Aloevera Pickle

Aolevera pickle!!! Yup.. even I exclaimed when my neighbor shared this with me. It was yummy and damn different. Its my kind of a pickle, sweet and delicious :)

Go ahead and try it out!! trust me you will love it.

Ingredients:

Aloevera - 10
Raisins - 1/2 cup
Methi Seeds - 1/4 cup
Cooking oil - 1 cup
Chilly powder - 3 + 1 tsp
Jeera - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Dhaniya powder(coriander powder) - 2 tsp
Amchur(Mango powder) - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Mustard powder - 1 tsp

Method:

Cut small squares of aloevera and boil it. Soak raisins in warm water for 10 mins. Boil methi seeds.

Drain the water from all the above and press them against a towel to remove the water completely.

Take the aloevera, raisins, methi in a pan and add salt, turmeric powder, amchur powder, sugar and mustard powder. Toss until it spreads evenly. Now saute these for 5 mins.

Take a fresh pan and pour in the cup of oil. Add asafoetida, jeera, 1 tsp of chilly powder and immediately drop in the above sauted contents and mix well. This has to be down quickly before the chilly powder gets browned. This will keep the pickle red and nice to see.

Now let this pickle get cooked for another 1o minutes in medium flame.

Transfer to sterilized bottle and refrigerate and use. See to that the oil covers the top layer so that it does not get spoilt.

Enjoy eating a very healthy pickle.

Written by: Nithya
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Gooseberry Pickle / Nellikai Oorukai

A totally cozy lazy week has passed by and I hardly peeped into the kitchen :( Oops.. but I never skipped a meal. :) All thanks to mummy for pampering me out of my fever syndrome. :)

But a yummy pickle that grandma taught me when she was here has been there in my drafts for days now. We are really pickle people!! almost one full rack of the fridge is filled with various pickles ;) yummmm

Nellikai / gooseberry is a rich source of vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium and phosphorous. Pickled or plain, gooseberry is always yummy.. I love the expression in one's face and the goose bumbs formation when the taste buds come in contact with the juice of these berries ;)

Ingredients:

Gooseberries / Nellikai - 10
Tamarind pulp - 2 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Fenugreek(Vendhayam) powder - 1 tsp
Cumin(Jeera) powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - for tempering
Oil

Method:

Pressure cook the gooseberries. Cut them along their lines and remove the seed.

In a pan take a tblsp of oil and season with mustard. Then add the gooseberries and all the other ingredients one by one and mix well. Cook for just five minutes and remove from pan.

Yummy gooseberry pickle is ready. Serve it along with curd rice.

This can be stored in refrigerator and used for around 15 days.

Written by: Nithya

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Gooseberry Curd Pickle / Nellikai Oorugai

Pickles are a common sight in every Indian's home and especially at my place. Mom and granny make a lot of varieties of pickles. Infact an entire rack of my fridge is filled with pickles like mango pickle, onion pickle, lemon pickle, ginger pickle and so on..

Now this gooseberry pickle is the new entry and for sure one of the best :) yummm.. its simply too good with curd rice.

Gooseberry is easily available almost throughout the year and hence this pickle can be made anytime. But the curd factor gives it a short shelf life of max of 15 days if stored in airtight container and left in the fridge.

Ingredients:

Gooseberry / Nellikai - 10
Curd - 1 cup
Green Chilly - 2
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - for taste

Method:

Pressure cook the gooseberries. Cut them along their lines and remove the seed.

Now in a bowl, take the curd and churn it well using a whisk. Add chilly powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, asafoetida and salt to it and mix well.

Now drop the cooked gooseberries into it. Finally temper mustard and split green chillies and add it to the pickle.

Allow it to marinate for a day.

Yummy and tangy gooseberry curd pickle is ready to serve. :)

Serve with curd rice. :)

Enjoy making. Happy eating :)

Written by: Nithya

Send in your queries by clicking here.

Raw Mango Pickle / Maavadu

Raw mango pickle or maavadu is one other irresistible pickle for me. I just can eat it raw. Yummmmm :)

This is a pickle that originated long long ago in south India and is damn famous a combination with curd rice.

Its mango season now and just don't miss to make this delicious pickle at home. :)

Ingredients:

Raw mangoes - 8 cups
Salt - 1 cup (upto the brim)
Red chillies - 1 cup
Mustard - 4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
Sesame oil - 6 tsp
Water - 2 cups
Sodium Benzoaite - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Wash and dry the mangoes on a cloth. Collect them in a large bowl and add oil, turmeric powder and powdered salt to it and mix well. Keep this aside.

