The pickle lovers in the house know the story. Seriously my mouth does water on this yummy spicy crunchy tangy and probiotic booster till date as it used to be in my childhood days.
I Love achaar basically all and any kinds, fresh instant or the seasonal marinated ones, yes all of them. I recall my Dad's Mom " Ba " as we called her to not eat achaar too much as I used to heat up the body and get pimples at a very young age. Well that's another story I never had any luckily. But till date it refreshes her memory. But I used to eat achaar / athanu / pickle like any other vegetable in a load full quantity.
I have loads of memories attached to achaar as it is a summer ritual which starts soon after the first mango is offered to the holy burning pyre of in the festival of " Holika Dahan " , that is when the actual making of all the quick achaar's start as the local markets start to flood with a variety of them. But before season of making of various achaar's start this was a quick fix as all the seasonal achaar's are almost nearing to empty OR are empty already. This and various other quick fix instant achaar's come to the rescue. God Heavenly, achaar is the most delicious accompaniment of all.
Well !!! Before I seep into my story telling mood of the achaar long story short. Let's quickly get started making this instant and quick fix pickle.
Note
INGREDIENTS
- This recipe is quite flexible and generous as to the proportions. You can fairly use more of less depending on the usage.
- I prepare it fresh and make according to the bottle measurement.
- You can use any type of chilli available locally. I usually deseed all the chilli by making a slit and removing all the seeds from within which reduces the spicyness.
- Kids can also relish this pickle as deseeding them makes it a less spicy option.
* The marination and fermentation process in pickle making makes it probiotic in nature.
- This pickle is traditionally made with the the split skinless mustard seeds and I also prefer these over the regular mustard seeds with the black outer skin as it bears a very pungent flavor compared to the skinless ones. If you like the later ones you can go ahead and use the skinned mustard seeds or simply ground regular mustard seeds coarse texture in your grinder and use.
-It is an instant version so it does not require sunlight as it does in long term seasonal pickle. It is made in small quantities lasting usually a week or 2 weeks max to retain that crunchy flavor.* The marination and fermentation process in pickle making makes it probiotic in nature.
1 Carrot
10 Green chilli
salt
25 gram split skinless mustard seeds OR rai na kuria
pinch asafotedia
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon red chilli powder ( optional )
* I used Kashmiri red chilli powder for mild taste and a beautiful red color.
* I used Kashmiri red chilli powder for mild taste and a beautiful red color.
2-3 tablespoon sesame oil OR any other mild flavored oil
air tight container for storage
PROCEDURE
Step 1 : Wash, dry and cut the carrots and the green chilli lengthwise.
Remove the seeds and the stem of the chilli / peppers and the center pale part of the carrot.
Remove the seeds and the stem of the chilli / peppers and the center pale part of the carrot.
WHY TO DESEED PEPPERS ?
- The hotness of any chilli / pepper is caused due to their seeds. If you keep the seeds intact the peppers will be extra hot. By removing the seeds you remove that hotness to a bearable amount. Even kids can enjoy this pickle.
- If you like extra hot then you can go ahead and omit this step. Preference is yours.
Step 2 : Once the chopping part is done. Add a teaspoon salt over it and mix well. Keep this marinated mixture aside for a while till it sweats and you see some water at the bottom of the bottle / jar.
Usually I do Step 2 and let it sit the whole day OR overnight to let the marinate sweat and leave water at the bottom of the jar. Discard this water if making more quantity to avoid spoil. I did not as I make it fresh in small jar quantity only.
Step 3 : PICKLE DRY MASALA MIX -
Mix split skinless mustard seeds / rai na kuria - these are split skinless mustard seeds also known as rai na kuria redily available in any Indian grocery stores, asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.
You can premix this mixture and store it. As it is a dry mix it can be stored and used to make various other quick and instant pickles too. This can be prepared very well in advance.
Sprinkle some over the pickle generously and mix well. The proportion more OR less to add totally depends on your liking.
Step 4 : Heat up sesame oil OR any mild flavored oil till it fumes OR microwave for 3 minutes. Let it completely cool down and then add it to the marinated pickle mix. For more flavor you can let it sit over the counter for a 2-3 days OR even consume it instantly too.
STORAGE : This instant pickle can be stored over the counter for a week OR you can store it in the refrigerator too. I like to prepare it in small batches fresh each time as it stays crunchy.
Plating accompaniments
Your instant pickle quick fix is ready. You can have it as an accompaniment for your daily lunches and dinners as your probiotic daily boost. Crunchy and fresh pickle is ready to be munched in no time.
Your instant pickle quick fix is ready. You can have it as an accompaniment for your daily lunches and dinners as your probiotic daily boost. Crunchy and fresh pickle is ready to be munched in no time.
More pickle recipes :
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