Pickles, Herbs and Condiments
INDIAN PICKLES
Come summer season and there used to be a long list of TO DO list on my mum’s mind. Right from preparing our favourite mango recipes to sun drying a variety of foods, enough to last us for the rest of the year. I remember, as kids we used to be eager to see what mum would be making next. It was quite interesting to see all the pickles and variety of papads kept basking under the hot sun. (papad – is a sun dried wafer-thin flatbread, usually made with lentils and spices). Mom’s are the BEST, they do so much for the family.
But in midst of all this frenzy, it was our vacation time and we were too busy with our own ‘TO DO’ list, which we kids were not going to let anyone interfere with i.e playing, counting our scores and arguing endlessly as we played.  OUTDOING the other team was our sole motive. It gave us a thrill. All of this was extremely IMPORTANT to us.
And what our parents thought about it : All they could see was that, we were playing just because we finished our exams and summer holidays were on – SIMPLE.   So, every time our mums felt we were outdoors for too long , they called out to us, shouting our names SO LOUD as if we were playing on another planet !!  Every time we heard those shouts, our moods dipped. At that time, we knew at the back of our minds, that call would be either to eat our food on time, or to run some errands, or keep a guard over the sun drying foods or because there is some distant relative or a guest who has visited us. (none of these things were of any INTEREST to us) Naughty us 😀
Well… not that I didn’t enjoy eating those papads and pickles, infact I used to love pickles sooo much that I would never eat food without one.
Then why I didn’t try and make these pickles or papads as a grown up ? Well, I became quite a different person as I grew, I hated going out in the sun. I became so paranoid of going out in the summers that I used to keep all my plans for after sunset. I guess, the sedentary lifestyles and the air-conditioned environment do this to us .  Anyways, like I have said before, cooking never interested me in my 20’s.
And now suddenly, I have tried 7 varieties of papads and pickles in this month (April 2021) itself and my mom just cannot believe her eyes. 😄😄
1. Raw Mango Pickle (OIL FREE)
2. Lemon Sweet & Sour
3. Tendli (Ivy Gourd)
A piping hot bowl of parboiled rice pez (kanji) was commonly served in all households in Goan villages as a mid-morning meal, which used to be always accompanied with various pickles. Â
This entire month of April we will be talking about #Sundried foods and reminiscing about how these foods find a place in our INDIAN KITCHENS. Â
Raw Mango pickle (OIL FREE)
What’s the best part about the Indian summers ? Ofcourse, the MANGO SEASON ! So many varieties of mangoes and so many recipes, from gorgeous looking desserts, cocktails, mocktails to pickles, jams, squashes, curries. The list is really long. It makes the summers so much more interesting and completely drool worthy.
The pickle in this recipe is the sweet and sour version of the much loved mango pickle. Also, the best part about the recipe is that it is OIL & PRESERVATIVE FREE. And for the sweet taste we have added jaggery and not sugar.  So that’s another plus for the health watchers.
Isn’t it a must to prepare something so yummy and healthy at the same time ? A word of caution would be to refrigerate the pickle once it is made, since there is no oil, vinegar or any other preservative added to it. Making small batches of it would be a better option.  All pickles should be stored in glass jars which are sterilized and completely dry. Also, if spoons with any kind of moisture on them are used it will spoil the pickle, so need to also ensure the spoons are dry.
Raw Mango Pickle (Recipe)Â
Ingredients :
- 3 medium sized Raw mango cut in cubes
- ½ cup melted jaggery
- 1 tsp Ginger powder
- A pinch of Asofoetida powder (hing)
- 3 tsp Mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp Fenurgreek seeds (optional)
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- Red Kashmiri Chillies (4 to 5 )
- 2 tsp Turmeric
- Salt to taste
Method :
- Begin by applying salt and turmeric to the raw mangoes. Put them in a sieve and sun dry them for around 5-6 hours.
- The raw mangoes will leave some moisture. Now it’s time to cook them into a pickle.
- Dry grind all the spices mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies, ginger powder, asofoetida powder, to a coarse powder.
- Now in a saucepan dry roast the ground spice powder for a minute or two. Then add the melted jaggery and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- To this add the raw mangoes cut in cubes. Stir the mango cubes so that the spices and the jaggery covers it thoroughly.
- The mangoes will release some moisture because of the heat. Further cook for 5 minutes. Then check the salt seasoning and add if needed.
- Switch off the gas. Let the pickle cool to room temperature before storing in a sterilised bottle.
- You can enjoy this pickle with your daily meals. It tastes so yummy.
Handy tips :
- The pickle has neither oil or any preservatives hence it’s best to keep it refrigerated for longer shelf life.
- I would recommend to make in small batches.
- You can adjust the spices as per your taste. The fenugreek is optional, I personally like the slight bitter taste it lends to the pickle.
- Do not add too much water to melt the jaggery. It should be a thick syrup.
- Ensure the entire pickle making process is done with a clean, dry wooden spoon.