Soak the red chillies in two cups of hot water for 2 hours.

Powder the mustard in a mixie. Now add the soaked red chillies to it and grind into a very smooth paste by adding the same water that it was soaked in.

Add this mustard and chilly paste to the mangoes and mix it well. Keep the pickle in the same vessel for 5 days. Mix the pickle bottom up, once everyday. Initially it will look dry but after 5 days the mangoes will shrink and will give out its flavor.

After 5 days, dilute sodium benzoate in 2 tsp of water and add it to the pickle and mix really well. This is a preservative that is used to keep the pickle from getting spoilt and this also helps in maintaining the crispness of the mango for a long time.

Now transfer it to bottles and store them in the fridge. You can preserve and enjoy this delicious hot pickle for around 6-10 months. :)

Serve it with curd rice or even eat it just like that :)

Happy making :)

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here.

Masala Mango Pickle / Masala Manga Oorugai

Curd rice with Mango pickle is the world's best combination according to me. I can never get this kind of satisfaction of eating a wholesome food by eating anything else. That too when it is home made, nothing else can beat it. :)

Indians and especially South Indians would agree with me I guess. :)

Just like lot others, even I had an inhibition that making pickle is a very cumbersome process and it does not turn out perfect for all and always.

My mom is a super expert in making pickles and especially Masala mango pickle is her specialty. All those who have tasted it could not just stop with one. :) I am an ardent fan of it too. :)

Now its the mango season and I just cant afford to miss the chance.

So this time I took charge and learnt to make this pickle all by myself. :) If a fresher like me can do, why not you???

Ingredients:

Small Raw Mangoes - 8 cups
Chilly powder - 1 cup (heaped)
Salt - 1 cup (till the brim)
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
Asafoetida(Perungayam) - 2 tsp
Fenugreek(Vendhayam) - 6 tsp
Sesame Oil - 1 1/2 cups
Mustard - 2 tsp
Sodium Benzoate - 1 tsp

Method:

Wash and dry the raw mangoes on a cloth. Make slits in them in both the directions like shown in the below picture. The slit should go just about 3/4 of the mango, so that the top portion is still stuck together.

Dry roast fenugreek and asafoetida separately for just few mins and then grind it into a fine powder. Now mix the salt, chilly powder, asafoetida, fenugreek powder and turmeric powder in a bowl and keep it aside.

Now take the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and once it is hot, season with mustard. After it crackles, simmer the stove fully and add mangoes and the mixed masala powder to it. Stir quickly until all the mangoes get mixed with masala. Once done immediately transfer it to a different vessel.

Keep the pickle in the same vessel for 5 days. Mix the pickle from bottom up, once everyday. Initially it will look dry but after 5 days the oil will ooze out and look shiny.

After 5 days, dilute sodium benzoate in 2 tsp of water and add it to the pickle and mix really well. This is a preservative that is used to keep the pickle from getting spoilt and this also helps in maintaining the crispness of the mango for a long time.

Now transfer it to bottles and store them in the fridge. You can preserve and enjoy this delicious hot pickle for around 6-10 months. :)

Note: Once the pickle is transferred to the bottles, see to that there is a layer of oil on top. This will keep the pickle from getting spoilt.

Serve it with curd rice. :) I am sure you would say yummmmm after eating the hot and tangy masala mango pickle :)

Happy making :)

Coming up next: Maavadu - the ever famous mango pickle ;)

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here.

Sweet Mango Pickle

Pickle is one of the most interesting and famous dish in India. Thanks to all grannies who found it for us. :) There are a lot of yummy varieties in it. Curd rice with pickle is the most heavenly combination I cherish always.

Raw mango is the secret ingredient for lots of pickles. This is one of such amazingly interesting pickle and sure would kids love this because of its jammy consistency and sweetness.


Ingredients:

Raw Mango - 1
Jaggery - 2 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Mustard
Curry leaves




Method:

Dice mango into medium sized pieces. In a pan take a spoon of oil and crackle mustard and curry leaves. Now put the mangoes into it and pour some water for it to get cooked. Close the pan with a lid and leave it alone for 5 min. Once the mango gets cooked, add chilly powder, jaggery and salt to it and mix well. Allow it to cook for another 5 min. Sweet and sour mango pickle is ready to eat. :) You can preserve this pickle in the refrigerator for a week.

This pickle goes well with roti and curd rice too. :)



Note: To make this pickle choose mangoes with thin outer skin so that its easy to bite and enjoy.


Written by: Nithya
post your queries to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com