Pickles that Tickle and Preserves to Reserve !

Sweet & sour Ginger pickle: - Goes with rice, bread & parathas !

Tender ginger - 100 gms

Sugar - 100 - 150 gms

Red chillies - 50 – 100 gmsgms

Tamarind - 50 gms

Salt

Oil - 50 ml

Soak red chillies in water for I hr.

Grind all ingredients together to a paste.

Heat oil & lightly fry the paste till thick.

You can make it as spicy as you like.

 

Grated Amla Murabba - dry variety, can be preserved well.

Select the big variety of amlas. I usually prefer to grate them & make. Serve this with parathas & a hot spicy side dish.

Grated amla - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 2 cups

Lime juice ½ tsp

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Saffron - a pinch (warm & powder)

Wash, dry & grate amlas.

Heat sugar & water together.

When it starts boiling, add 1 tbsp milk & boil.

Dirt floats on the top.

Strain & remove it.

Heat the syrup adding lime juice.

Add grated amla.

Continue boiling, stirring regularly.

At one stage, it will solidify & the sugar will start crystallizing.

Add spices & mix well.

Remove, cool & store.

 

Dear Menakshirajan,
Use less spices for arunellikkai.
If you omit tamarind in this thokku, the "tang" will be missing. This is a "kara saramana" pickle.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear Meenakshi,
Tomato thokku without tamarind will not last long. Buy the Nattu thakkali variety. Chop & cook, just like mango thokku.
Keep in the fridge & use.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear Meenakshi,
Thankyou for the feed back. I get less F B s for pickles generally !
Do not talk about chitvish, but chitvish recipes !
Love,
Chithra.

 

Sweet potato Thokku - Goes with rice as well as chappathis.

This is a less commonly made, but very tasty pickle.

Sweet potato - ½ kg

Red chillies - 15 – 20

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

Salt

Methi seeds - 2 tsp

Hing - 1 tsp

Gingelly oil - 1 cup

Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

Wash well, peel & grate the sweet potato .

Mix immediately with salt & dry in the sun for 2,3 days.

It will become like strands.

Add tamarind & red chillies & “grind” in the mixi without adding water.

Fry methi seeds & hing dry in a kadai & powder.

Heat oil in a kadai, temper mustard seeds & add the mixture.

Fry it on a low fire, adding the methi-hing mixture halfway through.

When it reaches the “ mango thokku” consistency, remove.

Cool & bottle.

Since no water is added, keeps for more than a month.

 

Lime-Ginger-Green Chillies - they make too tasty a combination !

I am giving the recipe approximately, because it can be modified slightly to suit individual taste – more or less green chillies & more or less ginger.
The lemons must be juicy & fresh.
The ginger must be tender.

Lemons - 12

Ginger - 200 gms

Green chillies - 10-12

To roast dry

Methi seeds - 2 tsp

Haldi - 2 level tsp

Hing powder - 1 tsp

& powder with

Salt - ½ cup

Wash, wipe & cut the lemons into two.

Squeeze the juice.

Cut the peel into small pieces.

Mix the powder with the juice & pour on the cut lemon pieces.

Keep in a glass jar & mix it everyday with a dry spoon.

After it becomes a little soft on soaking, add chopped ginger and green chillies.

Mix well.

Next day, test for salt.

It is optional to temper 1 tsp mustard seeds in 1 tsp oil.

Best kept, refrigerated.

Goes with curd rice, parathas etc.