1,000 Indian Recipes (78 page)

Paani Vaala Gobhi-Gajjar ka Achaar

Makes about 2 cups

A water pickle is one in which the vegetables set in water. Easily made, but highly perishable if left at room temperature for more than a week because of the generous addition of water, this pickle comes from my friend Neelam Malhotra in India. Neelam makes this pickle in small batches every few days, varying it with whatever vegetables are in season.

The spices in this pickle may be unusual, but its flavors will be quite familiar because they are somewhat akin to those of the popular cucumber pickle served in America with sandwiches and hamburgers.

1 pound cauliflower, cut into 1
¹
⁄
₂
-inch florets, stems discarded

3 to 4 small carrots, peeled and diagonally sliced

2 cups water

8 to 10 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed and halved lengthwise

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons black mustard seeds, ground

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground turmeric

1 small piece muslin or 4 layers cheesecloth (enough to cover the mouth of the jar)

1.
Place the vegetables and water in a medium saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Boil 30 seconds, then cover the pan and remove from the heat. Set aside about 1 minute. Transfer to a large sterile glass jar with a wide mouth and mix in all the remaining ingredients.

2.
Cover the jar with the muslin, securing it with a rubber band, and place in a warm, sunny spot in the kitchen or outside in the sun. (If the pickle jar is outside in the sun, bring it inside in the evening.) Shake the jar once or twice each day, until the vegetables are sour, 2 to 4 days. This pickle stays fresh at room temperature about 1 week and about 6 months in the refrigerator, getting more and more pungent over time. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Spicy Cranberry Pickle

Karonda Achaar

Makes about 2 cups

This, like
Prabha's Green Chile Pepper Pickle
, is also from Prabha Chauhan. This is an unusual but delicious way to perk up the Thanksgiving table or any other meal at which you're serving poultry or meats.

¹
⁄
₄
cup
Bengali 5-Spices (Panch-Phoran)
, or store-bought

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
cup mustard oil

1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries, washed

1 tablespoon citric acid or 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1.
In a mortar and pestle, coarsely grind the 5-spices mixture. Mix in the turmeric and salt.

2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat until smoking. Reduce the heat to low, add the spices, and stir a few seconds. Add the cranberries and cook until they are crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Mix in the citric acid (or vinegar) and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool, transfer to a sterile jar and store in the refrigerator, about 1 year. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Pearl Onions in Pickling Spices

Pyaz ka Achaar

Makes about 2 cups

This pickle is traditionally a by-product of leftover mango pickle
masala
(see
Mama's Punjabi Mango Pickle
), but there's a loyal following who make them directly. Serve these onions with pan-fried
parantha
breads or deep-fried
poori
breads, or present them with any Indian meal.

1 pound pearl onions, peeled

1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons kalonji seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
cup mustard or olive oil

1 small piece muslin or 4 layers cheesecloth (enough to cover the mouth of the jar)

1.
Make a cross-cut at the base of each onion, going three-quarters of the way to the top. Lightly open the cuts and stuff a pinch of salt in each one. Reserve any leftover salt. In a spice or coffee grinder, very coarsely grind together the fenugreek, fennel, peppercorns and kalonji. Remove to a bowl and mix in the turmeric, cayenne pepper, and the reserved salt.

2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the spice mixture; it should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Add the onions and cook about 5 minutes, making sure all the onions are well coated with the spice mixture.

3.
Let cool and transfer to a sterile glass jar. Cover the jar with the muslin, securing it with a rubber band, and place in a warm, sunny spot in the kitchen or outside in the sun. (If the pickle jar is outside in the sun, bring it inside in the evening.) Shake the jar once or twice each day, until the spices are plump and soft and the onions are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 days. The onions will release some juices; that is quite normal. Store about 10 days at room temperature and about 6 months in the refrigerator. The onions keep getting stronger over time.

Pickled Turnips with Black Mustard Seeds

Shalgam ka Achaar

Makes about 4 cups

In the summers, when I was growing up, my aunt would often make a huge jar of these spicy turnips. Sometimes, though, she would set them out in the early sun for one last day, and inevitably, my cousins and I couldn't help but eat it all by day's end.

Blanched until barely tender, then tossed with ground black mustard seeds and salt, here turnips take on a unique flavor, reminiscent of the pungent Korean pickled condiment
kimchi
.

2 to 3 cups water

1
¹
⁄
₂
pounds turnips, cut into 1-inch pieces (peeled or unpeeled)

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds, coarsely ground

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 small piece muslin or 4 layers cheesecloth (enough to cover the mouth of the jar)

1.
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the turnips and boil about 1 minute. Drain and transfer the turnips to a tray lined with paper towels and air-dry them about 10 minutes.

2.
Transfer to a large sterile glass jar with a wide mouth and add the mustard seeds, salt, and cayenne pepper. Toss well, then cover the jar with the muslin securing it with a rubber band, and set aside at room temperature until the turnips turn sour, 5 to 7 days. To cure faster, place in the sun during the day, bringing the pickle inside in the evening. Shake the jar once or twice a day. This pickle stays fresh at room temperature about 1 week (longer in the refrigerator), getting more and more pungent over time.

Pickled Turnips and Cauliflower