LEMON PICKLE (Sweet & Sour)Â
The lemon pickle recipe is from my husband’s aunt (Clara) who lives in Pune.  They had a beautiful lemon tree in their compound and those lemons were the size of oranges.  A few years ago she prepared this pickle and very lovingly packed them off in bottles for all the family members who live in Mumbai.
The pickle was so amazing that I still remember how it tasted. This time when I decided to prepare all the summer specials, LEMON PICKLE too was on the list.  And ofcourse it is the same recipe shared by our Aunt Clara.  Take a look.
Lemon Sweet & Sour Pickle (RECIPE)
Ingredients :
Lemons 20 (medium sized) cut into four
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 3 tsp
Dry Red chillies  6 – 7
Hing (asafoetida) a pinch
½ cup jaggery grated
Juice of 2 lemons
Method :
Cut the lemons into four pieces, add salt and turmeric and sun dry for a few hours.
Grind all the spices.
Cook the sun dried lemons in a saucepan, with the juice of 2 lemons and the ground spices till the lemons soften a bit.
Then add the grated jaggery and cook till the jaggery melts and is well incorporated with the lemons.
Let the pickle cool to room temperature.
Store in an air-tight container.
This pickle can be had right away, but leaving it to mature for a week or so will enhance the flavours.
TENDLI PICKLE
This is a very traditional pickle of Goa.  Quite famous I must say. It is sweet, spicy and has a touch of bitter. This trio-taste combination makes it a mouthwatering delight. During my annual trips to Goa, I used to pick quite a few packets of this pickle from Mapusa market.
Back in the days in Goan villages, the pez (rice kanji) prepared out of parboiled red rice, would be served piping hot between 10.30am – 11.00am like a mid-morning meal. Since, pez is cooked simply with rice and water with a dash of salt, the taste is quite bland. So, it used to be served with accompaniments like spicy tangy pickles, chilli fries, kalchi kodi (means a day old curry- in konkani) etc.  And just like that the entire big bowl used to get finished. My personal favourite out of all the above accompaniments is the tendli pickle (ivy gourd pickle)
Tendli or ivy gourd or tindora is a vegetable found commonly in India. It beautifully tenderizes when used for pickle making.  I always wanted to prepare this by myself at home, but never really tried it. This summer I wanted to make it a point to prepare it from scratch (a small batch) just to see how it will turn out. And to my surprise it tasted amazing ! I was so thrilled with the result that I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you.
Now, I won’t have to buy tendli pickle from the markets anymore.
Tendli Pickle / Ivy gourd pickle (RECIPE)
Ingredients :
- 50 Tendli (Ivy Gourd / Tendlim / Tindora)
- 2 tbsp Salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 3/4 cup Oil
- 1/2 cup Vinegar
- Salt (as per taste )
For the pickle masala :
- 15 Dry Kashmiri chilies
- 6 Byadagi red dry chillies
- 10 Garlic cloves
- 1 inch Ginger Piece
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 seeds of Methi (fenugreek seeds)
- 15 peppercorns
- ½ cup grated Jaggery
- 1/3 cup vinegar to grind masala (no water to be used)
Method :
- Wash ivy gourds and wipe dry
- Cut each ivy gourd into lengthwise thin strips.
- Apply salt and turmeric and keep them covered in a cool place for atleast 6-8 hours (or preferably overnight).
- Then drain out all water and sun dry the tendlis on a clean sheet for around 5 -6 hrs.
- They will appear a little wilted after drying.
For the masala :
- Grind all the ingredients of the masala (mentioned above) into a thick paste using enough vinegar.
- In a vessel, add the 3/4 cup oil and fry the masala well.
- Add in the ivy gourds and mix well
- Add the 1/2 cup vinegar.
- Cover and cook on low flame for about 30 minutes.
- Adjust the jaggery and cook for another 3 minutes. You will see that the oil has separated and the tendlis would have softened.
- Allow the pickle to cool and then store in a glass jar bottle which is sterlised.
- The pickle can be had right away but allowing it to mature for a couple of weeks gives it the authentic flavour.
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                           CONDIMENTS
DRY GINGER POWDER (SOONTH)
Dry Ginger powder is also known as Sonth in Hindi and Soontha in Marathi. It is a fine powder which is extracted from ginger root which has been dried. It has a strong aroma and a pungency to it. It has medicinal properties and is used in many home remedies to treat cold, indigestion, exercise-induced muscle pain etc.
You do find them easily in stores, but if you do want to make dry ginger powder at home, it is quite easy and cost effective. It is used in many Indian recipes. A perfect addition to tea if you like the ginger one.  I add it to few of my baked recipes like ginger cookies, ginger flavoured tea cakes etc. The fragrance, flavour and the quality you get when you prepare at home cannot match the store bought one.
Do try to make this and let me know.
While drying the ginger pieces, make sure you flip them over to ensure they are completely dry, there should be no moisture left.  It should be hard and crunchy kind of dry that snaps rather than bends. If any moisture is left, it won’t powder easily, also it’s shelf-life will reduce drastically. So this step is important !