Legacy in a jar of pickle

As summer is synonymous with pickles, seasonal vegetables are dried in sunlight, marinated with freshly ground spices, and stored in glass containers with ample portions of oil and salt.

Representational image

Ivy gourd pickle by Parul Bhatt

Ingredients

Ivy gourd (tender): 1/2 kg, Salt: one tbsp, Turmeric: 1/2 tbsp, Pickle masala: 250 gram, Mustard or sesame oil: 200 ml 

Method 

• Wash ivy gourd thoroughly, allow it to dry completely or wipe well with a cloth napkin. Trim the ends and cut into one-and-a-half inch round pieces.
• Add salt and turmeric, mix and keep covered for eight hours.
• Drain the water completely from ivy gourd and transfer to a clean cloth and allow it to dry for 3 to 4 hours under the fan.
• Meanwhile, heat oil till you see smoke emanating. Switch off the flame and let it cool down completely.
• In a big vessel, take ivy gourd. Add pickle masala and mix well.
• Add oil and cover the vessel with a muslin cloth. Keep the vessel in the sun for two days so that there is no moisture.
• Mix the pickle and fill in a ceramic jar. Make sure you maintain a thin layer of oil above ivy gourd.
• Cover the jar with a muslin cloth and keep it in a cool dry place. Serve with rotis or rice. Use a clean dry spoon to serve so that the pickle stays well for one year.

Mutton pickle by Abraham Varghese

Ingredients for marination

Boneless mutton pieces without fat: 1 kg, Ginger paste: 4 tsp, Garlic paste: 2 tsp, Green chilli paste: 2 tsp, Turmeric powder: 1 tsp, Garam masala: 3 tsp, Lemon juice of two lemons, Chilli powder: 2 tsp, Pepper powder: 2 tsp, Sea salt: 1 tsp

For mutton pickle masala

Mustard seeds: 3 tsp, Curry leaf: 40 leaves or more, Ginger cut into grain size: 150 gm, Garlic cut into grain size: 100 gm, Green chilli: 10 (cut), Turmeric powder: 4 tsp, Roasted mustard powder: 2 tsp, Roasted fenugreek powder: 1/2 tsp, Garam masala: 1 tsp, Hing powder: 1/2 tsp, Vinegar: 1 cup, Kashmiri chilli powder: 7 tsp, Gingelly oil: 1 litre, Sea salt: according to your taste

• Wash the mutton at least five times and filter the water out. Allow it to rest for an hour. Mix the ingredients for marination and leave it for 4 hours in the fridge. In a cooker, boil the mutton without adding water as it already has water.
• After three whistles, switch off the gas and remove the lid. You will find water in the cooked meat. Keep cooking on low flame until the water gets absorbed 
• in the meat. This will give the meat a good flavour.
• On low flame, deep fry the mutton mix in gingelly oil and keep it aside.            
• Do not overfry the mutton in the oil as it will become very hard to chew.            
• Next, for the mutton masala, use the oil used for frying the mutton.              
• Under a low flame, crackle the mustard seeds and add curry leaves.            
• Add the finely chopped ginger. When the colour of the ginger changes a bit, add finely chopped garlic. Keep on stirring until the mix turns brown.            
• Add a bit of salt and turmeric powder. Keep on stirring the mix till the raw smell of turmeric fades.           Next, add fenugreek, mustard powder, and hing.            
• Add fried mutton and garam masala in the masala, and switch off the flame.
• Keep mixing until the heat in the kadai  reduces.            
• Then, add the Kashmiri chilli powder and mix well. Finally, add vinegar little by little. Some prefer less vinegar. Check if it has the right amount of salt. 
• Allow the pickle to cool down, and don’t cover the kadai with a lid.
• Store the pickle in a clean dry glass bottle. Put oil on the top layer of the pickle.            
• As we have used gingelly oil, we don’t have to keep the pickle in the fridge. 
• This pickle will last for a year. 

