Amla Pickle

This pickle was born after my search for the following pickle recipe.

It was given to me by my colleague from Tamil Nadu (Nagapattinam) and the taste was too good! Even since I tasted it, I kept searching online for the recipe but never came across it. Since it was a locally made pickle there was no way I could purchase it too. But the ingredients does give a clue and that is when I chanced upon a similar recipe but without dried vegetables. The dried vegetables will have to wait until the sun is hot again here in Kuwait after the current Winter season!

Amla/ Gooseberry Pickle

Ingredients

1. Amla - 500 gm
2. Chilly - 30 numbers (I used the less hot variant)
3. Fenugreek - 2 tbspn
4. Mustard - 2 tbspn (leave 1/2 tspn aside)
5. Turmeric powder - 1 tbspn
6. Gingelly Oil (Sesame Oil) - 1/2 cup
7. Salt - 1 tbspn
8. Tamarind - rolled up to the size of an Amla fruit (2 tblspn?)


Method

Wash, wipe dry and de-seed amla. Ground it coarsely in your grinder and keep aside. Dry roast items 2-7 and once cooled, powder it well. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of warm water. Heat the gingelly oil and crackle 1/2 teaspoon mustard. Once mustard starts popping, saute the ground amla for five minutes. Now add the ground spices and saute for a few more minutes. Add the tamarind pulp and let the whole thing simmer until oil starts to separate. Make sure you stir it occasionally to avoid burning it.

The pickle is ready and it is almost as good as the bottled one! But the search continues for the original recipe.. :)

Chicken Pickle

Seems like I have been neglecting my blogs! It is not as though I have stopped cooking but posting the recipes is just not happening. But today I have a pickle that turned our very tasty; the only issue is that it may not last long! Anything pickled is tastier if it ages a bit but the subject being chicken, even the children have shed their fear of pickle. 

Chicken Pickle

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 500 gms (breast pieces cut into small cubes and well drained)

2. Ginger  - 1 tablespoon - cut into small pieces

3. Garlic - 1 tablespoon - each cut lengthwise 

4. Coconut - 2 tablespoon cut into small pieces (optional)

5. Green Chilly - 5 nos. - cut into small pieces

6. Chilly powder - 3 tablespoon

7. Vinegar - 1/2 cup

8. Boiled water - 1/3 cup

9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

10. Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

11. Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped

12. Oil - 2-4 tablespoon

Method

Rub the salt and turmeric powder into the chicken and keep it aside for minimum 15 minutes.Fry the chicken until the chicken is dry but not crisp. Set aside. Fry ingredients 2-5 separately until the color changes. The frying is basically to drain the moisture so that the pickle stays for a longer period. 

Now switch off the fire and add the chilly powder and the coriander leaves that have been warmed for a while. I warmed them for 40 seconds in the microwave. Add the water, vinegar and the earlier fried ingredients except chicken and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling, add the chicken and switch off the fire.

Once it is cooled, transfer the pickle to a washed, dried and warmed bottle. You can use the microwave to warm the bottle or immerse the bottle in boiling water until sterilized.

Enjoy until the pickle lasts!

Carrot and Almond Pickle

I often make carrot pickle but recently I made it with almonds and I ended making a more nutritious pickle!

Carrot and Almond Pickle

Ingredients

1. Carrots either sliced lengthwise or fine - 1 1/2 cup
2. Ginger and Garlic finely sliced - 3 Tbspn
3. Chilly Powder - 2 Tbspn or as per taste
4. Turmeric powder - 3/4 tspn
5. Fenugreek - 1 tbspn
6. Mustard - 1 Tspn
7. Channa Dal - 2 Tbspn
8. Almonds flakes- 2 or 3 Tblspn or 8 nos.
9. Hing - 1/2 tspn
10. Gingelly Oil - 3 Tbspn
11. Vinegar - 1/4 cup

Method

Pound ingredients 5-8 coarsely and fry in oil. Once browned, add the ginger and garlic. Fry it until the raw smell leaves. Switch off the fire and add the rest of the powder. Add vinegar and carrot and let it boil. depending on your taste you can let the carrots cook or let it retain it's crunchiness.

I also fried a few small onions with curry leaves and added to the pickle.

Enjoy!

Ladies Finger (Okra) Pickle

Ladies finger is one vegetable which has not much takers in most household. Mostly because it is slushy in curries. But  it does have a lot of benefits.

Healthbenefits of Okra

• The pods are among the very low calorie vegetables. They provide just 30 calories per 100 g besides containing no saturated fats or cholesterol. Nonetheless, they are rich sources of dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins; often recommended by nutritionists in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs.
  
• The rich fiber and mucilaginous content in okra pods help in smooth peristalsis of digested food particles and relieve constipation condition.
  
• The pods contain healthy amounts of vitamin A, and flavonoid anti-oxidants such as beta carotenes, xanthin and lutein. It is one of the green vegetables with highest levels of these anti-oxidants. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural vegetables and fruits rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
  
• Fresh pods are the good source of folates; provide about 22% of RDA per 100 g. Consumption of foods rich in folates, especially during the pre-conception period helps decrease the incidence of neural tube defects in the offspring.
  
• The gumbo pods are also an excellent source of anti-oxidant vitamin, vitamin-C, providing about 36% of daily-recommended levels. Research suggests that consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop immunity against infectious agents, reduce episodes of cold and cough and protect the body from harmful free radicals.
  
• The veggies are rich in B-complex group of vitamins like niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid. The pods also contain good amounts of vitamin K.  Vitamin K is a co-factor for blood clotting enzymes and is required for strengthening of bones.
  
• The pods are an also good source of many important minerals such as iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium.
  

Ladies Finger (Okra) Pickle

 

Ingredients

 

1.      Ladies Finger – 10 Nos.

2.      Big Onions – 4 Nos.

3.      Lemon juice –2 Tbspn

4.      Vinegar – 4 Tbspn

5.      Chilly Powder – 2 Tbspn (adjust according to your taste and the chilly. Use Kashmiri chilly for less heat and more colour)

6.      Asafoetida – a pinch

7.      Fenugreek Powder – ½ Tspn

8.      Salt to taste

Method

Cut onions and ladies finger into thin slices. Add 1 tbspn of oil and fry this mix until slightly brown. Stir frequently to avoid the mixture from sticking to the vessel. When it is sufficiently fried, add all the powders. Fry further. Now add salt, vinegar and lime juice. Test the sourness and add more vinegar if necessary. You can finish at this stage by adding 2 more tbspn of oil or use this oil to fry 1 tbspn each of ginger and garlic along with mustard.

Enjoy!

Tip:

To remove the mushiness one can fry the okra with a little butter milk.

Lemon pickle made easy

In my kitchen everything has to be easy. It is such recipes that catch my interest. A working mother cannot spend her entire time in the kitchen. But I have devised ways to reduce time and still churn out most dishes.

Lemon Pickle

Ingredients:

Lemon---2 numbers
Red chilly powder---3 Tbspn
Asafotida---1 Tspn
Fenugreek powder---1 Tspn
Salt----2 Tnspn
oil---1 Tbspn

Method:

Wash and cut the lemon in to small pieces. Dessed the lemon.  Add all the other ingredients to it. Mix well and cover it.  Keep it in the pressure cooker and cook it for 3 sounds.Take it out.
Heat the oil. Pour the oil over the lemon and mix well.
Pickle is ready.

If you have more time, you can splutter mustard seeds and fry some small onions and curry leaves too.