yogurt - 1/2 cup



For Grinding:

Fresh coconut - 1 half shell of medium size coconut , shredded or finely chopped

Green chillies - 3 nos

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon



For Seasoning:

Coconut Oil / Vegetable Oil - 1 tablespoon

Fresh Curry leaves - 2 strings

Method:



1) Chop vegetables into 2 inch length pieces.

2) In a saucepan, mix vegetables, turmeric powder, salt and 3/4 cup of water.(If you need thick avial, add water just enough to cook vegetables) Cover and cook it for 5 minutes in medium to high flame or till the vegetables are 3/4 th cooked.

 

3) When vegetables are cooking, grind the ingredients given for grinding with water just required for grinding. Do not add too much of water.

 

4) Add the ground ingredients to the vegetable mixer. Mix well. Cook till it boils.

5) Meanwhile, In a seasoning pan, heat coconut oil and add half of curry leaves when it is hot.

6) Pour this seasoning to the avial. Add remaining curry leaves and turn the flame off. Mix well.

7) Now, add sour curd and mix well. The heat in the pan itself enough for the curd.

 

8) Avial is eady and serve with steamed rice or Adai.

Note:

1) You can use any vegetables available at hand. For quick cooking of vegetables, use pressure cooker. However, the time taken for preparing the avial is almost same.

2) Make sure to chop quick cooking vegetables into bigger sizes and slow cooking ingredients into slightly smaller sizes, if your are going to cook in one bowl.

3) I used one large carrot, 5 beans, 2 small potatoes, 2 eggplants, 1/4 cup of peas for this recipe.

4) If you are using raw mango, reduce the sour curd quantity to half. If you do not have curd or don't want to use curd, add a big pinch of tamarind extract along with ground coconut paste.