Prawn pickle by Abraham Varghese

Ingredients for marination

Deveined prawns: 1 kg, Ginger paste: 3 tsp, Garlic paste: 2 tsp, Green chilli paste: 
2 tsp, Turmeric powder: 1 tsp, Jeera powder: 1 tsp, Lemon juice of two lemons, Chilli powder: 2 tsp, Sea salt: 1 tsp, Curry leaves

Method 

• Mix the ingredients for marination together and leave it for four hours in the fridge.
• Under low flame, deep-fry the prawn mix in gingelly oil and keep it aside.
• Now, for the pickle masala, use the oil used for frying the prawns.
• Under low flame, let the mustard seeds crackle and then add curry leaves.
• Next, add finely chopped ginger. When the colour of the ginger changes a bit, add finely chopped garlic. Keep on stirring the mix till it turns brown. Add a bit of salt and turmeric powder. Keep on stirring the mix till the raw smell of turmeric fades. Next add fenugreek, mustard powder, and hing.
• Add fried prawns in the masala and switch off the flame. Keep mixing till the heat in the kadai reduces to half. Then, add kashmiri chilli powder and mix.
• Finally, add vinegar drop by drop. Some prefer less vinegar. Check if the mix has the right amount of salt.
• Allow this prawn pickle to fully cool down, and don’t cover the kadai with a lid.
• Store the pickle in a clean dry glass bottle, and add oil on the top layer of the pickle.
• As we used gingelly oil we don’t have to keep the pickle in the fridge. This pickle will last for a year.

For prawn pickle masala

Mustard seeds: 2 tsp. Curry leaves: 30 leaves or more, Ginger cut into grain size: 150 gm, Garlic cut into grain size: 100 gm, Green chilli: 10(cut), Turmeric powder: 
3 tsp, Roasted mustard powder: 3 tsp Roasted fenugreek powder: 1/2 tsp, Hing powder: 1/2 tsp, Vinegar: 1 cup, Kashmiri chilli powder: 15 tsp, Gingelly oil: 1 litre, Sea salt according to your taste    

Please Note

Prawns deveining is must. The vein has to be removed from head to the tail. It’s basically the intestine of the prawn. If not removed, it can cause medical complications.
After the fourth wash, add vinegar in the water and leave the prawn to rest for half an hour. This will bring out any leftover chemicals used in preserving the prawns.

Brinjal mustard pickle by Trilysa Reinhardt

Ingredients

Gingelly oil: 1/4 tsp, Brinjal: 1/4 kg, Mustard: 100 gm, Ginger: 1/4 kg, Garlic: 
1/4 kg, Green chilli: 25 gm (slit), Vinegar: 500 ml, Salt and sugar to taste

Method

• Grind mustard, ginger and garlic into paste and keep aside.
• Slit or cut the brinjal in pieces and power boil it in vinegar.
• Heat the oil in a big heavy bottom vessel. Add the ground mustard, ginger and garlic paste. 
• Fry well till the raw smell goes. Then, add the slit green chillies and brinjal to the masala and cook for five minutes. 
• Add the vinegar, sugar and salt. 
• Stir well and cover for another two minutes.
• Let it cool and then, bottle it.

Drumstick pickle by Trilysa Reinhardt

Ingredients

Drumsticks: 10 medium size, cut into one inch pieces, Gingelly oil: 1/4 tsp, Mustard seeds: 25 gm, Saffron: 50 gm, Chilli powder: 100 gm, Cumin seed powder: 150 gm, Ginger: 1/4 kg, Garlic: 1/4 kg, Vinegar: 500 ml,  Salt to taste

Method

• Grind the ginger and garlic to paste and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and wait tillit splutters. 
• Lower the heat, add the masalas and ginger-garlic paste, and fry until the raw smell goes.
• Then, add the drumsticks and fry it in the masala for about 2-5 minutes. 
• Add vinegar and salt. Stir and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes. Cool and bottle.