Blog

Winter comes with so many goodies like morning dewdrops on bright green leaves, foggy weather, long sleepy nights and colourful markets stocked up with fresh fruits and vegetables. One who knows how scarce vegetables become during the summer, knows the value of pickling winter vegetables. Pickling helps preserve the nutrients in these vegetables and provides us with a boost of antioxidants along with the many benefits of fermented foods. So in this article we will see how to turn your favourite winter vegetables into pickles.

Pickle, also referred to as Achar in Hindi, is often a tangy, spicy and sometimes sweet side kick that we can eat with rice, parathas and khichdi. We can make achar of our favourite vegetables and fruits. Let’s check out some recipes of vegetable achar.

Instant Carrot Pickle Recipe

There are so many ways a carrot pickle is made. This recipe will be hot, spicy and tangy coming from the use of lemons. You can keep this pickle in the fridge for 5 to 7 days and use it with hot rice, parathas or dal khichdi. Make sure you use dry hands while making this so that the pickle doesn’t spoil fast

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup carrots
• Salt as per taste
• 3 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 tablespoon methi seeds
• 2 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoon red chilli powder
• 3/4 tablespoon lemon juice

Recipe :

• Dry roast Methi seeds on a low heat until aromatic.
• As soon as they begin to change to dark colour switch off the stove and add mustard.
• Cool them and powder.
• Rinse carrots and ginger thoroughly and peel them. Air dry or wipe dry to reduce excess moisture.
• Chop them in tiny cubes and set aside.
• Next chop ginger and garlic as well.

Procedure:

• Pour oil to a pan and heat it.
• When the oil turns hot add chopped carrots, ginger and toss of the stove.
• Add the rest of the ingredients except lemon juice and mix well.
• Cool it and add lemon juice.
• Store carrot pickle in a clean, dry, airtight glass jar. Refrigerate and use.
• Recipe Courtesy: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/

Fresh Ginger Pickle Recipe 

This mouth-watering ginger pickle recipe is perfect for winters. It makes your body warm and acts as a deterrent to cold and cough. This pickle is made with fresh ginger, spices, jaggery and tamarind. The pickle can be stored for about 12 months in the refrigerator.

Ingredients  

• 250 grams Ginger good quality and fresh (young ginger does not taste good)
• 4 tsp turmeric powder
• 100 grams tamarind
• 50 to 75 grams jaggery or sugar (adjust as per your taste)
• 6 tbsp Red chili powder
• Salt as needed
• 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds / methi
• 1 tsp mustard
• 90 ml oil (about 1/3 cup)
• 2 sprig curry leaves
• 2 red chillies (broken)
• Garlic Few cloves, (crushed)
• 1 Pinch Hing

Preparation:

• Wash ginger under running water to remove mud and dirt. Peel off the skin if desired. Dry it for some time or overnight on an absorbent paper or cloth.
• Soak tamarind in boiled and cooled water till we need it. Do not use a lot of water, it must be just enough to soak the tamarind so that we get a thick paste.
• Dry roast 1 tbsp. Fenugreek seeds and powder them to a fine powder. Set aside only 1 tbsp. powder to use.
• Chop ginger to bite-sized pieces and fry them on a medium flame till they turn slightly golden in little oil, for 3 to 4 minutes. Cool these completely.

Procedure

• Blend it in a mixer to a smooth paste without adding water. Do not let the blender heat up.
• Squeeze filter the tamarind pulp to remove impurities. We need thick tamarind paste, if it is thin, then boil the filtered tamarind to thicken.
• All the ingredients need to be cool at this stage. Add the tamarind pulp, red chili powder, turmeric, and salt to the ginger mix. Blend well again.
• Add jaggery and blend again. Do not add the sweetener before you blend all the other ingredients well since this will thicken the mix and the mixer becomes loaded. Check the taste of the pickle now, it has to taste sour, sweet, hot, and spicy. Adjust any taste as needed.
• To finish off add methi powder and mix.
• Heat the rest of the oil in a pan, add mustard, and garlic. Add curry leaves, red chilies, and hing. Fry till the leaves turn crisp. Off the stove. Add the ginger pickle to the seasoning and mix well in the hot pan.
• Cool completely and store in a glass bottle.

Recipe & Pic Courtesy: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/

Instant Amla Pickle Recipe

During winters, Amla or the Indian Gooseberry is available in plenty. We all know how rich Amla is in Vitamin C as well as health boosting antioxidants. But not all of us like the pungent taste of Amla when eaten raw. So, why not eat amla in the form of this tasty instant Amla pickle?

FOR PICKLE MASALA:

• 2 tsp mustard seeds / rai
• 1 tsp methi / fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds / saunf

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• 7 amla / gooseberry 
• ¼ cup mustard oil / any cooking oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds / rai
• pinch of hing / asafoetida
• 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder / lal mirch powder
• 1 tsp turmeric / haldi
• 1 tsp salt, add as required

INSTRUCTIONS

• Firstly, wash and steam the amlas (gooseberry) for 10 minutes.
• Cook till the amlas open up by itself. allow it to cool completely.
• Further, open the amla by separating the segments and removing the seeds from the centre.
• Spread it on the plate and allow to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, prepare the pickle masala by heating the pan.
• Dry roast 2 tsp mustard, 1 tsp methi and 1 tsp fennel seeds till they turn golden.
• Transfer to the blender and blend to a fine powder. Keep Aside.
• Furthermore, heat ¼ cup mustard oil or any cooking oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add in 1 tsp mustard and pinch of hing. Allow spluttering.
• Additionally, switch off the stove and add in steamed amlas.
• Saute for a minute or till the amlas absorb flavour.
• Further add in 2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp salt. mix well.
• Also, add prepared pickle masala and mix well.
• Finally, instant amla pickle is ready to be served.

Recipe Courtesy: https://hebbarskitchen.com/

Aren’t these recipes tempting to make your own now? For those of you in Vadodara, just order your vegetables on www.getfarmfresh.in and get ready to surprise your family with some mouth-watering, flavourful instant pickles. You can try out other vegetable pickles too such as garlic, mixed-vegetables and lemon pickle. Comment if you want more such recipes!